Mind = Blown

Ok, ignore the hookey music:

http://www.youtube.com/embed/Dy0JG-TEWf8

[Ed: Linked, since the embed code wasn't working] Can we talk about this please?!

This artist, Linda Germain, has a ton of videos on her YouTube Channel, linked also on her blog, Printmaking Without a Press illustrating how to do a gelatin monotype print.

Not to be confused with gelatin printed photographs, gelatin printing involves making a "plate" of gelatin to use as your matrix. It seems like most people who use this method (see the additional links posted below) use it as a totally non-toxic print method. While I'm all for non-toxic, I've yet to meet a water- or soy-based ink that produces same results I love oh-so much about oil. It also seems that most people who use this method take a found object approach to monoprinting. Which is nice. I guess. If you're into that kind of kitschy, decorative thing. I see no reason though why a rag/q-tip wipe drawing method wouldn't work. Drawing on the inked plate with a blunt etching needle or pencil would pose a problem to the longevity of the gelatin - could produce some cool effects though!

My only hesitation is that I love me some ghost images; at least with water-based inks, it appears a gelatin plate leaves none behind. What Germain terms a 'ghost image' is actually a negative image left behind by the forms she uses to block out ink. Some of the things I've been cutting out of other prints could be cool to create mask positives and negatives. And depending on how to oil ink sticks to the gelatin, I may still get ghost images out of a gelatin plate.

Anyway it works out, I think it'll be a fascinating experiment during Spring Break when I'll be limited to my home press; which thanks to a phone upgrade, I should be able to update on the experiment during that week! For next week, however, I plan to stick to my plexi-plate method.

Additional gelatin plate links:

http://www.flickr.com/groups/gelatinprintmaking/pool/with/8479685878/#photo_8479685878
http://www.comfortableshoesstudio.com/2011/05/technique-tuesday-gelatin-prints.html
http://4alchemists.wordpress.com/2010/10/18/hello-world/
http://www.marylandprintmakers.org/newsletter.asp?id=230
http://www.gelliarts.com/ - Apparently this is popular enough, there's a company that makes reuseable gelatin-like plates.

This week's studio hours: 12
This week's research hours: 4