There are some really interesting things you can find out in a short amount of time...One of which is: Inks don't stain and stay in the fabric after you wash out the resist! At least the ones we used washed out. Bummer...
So, I think next time I will do one of two things: use a fabric dye instead of an acrylic ink OR use a permanent resist that you don't have to wash out.
We also were very surprised how clear and crisp our stamps printed out on burlap. In spite of the bumpy surface, the burlap really captured the details of the stamps we tried...
Anyway, it was a fun day of experimentation and creativity!
Next, I was emailing back and forth with our vendor from Australia, Steve Patterson of Matisse and he sent me a link to a couple of posts he has on Youtube. Oh my...yet another addiction. I have seen this done, actually in my own studio. It was during a CMMAG meeting and play date at DiGiulio Studios and Penny was doing a demo using the Gelliarts geletin plates for printing. But, I had not actually played with that particular product and process that day, just sort of watched from afar...So needless to say, that particular item was put on the back burner so to speak. Too many other things going on.
Fast forward to yesterday, when Steve sent me the link to making your own gelatin plates for pennies and a little patience and experimental printing. Here's what I did: stopped at Walmart on the way home from work last night. In the aisle with the Jello, is just your basic gelatin. Pick up one of those. Mine was $1.25 and came in a box with four little packets inside. I simply followed the directions on the box and ended up with some clearish liquid to add to my Pyrex dish. The dish is 8 x 8.
I just put the cover on it and stuck it in the fridge to set. Left it overnight and got up in the morning.
This morning I got my coffee and the dish and headed out to the studio to play! I was really excited and I only had one hour to mess around. So, out came the palette paper, my Matisse Flow acrylics, a roller, lots of different types of paper: rice paper, watercolor paper, torn pages from a book, luggage tags and more. I removed the gelatin from the dish. Just put a knife around the edge and flip over onto your surface. I set the gelatin on a piece of plastic and was ready to go in no time.
I randomly added squirts of the fluid acrylic (Matisse Flow) to the palette paper or sometimes directly onto the plate. I rolled the surface smooth with my brayer and then began my experimentations:
1. Comb the surface
2. Stamp the surface
3. Put lace on the surface
4. Lay threads and strings on the surface
5. Crinkle wax paper and lay on the surface
You can work in an additive fashion or a subtractive fashion. Whatever you take off the plate, you can add to any paper. So you're sort of working on several pieces at once. This is my way to work! I love to randomly print and paint and make a stash of papers to use in future collages. It's really very freeing. Here is one of the images I "pulled" from the plate:
So give it a shot. And here is a photo of my "stash" of the morning:
Watch the two videos and that will give you an idea of where you can take this. Then look at the photos I've posted and begin another creative adventure!
Enjoy!
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