monotype print

Today I used my Tyvek® stencils to make some 4″ x  4″ gelatin prints instead of the cards.

I really like how the small prints look in the 8″ square frame. It gives the print some breathing space and it seems to be bigger than it really is.

I love figuring out ways to use tools in new ways. I don’t really love cutting stencils, so when I can use them in multiple ways it makes me happy.

Just another reason to join me in the Hand printed cards printmaking workshop, the online class that starts soon.

You will be pulling more than cards, if that interests you!

I like to start simple and then work up slight variations of the same print. These cards were printed with hand cut Tyvek® stencils and the homemade gelatin and glycerin plate. 

Today I played with some Tyvek® stencils and the gelatin plate. I love the happy surprise of the black and gold print above.

With this process it is easy to make many prints quite quickly. One thing that I love is that I use just a few tools and this allows me to test and print slight variations.

If you are interested in learning more about this monotype printing process, then join us in the online printmaking workshop, Hand Printed Cards + gelatin plate.

This is a short weekend class focused on this specific technique, but will include many processes that you can use in a broader approach to gelatin printmaking.

Have you used Tyvek® to make stencils for your gelatin printing projects?

I am excited to introduce you to the benefits of Tyvek® as stencil material, in this weekend workshop, Hand Printed Cards.

Why Tyvek® for stencil making?

Tyvek® is strong, durable and waterproof. These are great qualities for stencil material. It is also easy to cut.

You can find Tyvek®:

• recycle Tyvek® envelopes
• purchase Tyvek® from Material Concepts
• Try Jam paper from – Staples
• “dumpster dive” at a local building site for scraps of house wrap

If you want to be inspired by a cut paper artist who uses Tyvek® – then check out the work of Beatric Coron.

What kind of stencil is it?

I have a special name for this kind of stencil – “a masking stencil with a frame.” I use these descriptive words to distinguish the stencil and the way that I use it to create a beautiful, multi-colored image.

My approach to printing with these stencils includes using the gelatin plate, which is soft and malleable and can transfer delicate details to the paper.

In the image above the lucious black in is under the stencil and the background colors are rolled over the stencil.

The thing that I love about the combination of the Tyvek® stencil, the gelatin plate and the speedball water based block printing ink is that it is very easy to make many beautiful, clean edged, completed prints very fast.

So if this sound interesting to you, then check out the details and join us in the online printmaking workshop, Hand Printed Cards + Tyvek® stencils + gelatin plate. Read the details on the workshop page.

• Hand Printed Cards Class
• Online printing workshop
• November 2,  3, and 4, 2018
• $50.00
• Register on the workshop page

I have used processes that allow me to print in a small studio without a press, using non-toxic materials.

Now I am thinking about printing “BIG.”

That big is a relative term. I still have to be able to fit these prints on my table and use most of the tools that I already have. So for me, BIG is about 16″ x 20″

I am going to use the paper that I have in my studio, some mixed media paper, bristol, watercolor and printmaking papers. No need to keep saving these papers for a special project.

I chose 16″ x 20″ because it is still relatively easy to frame.

I made a few prints with a bunch of foam printing plates that I have and I was pleasantly surprised.

Stay tuned as the adventure into printing Bigger continues.

Often the image you are creating in a printing process is backwards than what you might expect.

As you can see above the foam printing plate on the left is a reverse image of the actual print on the right. This ability to reverse images takes time to learn and get use to.

If designs are abstract or symmetrical, sometimes it does not matter if the image get reversed. It is important to reverse words and images that are familiar to you like portraits.

self-portrait

My style of printmaking is exploratory and experimental. But I do think that I have printed so much that I now know that things get reversed and I compensate for that element of the printing process. Often the reversal is not a big deal for me either.

I like to work freely, without too much restriction or planning. I think that is how I discover new approaches and combinations of techniques. Collage and cropping are good ways to “finish” prints into framable pieces of art.

Another “backwards” way I work is to cut paper to the size of frames that I already have. Or to work on paper that fits into standard size frames. That way it is super easy to pop the print into an affordable frame and admire my work.

The next class is Soft Plate Relief Printing. Check out the details on the workshop page. This online class starts soon and includes 6 short actionable lessons spread over a 10 day period.