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!

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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!

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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 …..

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Gelatin Printmaking with Kids

monotype print / /

playful gelatin print by linda germainPlay with Printmaking is one of my guides for action.  I am lucky enough to work with kids during the summer and help them to play with printmaking too.  It amazes me how little time is devoted to play and self discovery.  Sometimes the kids are not used to free flowing creation.  they have standards to meet and matrices to complete.

Gelatin Printmaking with Kids

Some tips:

  • Keep the steps simple
  • Maybe just use stamping tools for a while
  • Offer imagery that they can relate to
  • test you inks, papers and supplies before hand to trouble shoot any problems
  • Add in skills that they already use, like drawing, scribbling or direct stamping
  • Set up the space ahead of time
  • Know when to keep quite and let them play.

Today’s ICAD was inspired by my kids from Spain who played with gelatin printing yesterday.  I used:

  • index card
  • speedball inks
  • colored pencils
  • charcoal
  • and a purchased animal stencil

Happy Printing.

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Power People Prints

2010 / /

power people gelatin print by linda germainI decided that Power People would be my printmaking theme for this year.  This one is from a photo of my nephew.  You can find the tutorial on how I made the stencil for gelatin printmaking at this blog post.

People Prints and Silhouettes

I am amazed that a little detail in a silhouette can make such a big difference.  The human eye can detect so much!  This gelatin print:

  • Is printed on an index card
  • Has a scrappy clean up background
  • I used a tile sample to make the square marks
  • I lifted off and stamped on those square marks
  • I used the Pre-ink the stencil method to get a strong impression of the figure.

What is a scrappy clean up background?

Ahhhh.  Well I use a lot of newsprint pickups in my work to clean the gelatin plate of unwanted ink.  See the full post here.  Sometimes  I do these pick ups with print paper.  Often this clean up, piece of paper has fabulous marks and becomes a print of its own, as was the case here.

Cut up your Gelatin, Play and Freeze

When I am finished with a workshop or have an extra gelatin plate that I won’t be using for a week or more I freeze it!  That way is does not mold and I can reuse it.

Here is a pile of gelatin ready to be frozen.

Cut up gelatin plate ready to Freeze by Linda Germain

Happy Printing!

 

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