From Last Printmaking Class

Finished the printmaking class the week before last.  I really enjoyed it.  I would like to take it again but I am taking a break for a while.  No art classes this summer but will be back at it in the fall.  The following are two of the prints from my last class.

The first is a gelatin print from a stamp I picked up at an estate sale of a local potter.  Gelatin prints are wild - the instructor made a slab from gelatin and you paint on it, lay a piece of paper on top then rub.  Great fun - something you can do at home since you do not need a printing press.

The second is a gelatin print on top of a print I had done earlier from a solar plate.  The plate is based on a photo I had taken in Italy.

Pleasant Surprise

Entered the student show at the Birmingham Bloomfield Art Center.  Supposed to submit work that represents what you did in classes.  You were allowed to submit two items.  Decided on the print of a photo I took in Florence.  It is a gum arabic print that I then colored with water color pencil.  I was pleased with how it turned out but surprised that it was juried in when I saw some of the other prints that were being submitted (yes Jyl, I do believe your dolphin print was better).

I recently took the weaving course and thought I should submit something from that since very little weaving ever makes it into the show.  The baby blanket I made has already been given away but I did weave a shibori scarf and then dyed it in the Michigan Weavers Guild dye day.  I am very surprised that that made it in since it is not up to my usual weaving standards.  I was in such a rush to finish by the dye day it ended up with very uneven ends and more variation in beat than I like.   I was VERY surprised that this made it.

I guess one never knows.

New Printmaking Class

I signed up for a repeat of the printmaking class I took in the fall.  I really liked the instructor and loved the class.  On the first day I was informed that the instructor was no longer teaching since her mother was ill and they weren't sure who was taking over the class.  At that point I switched to the Thursday afternoon class called "Painterly Prints".  This instructor uses primarily water colors versus printing ink which is a different approach.    The two prints are my first approach at monotypes with painting with watercolors on the plexiglass base.

Monotypes Class 2

In Fridays printmaking class we continued with monotypes but layering more transparent colored inks in successive printings.   I was not as happy with this round but I am learning what doesn't work.  Below are my two most successful attempts.

Newest Endeavor

A former colleague of my husband's has taught Printmaking at the Birmingham Bloomfield Art Center for many years.   I always told her that I would take the class once I was not longer working.  Since that has occurred I signed up for her Introduction to Printmaking.  The first class was on Friday and we are covering Monotypes for the first two weeks.    The following were my first attempts.

- A reduction technique where you paint the ink on a plate then scrape off.  The second image is called a ghost image and is taken as a second run with the remaining ink.

I was much happier with the second set where you inked the plate then added supplemental items to the plate.