Gelatine plates - How to!

I just recieved a lovely comment from Fran C. Asking how I have done the gelatine plate monoprints.  Instead of me re-inventing the wheel, the best thing I can do is refer you to the website of a Textile artist, Linda Germain.  Not only does she tell how to make the plates, she has YouTube video of the "how to" as well.

This is where I learnt how to do it!

And to answer your other question Fran  - the feathers did not begin with feathers  They are cicad fronds.  I used them as a mask and then took a second print from the plate to pick up the paint left by the mask.

Hugz

Experimenting with Feathers

I've started a new quilt.  This one is a little larger than the last few which were in the A4 - A2 range.  This one is about 5' x 5'.  More feathers and more of my gelatine plate monoprints.  This time I have remembered to take photos of the monoprints before I started to paint and stitch them. 

From the time I lifted this print off the plate I have loved it - the detail in the print is amazing.  I'm going to have to be very careful I don't over embellish it!  The trick is to know when enough is enough!

This monoprint I lifted at the same time as the first one.  I have started to paint it.  This was a much fainted print than the first one and needed to have detail added  (for some strange reason I printed diagonally onto the fabric!??????!).

This is how the quilt looks at the moment.  There is still a lot to do before I can start to sew!


Any comments, helpful suggestions would be greatly appreciated.


Hugz

More Feathers - Feathers and Ferns

This is the start of my new quilt. This might be the way I journal this year.  I'm still trying to work that one out.  I love the challenge but I need a focus.  Last year was a group journal challenge.  This year I will need to be a lot more self motivated.  I will be doing the quilt swap, which is this years challenge but I really want to keep my exploration and experimentation moving!

This is a start!

I had a day at home alone and I just started to create!  I seem to be exploring feathers at the moment - I did say my word for 2010 was Experiment! So I'm experimenting with feathers.

This is a close up.  Once again I've used a monoprint that I made a few months ago and I've given it two boarders and then I used my 3 feather linos on it using gold and silver paint.

I forgot to take a photo of the monoprint before I printed over it!  If you look closely you can see the fern fronds I used as a mask.

I then had a lot of fun with my beautiful Bernina.  She sewed up a storm!  She is such a clever girl, she has learnt how to sew with two threads in the single eye of the needle.  I do have some double eyed needles but I haven't worked out how to use them yet.  Give me time and I will learn.

Here is the finished product!  I finished sewing it at 5pm this afternoon.  It has been heavily quilted and hand painted.

The feathers float!

Feathers and Ferns

Journal quilt Dec 2009

This is my December Journal quilt for 2009 - that would be number 12 for 2009 on my journey from quilter to nearly a quilt artist!  I think I have learnt a lot over the last 12 months about quilting, art and me!

The theme for December was "December".  I've decided that I would do a reflection and introspection of the year.  This little quilt represents all I have learnt in 2009.  It is a start, I still have a long way to travel!

This is a gelatine monoprint background, lino printed feathers and then handpainted and heavily free motion quilted.  I'm really happy with it - I'd love to know what you think!

Hugz

Artists Trading Cards

I've been busy today. I finished pressing my handmade paper and I made a small pile of ATCs. I'm a member of a group that swap ATCs. This is the first swap I've joined, because it grabbed my interest. The theme is "The Elements - Earth"

The theme screamed to me " Look in your Geology books!!!!!!" So I did!  I found strata!


I started with a very uninteresting monoprint (that I forgot to take a photo of, then I printed over it with a lino block that I carved with  "strata" in mind.

I was going to make each ATC individually but when I started to quilt them, the sewing machine took over and they did their own thing!

I squared it up and cut to size (2.5" x 3.5").  This exercise was one of the most liberating quilty things I have done for a long time!

Some of the finished products!

The idea of the swap is that we will eventually "Do" all the elements - water, air, fire - humm - I think there is another one but I can't remember. My lino - I think - I can do all the elements with the same block, just changing the colour and the quilting to change the "element". That's the plan!

Now off to hand sew the binding to my stained glass!

Hugz

Up Stream or Down Finished!

I did say, in the last post, that I have finished two quilts this weekend! A photo of the second one finished would be a really good idea.

The colours still aren't right and I have no idea why!

A Small Friday Flaunt

I have been gelatin plate monoprinting again this week (Oh and knitting but that isn't finished yet so it doesn't count).




When I looked a the photos I discovered I was in a blue mood!

This print is much lighter and bouncier than it looks.


I'm not too sure what I'll do with it but it hums at me.































These two are parent and child - the cicad leaf again! Original and ghost. There was a lot of paint on the plate. I'm slowly learning how to do this, I think.

Cidad again - I really do like that leaf! It is starting to get very sad and tired. It bit me this afternoon!

Here are the circles again. Why does that look like the moon with a big fat nose? Have I gone mad?

June Journal - Centre

This is the start of my June Journal quilt. It is one of the gelatin plate monoprints i did earlier in the week. It is a ghost print overprinted with the paint left from the mask!

I've started to heavily stitch it - sashiko style. I still have a lot of work to do and it will end up with bits cut off! Eek, how to I do that!

The theme is Centre and the name of this is Off Centre (I can see what I mean!).

Oh - I like this one too!

Gelatin Plate monoprints. The same cicad leaf. I can feel a quilt happening! But when? Oh! Need more hours in the day.

Here is the gelatin plate. I cleaned it up again ( you should see the cloths I cleaned it with - they are still wet so I can't do a portrait of them yet). Made 2 more prints with all the left over paint I had and the poor thing fell to pieces!

While I'm here! Isn't she cute! Our little lucy is the sweetest, cheekiest little possum you have ever met!

We baby sat on Sunday!

Daddy came to collect the little ones. Morgan was coming down with a bad cold and wasn't a happy camper but he did try to smile and was so good while he was here!

Having fun with jelly!

I have been having fun! My nails are covered in paint, the kitchen is a bit of a mess and the wine is good! I've been monoprinting! I made myself a gelatin plate and just went for it!

How much fun is that! I had to throw it in the bin after I had finished - it fell to pieces but it was fun while it lasted, even as it cracked up.














The evidence!














Some of the product!



















I really like this! It is a cicad leaf.





















But this one is the best one The GHOST! In real life it looks amazing - so delicate and fine! I'll try to take a better photo later!

I love to cook and I think I'm a reasonably good cook, but this the most fun I've had in the kitchen for ages! I'll post some of the other prints later.