New or experienced artists alike, we all benefit from experimentation and creative play in our artwork! Welcome to the digital resource hub for MMM: Experimental Printmaking! Here you can find the 5 mixed media techniques we learned in-workshop for your future reference. If you find yourself here outside of class, help yourself to the following resource.
Coming in with ol’ faithful, we have cardboard! Cardboard has versatility in the printmaking studio in that it is widely available! It’s inherent texture adds for great variety amongst prints.
Use cardboard for geometric shapes, patterns, silhouettes, letter cut-outs, the possibilities are endless! You can also use cardboard shapes for printing: a paper towel tube is one of my favorites.Take advantage of the rough texture in cardboard to create variance, organic texture, or layers in your artwork!
Where cardboard lacks in detail, foam picks up the slack. Use foam when you want to integrate more lines and illustration into your printing block.
Lines are your friend with this! Using craft foam (or an up-cycled takeout container) draw HARD with a dull pencil or ballpoint pen to create your design.
Try:
- cutting your stamp apart to integrate different colors
- overlapping stamp prints to create layers!
You can print with almost anything. Consider the everyday objects around you, and try printing with them! Some of my favorites are: bubble wrap, plants, and old keys.
Did you know that you can print your environment? Texture Hunt with Play Doh in 4 Easy Steps:
- Find a texture!
- Squish it (with your play doh)
- Ink your play doh like you would a stamp
- Stamp it!
I can’t wait to try this the next time I travel. I think it would be a great way to add to a travel sketchbook.
Gelliplate printing has SO MANY different techniques! We’re doing a quick run through of the basics by exploring single mono printing, double mono printing, and a multi-step process.
Stay Tuned for our Next Workshop at The Artery this October for spooky lino block printing! We’ll learn to carve our own lino blocks with spooky illustrations, and print a bandana with our new block to take home. Don’t forget to subscribe to be the first to see when the class opens!
See you next time!
Xo,
Meg