Dick Blick

Monday, April 23, 2012

Gelatin Plate Printing

In an effort to create art without using dyes, I decided to try gelatin plate printing again.  The first time I did it I found it much too limiting, both in size and process.

But it is a new time. I went to the local grocery store and purchased their last gelatin.  OK - now I will mail order.  I purchased large aluminum disposal cookie pans too.  Made the gelatin plate this morning and tonight I printed some fabric.  See what you think. 

My pieces of fabric are only about 11 x 17 in size.  I started with pastel fabric paints and did three or four prints on each piece of fabric, starting with the lighter colors and building up.  I started using some o-rings and decided they didn't look too well.  I cut some stems from a houseplant and I learned I had to use my hand to apply pressure to get a nice print from it.  I used my old faux finishing tools for some texture but it just didn't light my fire.  But I had letters, cut out from a workshop I took with Susie Monday a year ago. www.susiemonday.com.
 And text is fun!
Then I was cookin".   This is the piece I like the least. It is too muddy.

But here is another which only had two layers of paint. See the houseplant marks.
And another:

And here are couple of the finished ones where I intensified the paints.  Two of these pieces were done on pink textured dyed fabric.  But this one just above was started with white cotton muslin.  The one just below had the pink fabric as a ground.  I used a pastel green over it, then a deeper green and finally a purply green.
I used Pro Chem Textile Paints to do this.  But I really like to mix my colors with a brush and get into the color.  Next time I will use acrylic paint and mix it with Golden GAC900.

Now I know what I will do in the hospital, after my surgery.  I will cut letters, all sizes and shapes out of mylar, for my gelatin and screen printing endeavors. 

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