Filed under: painting, printmaking | Tags: Acrylic paint, art, artist, gelatin printing, gouache, Ink, Paint, painting, portrait, print, printmaking
I spent the morning doing some gelatin printing. I’m not sure that I’m a huge fan of this type of printing. I was also testing out different inks and paints to see which worked best. I think that the Akua inks worked well, as they don’t dry until they are on paper. The acrylic paint and the speedball ink were both just so-so. The only problem with the Akua ink is that it does take an eternity to dry. I’ll probably still be wiping blue off of my hands every time I pick up one of these prints. Here’s one of the first ones:
Eh…feh…blech…some interesting aspects to it. I like how the silver ink turned out in the lower left corner. Next:
Also kind of interesting. These are printed on some very thin mystery Asian paper that I have. The art store in Cambridge had rolls of random paper for sale…10 sheets for $5. What a bargain! So, this is why I don’t know what the paper is. Next:
I experimented with a stencil a little. That’s where the leaf shape comes from. Next:
I liked the random stamped lines in the lower left area. Next:
I like the greenish yellowish color with the greenish blue color. Any comments? Does anyone out there also do gelatin printing? What inks do you like to use? Do you have any pointers for me?
Last night, I kept myself up doing a gouache painting. Okay…It was VERY frustrating. I have seriously debated showing this at all, as it looks bizarre…but here it goes:
See how small I made the picture? Maybe it’s still too big. Anyway, I know that this looks really weird. He looks like he has a skin condition. DRAMATIC SIGH. I painted this based on a photo. Hmm…while I like the challenge of painting or drawing people…it also is rather daunting. I’m going to need A LOT more practice before I start doing this on the streets of New York…
I am the monitor for the print studio in Cambridge on Friday. As a result, I’ve needed to come up with what I’m going to do during that time. So, I have tried a little experiment. I painted gouache onto two 8″ x 10″ sheets of plexi. I’m going to see if they print onto damp paper. Here’s the first plate:
Kind of fun. The bubblegum pink is a bit much, but I’ll see how it prints. Here is the other one:
These are really an experiment. I hope that they print. If they don’t, I’m going to be disappointed.
So, where am I going with all of this? Who knows. I’m going in every direction at the same time. Let’s hope that some of this eventually leads somewhere!
10 Comments so far
Leave a comment
slightly wonky 
There is a special stuff you can put in the acrylic paint , so it will dry more slowly.
Nice experiment !
You can also try woodcut and print with a spoon. But you will probably know this.
Comment by ellyhuizinga August 23, 2011 @ 1:53 pmYes! You can add retarder, right? I don’t have any. Have you tried this? I should get some. I have tried woodcut printing. You can see some prints on earlier posts. I have to admit…the prints turn out cleaner when you use a press. I wasn’t too pleased with how my hand burnished prints turned out. Do you also do printmaking?
Comment by slightlywonky August 23, 2011 @ 4:03 pmThere is an article today in CPS online about gelatin printing as well but by using a product that makes it much more convenient (for full disclosure – I am kind of affiliated with these guys)… but non-the-less, the product makes gelatin printing much more convenient and fun 🙂 Just thought you might want to know after I saw your blog post! Didn’t want to be pushy with the link but happy to share if you want it…
Comment by Nancy August 24, 2011 @ 1:57 pmWhat’s “CPS online”? Actually, I may already have the product you are mentioning. Is it the “gelli” printing surface? That’s what I was using! I like it mostly…but I think that actual gelatin is easier to work with. Because the real gelatin is wet, it helps in keeping the paints and inks wet as well. The Gelli print surface is not wet, so I found it more difficult to print with. Perhaps it just takes some getting used to! It is nice not having to make a gelatin plate, though…Any words of advice on printing with this product? Thanks so much for your helpful comment!
Comment by slightlywonky August 24, 2011 @ 8:12 pmCPS = http://www.clothpaperscissors.com. The product I referenced is the Gelli Gel Plate! 🙂 I understand it is different than using actual gelatin and there are definitely times you will want the real gelatin… but for many other times, the convenience of the Gelli Gel Plate is wonderful. Joan Bess, our resident Gelli artist had the following suggestion regarding paints… “Golden Open Acrylic paints work very well for creating monotypes on the Gelli plate. Like Akua, they stay open and workable, and tend not to dry on the plate. Adding a glazing medium to acrylic paints, such as Golden Acrylic Glaze Medium, will also help slow down the drying time.” Hope that’s helpful and makes it even more fun to use the plate!! Best – Nancy
Comment by Nancy August 26, 2011 @ 11:00 amNot only can you get retarder for acrylic there is also a type of acrylic paint called “interactive” that you can spray back into with water that rewets the paint and makes it movable again and a medium that also sprays on that does the same even after the paint has dried completely.. Try You Tube to see a couple of videos demonstrating this type of paint. I think Chroma is one of the makers.
Comment by Ruth August 24, 2011 @ 7:29 pmOh, VERY helpful! Thank you! I’ve never heard of “interactive” paint. I know that Golden makes “open” acrylics that are supposed to stay wet longer. Hmmm…I love You Tube for art demonstrations!
Comment by slightlywonky August 24, 2011 @ 8:08 pmHi, I like your layers. I use Daniel Smith water soluble block printing inks and love the detail I can get but they do take a long time to dry. You can check out my style on my blog or website.
Comment by Linda Germain September 1, 2011 @ 8:35 pmhttp://www.linda-germain.com Thanks for the feedback about the gelli plate. I was wondering about it.
Linda, your work is beautiful! Thanks so much for sending me the link to your website. Wow… you really have mastered gelatin printing! I love the colors and textures. I see that you also incorporate stitching…soooo cool. I’ll be sure to check in on your stuff again!
It looks like you are sometimes in Haverhill? That’s where my parents are! Small world…
Maybe I won’t give it up so easily on gelatin printing. I’m going to try the Golden open acrylics, as you suggested previously.
Thank you!!!!!!
Comment by slightlywonky September 2, 2011 @ 5:31 pmYou are right this is a small world. Thanks for your kind words. I have not tried the Golden Open acrylics, I have heard they still dry pretty quickly. my favorite ink is the Daniel Smith Water soluble relief printing ink. don’t give up yet!
Comment by printmakingwithoutapress September 2, 2011 @ 8:30 pm