Am I becoming a single-issue blogger? Don't answer that, I know I am, going on and on about my gelli prints and how much fun I am having with them. Though there is something more than fun to them.
Gina, a lovely blogger from Tasmania, featured my prints in her blog the other day: Gina's eye - Visual Artist. I was really delighted with the feature and it was a great surprise! Thanks again, Gina, for your generosity. There are many interesting features as well as Gina's own works of art and poetry in her blog, hop over to see for yourselves.
gel print and random brushstrokes with india ink
on 250 gsm Stonehenge paper
Through my gel plate I have access to a technique I had scarcely tried before. I am not a printer and I don't have a press. I never seriously studied printing techniques and the few things I knew, I had forgotten by now.
Till the plate was served to me.
What started out (and still is) a game seems to be opening up many new possibilities. In fact, I have made very little progress since I started. I am exploring the options at my own pace, which is usually slow. I feel free when I am not pressed for time or results and creativity can only come from freedom, I think.
I didn't use a brayer for any of these prints, I applied the acrylics with a wet brush. There is a tricky balance between using too much water (it almost happened on the blue background here) and too little. With too little water the colours remain too opaque and cover the paper completely. In exchange, you can use that to create a thick brushstroke texture that prints flat on the paper but retains the bristle details.
You will be able to see all that clearly if you click on the images to enlarge them.
double gel print and graphite
on 250 gsm Stonehenge paper
As you can see, I started experimenting with more colour and less delicacy. This particular print makes me want to giggle, not sure why. It doesn't necessarily indicate that I started following a different path or style (or does it?) but it's certainly a different step on my way. Black and red and blue? Not my usual colours, too bold a contrast for me and yet, I'm very fond of it.
single gel print and graphite
on 250 gsm Stonehenge paper
I pulled this one as a vertical print but then looked at it horizontally and found myself neck-high in a field of tall grass. I liked the feeling and worked from there. A gelli print nature of sorts.
single gel print and graphite
on 150 gsm Stonehenge paper
Still surrounded by tall grass and a few unidentified vegetables. I mixed too much yellow-green-blue in this case and had to pull two more prints to use up the colours. They are not finished yet, so expect yet another post on gelli printing. Moving towards mixed media though, thinking about different combinations, larger sizes, whatever. Oh, dear. I'll be needing an A3-sized gel plate soon!
