Monoprinting with a gelatine plate

 I've had a box of Gel sachets in the cupboard for a couple of years now (& they aren't even out of date!)

I've had them as long as I've been enjoying the blog & fantastically informative videos of Linda Germain of Printmaking Without a Press. So exciting to be finally doing this! Using 2 layers of my fave colors, a carved polystyrene block - the diamonds,  right, you can see the marks just from the cling film that was under the gel plate while setting, then comforting grasses a la LG & the good ol sequin waste.

 Then I got my little heron cut out & used that as a resist - the middle one above is where I stamped the wet cut out into a resisted bit..... On the right above is a serendipity bit, oh & below top.

 Got some brights out as the reason I finally decided to do this now was my SIL's birthday coming up soon. She always inspires me to get this years card on the road. Above is using wool/yarn - & some cards to be at the bottom - they all went a little dark. & you could hardly see the little resist of a feather top left that I cut & anyway it kept curling up!

 This is the card sil will get - I drew into the resist shape & colored with pastels the peacock eye & then just as I stuck it down I had palpitations as there was no stitching! So I peeled it back & added 5 stitches....phew ;) Felt better then. Pleased with my first attempt at printing with a gelatin plate.

Then I went for a walk & chose the above color scheme....or it chose me. I'm always amazed at the variety of seaweeds, there are 5 above - the colors of the top one, lime green & blood red is my favorite today - the burgundy on the right is beautiful, too. I had to add the blue shells & pale smokey green lichen; the yellow lichen lives on the rusted wheel. I don't usually appreciate still life but I do this.

 Using the shell, a dotty piece of found rubber mat & a lid at the top & below the seaweed. I love infilling the resisted bit with the ghost bit. I drew some seaweed on card for a resist as I didn't think the real thing would work so well.

Then I fished out a peacock feather & got very excited! Probably needed to go back to jewel colors.

 The plate cut into a pic size & a 'card' size. It's cracked already, very fragile but easy to make & lasts a week in the fridge.

 This is a bit of plastic used a a pallette - I can see it being cut up in the future.