I LOVE your owl! 💙 I've not tried gel printing yet but I loved printmaking at college and uni. You're right, it's hard to continue this in your general practice without access to a print studio.
Saying that, I did come across a group called 'Craft Press Printmakers' a few years ago and discovered novel ways to print at home. One of them is using a die-cutting machine as a print press, I got a second-hand Xcut Xpress and it works very well! There are other types too, I'll find the link to the group and send it over.
At some point I want to dedicate a whole month on Substack to 'craft press printing' or kitchen table printing' and share what I've learnt. I'll keep you posted!
Thank you so much and I had heard of using a die cutting machine as a press. I even managed to find a small embossing machine in my kids craft cupboard which worked (with some hacks). I really need to look back into getting a second hand die cutting machine at some point, so thanks for that! I shall look at the FB group and I'm sure you probably have heard of it, but I'm quite interested in kitchen lithography. I have the suppiles, but just need to find the momentum, ha ha. You can do it with an old drinks can, some wax, coca cola and oil printing ink (non water washable).
That sounds like a great topic for a month. I feel far more creatively fulfilled in general when my resources are limited :-) xxx
That’s a great use for your kids craft kit! Ahhh, now you mention it, I think I have heard of that technique with the coke and recycled can, thank you for reminding me! My mind is fizzing with ideas for printmaking month now 😁
I hope you get the time and impulse to do some printmaking soon! 😊
Oh my gosh, thanks so much for paying the owl a visit. I totally forgot to credit the original reference image in this post (now rectified), but it was from the zoom replay with yourself and Katie Moody. Thanks for the texture appreciation. The print itself was a very quick process, but maybe takes some understanding of which layers should go first, although I didn’t plan much. The oil paints have a real transparency and glow to them! x
Oh that's so cool that it's from our session with Katie! I just gave in and got myself a gel plate on sale from Michael's. I'm excited to play with it!
So nice to see you back here in this space! I’ve been feeling some of the same things as you lately. I’m a bit burned out on social media and feeling like I want to move in new directions in my studio. I’ve been doing a lot of paper collage as little studies for larger quilts and I love it. I’m so intrigued by your gel printing process though! I love your owl print, and would love to learn more about how you made it. ❤️
That's great that you are finding some new directions and I think it's so healthy to seek out some quiet spaces to create away from too much influence. I mean we are influenced constantly, but sometimes it's nice when we are influenced in isolation, if that makes sense... Happy to talk more about my process. Maybe I'll go into more detail on another piece (take photos as i go), but it's a mix of screen printing inspired paper stencils and handpainted, monotype marks. I used washable oil paints as I much prefer the depth of colour and texture you get from oil based mediums x
I LOVE your owl! 💙 I've not tried gel printing yet but I loved printmaking at college and uni. You're right, it's hard to continue this in your general practice without access to a print studio.
Saying that, I did come across a group called 'Craft Press Printmakers' a few years ago and discovered novel ways to print at home. One of them is using a die-cutting machine as a print press, I got a second-hand Xcut Xpress and it works very well! There are other types too, I'll find the link to the group and send it over.
At some point I want to dedicate a whole month on Substack to 'craft press printing' or kitchen table printing' and share what I've learnt. I'll keep you posted!
Thank you so much and I had heard of using a die cutting machine as a press. I even managed to find a small embossing machine in my kids craft cupboard which worked (with some hacks). I really need to look back into getting a second hand die cutting machine at some point, so thanks for that! I shall look at the FB group and I'm sure you probably have heard of it, but I'm quite interested in kitchen lithography. I have the suppiles, but just need to find the momentum, ha ha. You can do it with an old drinks can, some wax, coca cola and oil printing ink (non water washable).
That sounds like a great topic for a month. I feel far more creatively fulfilled in general when my resources are limited :-) xxx
That’s a great use for your kids craft kit! Ahhh, now you mention it, I think I have heard of that technique with the coke and recycled can, thank you for reminding me! My mind is fizzing with ideas for printmaking month now 😁
I hope you get the time and impulse to do some printmaking soon! 😊
Fizzing with ideas 😂
If I do any more printing I shall be sure to share. Can't wait to see what you have planned! 😚
Wow I love how you layered the colors and textures. I know nothing about gel plates or printing, but I know this owl is a real stunner!
Oh my gosh, thanks so much for paying the owl a visit. I totally forgot to credit the original reference image in this post (now rectified), but it was from the zoom replay with yourself and Katie Moody. Thanks for the texture appreciation. The print itself was a very quick process, but maybe takes some understanding of which layers should go first, although I didn’t plan much. The oil paints have a real transparency and glow to them! x
Oh that's so cool that it's from our session with Katie! I just gave in and got myself a gel plate on sale from Michael's. I'm excited to play with it!
So nice to see you back here in this space! I’ve been feeling some of the same things as you lately. I’m a bit burned out on social media and feeling like I want to move in new directions in my studio. I’ve been doing a lot of paper collage as little studies for larger quilts and I love it. I’m so intrigued by your gel printing process though! I love your owl print, and would love to learn more about how you made it. ❤️
That's great that you are finding some new directions and I think it's so healthy to seek out some quiet spaces to create away from too much influence. I mean we are influenced constantly, but sometimes it's nice when we are influenced in isolation, if that makes sense... Happy to talk more about my process. Maybe I'll go into more detail on another piece (take photos as i go), but it's a mix of screen printing inspired paper stencils and handpainted, monotype marks. I used washable oil paints as I much prefer the depth of colour and texture you get from oil based mediums x