Drawing to improve your Gelatin Print

monotype print / /

2 step gelatin print by linda germainButterfly stencil for this quick gelatin print.  I did this in 2 simple steps.

Tools for this Gelatin Print

  • sponge mop head as stamping tool
  • potato masher as a stamping tool
  • Butterfly stencil
  • white pen, or marker
  • gelatin plate
  • orange and magenta speedball ink
  • brayer
  • palette
  • index card

Steps to Make the Monotype print

  1. Roll orange ink on the plate
  2. Mark into the orange ink with the sponge mop head
  3. Print the orange layer onto the index card
  4. Roll out the magenta ink
  5. “Stamp” into the ink to with the potato masher to remove some magenta
  6. Place the butterfly stencil on the magenta
  7. Put the print paper on top and burnish
  8. Then use the white pen, paint or marker to add the circles.

If you are just getting started with gelatin printing this is a good way to get started.  You use both of the main tools that I use in gelatin printmaking, masking stencils and stamping tools.

Another helpful hint to getting started is to watch my videos, make a plate and start experimenting.

Drawing to improve your Gelatin Print Read More »

Link Love on Fridays

2010, Uncategorized / /

This project gets me out looking for inspiration. My first inspiration is a realism painter with a twist Debbie Shirley.  She does neon signs, old car and fruits and veggies.  I think she can bring just about anything to life.

http://debbieshirley.blogspot.com
http://debbieshirley.blogspot.com

Number 2 for this week  is Randal Plowman’s blog – a collage a day.  He has been my inspiration for daily doings for a long time.

http://acollageaday.blogspot.com
http://acollageaday.blogspot.com by Randal Plowman

Number 3 fabulous blog Terri Stegmiller Art Quilts, surface design, quilting, thermo fax, stencils and cats!  She surprised me with a gift a few months back.  Check out her whimsical style.  I am sure you will smile.

http://stegart.blogspot.com
http://stegart.blogspot.com

Number 4, Alyson Stanfield is always giving away helpful information for artists in business.  She is a business role model and has lots to offer artists and other creatives.

http://www.artbizblog.com
http://www.artbizblog.com

 

Number 5 blog for this week is Amy Hood Arts, she has selection of tutorials, a lot of info about working with kids and homeschooling

http://amyhoodarts.com
http://amyhoodarts.com

So click on the header images above and be inspired.

Stay Cool!

Link Love on Fridays Read More »

How to Make your Gelatin Print POP

gelatin print tips / /

Make your Gelatin Print POP by linda germainSometimes your gelatin print or any mixed media piece just needs that extra pop to make it come together.  Today I share with you a few tips on how I get my monotype prints to stand out:

  1. Use bright pigment rich colors to start with because as you layer the colors  they can mix and become dull.  (This will depend on what inks/paints you use.)
  2. Try to keep a good range of values from very light white to very dark black.
  3. Look at your print and ask, “Could I add an extremely dark or light mark to bring it all together or finish the print?”

I did this in the ICAD print on the right-

  • I used unmixed colors just out of the tube. (you don’t alway have to do this)
  • The range of value is pretty good from light lights to dark darks
  • Then I added the black marks for the eyes with a sharpie and the white dots with a corrective pen.
  • I think these tiny marks kind of balance off the bold shapes of the rest of the piece.

If you have not watched my recent video about masking stencils and layers when gelatin printing, then please check it out here.

Happy Printing!

How to Make your Gelatin Print POP Read More »

Books, Heat and Time to Plan

2010, mixed media printmaking / /

good books to read suggested by linda germainAnother HOT day in New England.  I think my laptop was over heating, so I headed to the Haverhill Public Library, where the AC is a free as the books.  What a great place to be.  I read through FISH a philosophy about catch the energy and release the potential.  I first experienced this motivational training when I was working as a ski pro at Sugarloaf  in Maine.

Books that Caught my eye:

  1. Social Media 101 by Chris Brogan
  2. World Wide Rave byDavid Meerman Scott
  3. Tribes by Seth Godin
  4. Crafty Superstar by Alice Dobush
  5. Handmade Marketplace by Kari Chapin
  6. How to Make Money using Etsy Timothy Adam
  7. The Zen of Social Media Marketing – Shama Hyder Kabani
  8. Small is the New Big – Seth Godin
  9. Quick-Fix Vegetarian – Robin Robertson
  10. Collage Couture by Julie Nutting

Mixed media Gelatin plate print by linda germain

Do you see a theme?  I have the time to work on my business plan.  Creative Haverhill has monthly meetings for artists and we have chosen to focus on the business of art.  Tuesday the topic is social media and the speaker is Sarah Coletti of King Consulting.  If you are a local reader you can sign up and come to the meeting on Tuesday here.

My ICAD Gelatin Print is mixed with sharpie doodles and white chalk scribbles.  Something a little different. This one:

  • Was a mistake
  • the layers did not work out as I had hoped
  • So changed it up
  • Doddles with a sharpie
  • but is did not blend so
  • added white chalk to the background

I kinda like it.

Stay Cool!

Books, Heat and Time to Plan Read More »

Why? – gelatin print by linda germain

2010 / /

a gelatin plate print by linda germainWhy?  Sometimes I get so into the printmaking that I have to step away and ask why?  I get so into the process that I am lost for a while.  Then I ask

Why?

  • use the gelatin plate
  • is there another way
  • am I getting the kind of marks that I want
  • is this the best ink or paper for the job

I can get a new perspective by stopping and asking why.  Another time to ask why is when the prints are not working out  as hoped.

Is it….?

  • the paper
  • the ink
  • the stencil
  • the tool
  • the weather
  • the combination of any of the above
  • the kind of plate that I am using

I had a discovery yesterday and it came about from a “why” question.

Why are my photos dull?

I have been using Lightroom to organize and edit my photos and I have been disappointed with the color and brightness.  I am sure there is a way to get them right with Lightroom, but I don’t have that training.  So I went back to Photoshop and did a color adjustment comparison.

I love the “levels” adjustment in photoshop.  And I am happy.  I am going to jump between lightroom for alignment/cropping/resizing/name/organization and photoshop for color correction.

Maybe ….. ask Why today …..

Why? – gelatin print by linda germain Read More »