Gelatin Printmaking

When I first moved to my present home I didn't have my press available so underwent printmaking withdrawal.

I started using gelatin plates to make monoprints as I could do this in my kitchen.

Here are some tips:

• Use unflavored gelatin but double the amount of gelatin to water that the package states. You don't need anything but your palm to get good contact of the plate and paper.

• Although Nancy Marculewicz in Making Monoprints Using a Gelatin Plate uses various types of inks, I found that Speedball inexpensive inks with an extender work the best.

• The paper used for Scallops is I think Arches 88 which was the best of the stiffer papers for picking up the ink. Thinner, flexible but strong papers such as mulberry work well for gelatin plate printmaking.

Nautilus is another monoprint and as you can see you can combine gelatin printmaking with other methods such as xerox transfers. Both Scallops and Nautilus are examples of layering of inks, even with Speedball water based inks you can layer colors quite well. Because the ink dries fast you don't have to wait long to add another layer.