monotype print

Whenever I am at my local big box store, I always check to see if they have glycerin in stock. And if they do I buy a couple of bottles.

With pandemic many folks are using glycerin to make hand sanitizer, so it can be challenging to find.

1 – Make a long lasting gelatin plate

I use 2 bottles of glycerin to make the homemade gelatin plate. This is a malleable printing plate that is great for making monotypes with out a printing press.

You can get the FREE recipe and make your own printing plate here. With some time and playful practice you will be making your own beautiful monotype prints.

2 – Use glycerin to preserve botanicals

I use a lot of leaves and ferns as masking stencils. Some of these materials I have had for years because I preserved them in a glycerin and water bath.

Leaves and ferns can last for years and be used to make lovely monotype impressions. Try it! Get some instructions here.

3 – Use glycerin as a retarder with Speedball Water based block printing ink

For some reason retarder is a little bit expensive and only sold in smaller tubes. But luckily one of my students told me that a few drops of glycerin can be used to slow the drying time of the Speedball water based inks.

I use it for this purpose when I make trace monotype prints. I works nicely to keep the ink alive and workable.

If you are interested in learning more about printmaking without a press, then check out the current online classes.

Most recently I have been giving myself permission to sit by the lake in the woods. There is a tiny conflicting voice that is telling me to get to “work”.

But I am finding that the gift of that time by the lake makes it easier to get to work later. Hmmm?

So I offer you this challenge:

• Find some wilderness nearby, woods, lake, ocean, park
• Go there walk, sit and breathe it in
• See if this gift of time in nature improves your “work” time

I get many ideas and inspiration from the woods:

• stencils, weeds and ferns
• shadow shapes for masking stencils
• twigs and branches for relief plates

Hope I have encouraged you to walk in the woods today.

Do you have art making habits?

Do you need to change some ways that you approach art making to create new work?

• I noticed that my messy cluttered space caused me to dread going to the studio.
• I go crazy when I know I have a certain tool and can’t find it after 20 minutes of searching
• I love looking at a wall of completed prints
• I love stackable boxes that hold my prints, stencils and papers

I challenge you to get a cup of tea, take a seat in your workspace and look around for 15 minutes or so.

• Notice what you love
• Notice what drags you down
• Even take pictures
• Notice things you use and don’t use
• Notice things you think you might use someday
• Or things that you “should” use
• Or things that are too precious to use

After this contemplation, would you say your space supports your art practice?

Could you take 20 minutes and

• get rid of things you don’t use?
• sort through a pile of papers or tools?
• clear off a table?
• make a plan to set up your space so that it supports your creativity.

One other way to support your creative habits, is to take a class. Check out the art classes being offered right now.