Nature Gelatin Prints

 

Printmaking is a process of creating an image on one surface, called the plate, and transferring that image to paper or cloth. With gelatin prints the artist starts in the kitchen and makes a plate from gelatin and water. Gelatin is the stuff that gives gummy candies and marshmallows their chewy texture. It’s sold in little orange and white boxes at the supermarket and can be found in the aisle with the jello. Once the powdery gelatin has been mixed with water and chilled in the fridge (simple directions below) you will have a slightly rubbery surface that responds well to printing with textures that you can find outside.

 

 

Ingredients to Make a Gelatin Plate

 

6 tablespoons gelatin powder (6 packets, boxes generally have 4 packets per box)

 

1 1/2 cup cold water

 

1 1/2 cup hot water, almost boiling

 

9x12 inch shallow baking pan

 

Pour the cold water into the baking pan. Sprinkle gelatin into the pan. Mix until blended. Slowly add hot water while stirring continuously until all the gelatin has dissolved. Try to remove bubbles that may have collected on the surface by blotting with a paper towel. Place in the fridge for about 30 minutes or until the gelatin has set. You can remove the gelatin from the pan the same way that you would brownies. Just slice it into pieces and remove them with a spatula. Keep in mind that the size of your finished prints will be the same size as you slices of gelatin. You can begin printing immediately, or you can store your gelatin plates for up to ten days in the fridge.

 

Art Supplies for Printing

 

1. Drop cloth or newspapers to protect work surface

 

2. Water soluble printing ink or acrylic paint (available at most craft stores)

 

3. Large soft bristle brush, kitchen sponge or foam roller

 

4. A variety of natural objects such as leaves, shells, flowers, weeds, vegetables, fruit, feathers, bark.......

 

5. White drawing paper

 

6. A stack of newspaper torn into small sheets or scrap paper for blotting

 

For the best results, the natural objects that you collect should have interesting shapes and textures as well as being somewhat sturdy. A leaf, such as a maple, is a good choice since it has both an interesting shape and the prominent veins print nicely.

 

Directions

 

Squeeze some paint or ink onto gelatin plate and spread it out with your brush, sponge or brayer. If it looks too thick you can absorb the excess by laying a sheet of scrap paper on top and gently pressing. Press your nature objects into the paint. Pick up object. As long as you can see an impression in the ink, you will be able to make a print. Lay a sheet of white paper on top of gelatin plate and gently press with the palm of your hand. The gelatin plate can be cleaned between prints by pressing a sheet of scrap paper on the surface. Or you can wash it off in cold water in the sink. Make sure you dry it, too.

 

 

Have a stack of printing paper and scrap paper cut before you begin. A bit of trial and error is involved and it’s more fun to make many prints.

Mail Art

Everyone loves mail. Right? As long as it doesn't involve a bill or an advertisement. It's such a nice feeling to reach into your mail box and receive a handwritten note, and it is even better when there is a bit of original artwork involved. After doing some experimental gelatin printmaking last week, I was trying to think of a way to put the prints to use. I decided to pick up some blank postcards at the post office and attach some of the prints to the cards.

Postcards are always an integral part of an artist's promotion when they have a show. Last spring the children in my after school art class made a drawing directly on a postcard. The reverse side of the card had the date and time for an art reception at school featuring their work. They excitedly told me when their parents received their card in the mail.

Printmaking Collaboration with Children

Each rectangle of art was created by a different child at the school where I teach using a method of printing that uses a gelatin print. The children were all able to make several prints. I selected one from each child and mounted them on this canvas. We had an opening reception for the collaboration last night.

Collage the Scraps!

Sometimes after doing some printmaking it's fun to cut up the images and rearrange them to see what interesting collage combinations you can come up with. These are gelatin prints.

make your own notebooks

Last week I made a bunch of gelatin prints without any definite plans for using them. I've always liked the idea of stitching sheets of paper together with my sewing machine, so I decided to make little notebooks using the prints for the covers. I stitched sheets of computer paper to the print with my machine and then attached a piece of white chip board to the last page using glue stick. This would be an easy project to do with children. You don't need to limit yourself to using gelatin prints for the cover, but it is a fun process and I have instructions here and illustrations of the process here.

Gelatin Prints on Canvas

This is a gelatin print on canvas. I used paper doilies, a seashell, string, and bits of paper altered with pinking shears and a hole punch to either mask out sections of the gelatin plate or to make impressions directly in the acrylic paint that I was using as the printing medium.

Gelatin Prints