Gelatin Printing

Gelatin printing is a technique of creating monoprints using a slab of gelatin as the printing plate. 

You never know quite what you will get so you have to be spontaneous in your approach and ready to make the most of the happy accidents. This is a very different way of working for me so I enjoy how freeing it is.

I use water soluble paints which I roll onto the surface of the plate. I then lay items onto the gelatin surface to create impressions in the paint surface. The gelatin is delicate and you don't want anything that will pierce the surface so fresh leaves are better than dried, crunchy leaves. Items that I have found to work the best for my style of working are organic materials such as leaves, flowers, feathers and seaweed. Fabrics such as lace and hessian create interesting results. Stencils can be made with paper cut-outs or torn paper. 

I always begin with a plan of the effect I am trying to achieve and so choose a palate of colours that will work well together. The colours print transparently so you need to think about how one colour will affect the next. I like to layer images and textures and to use masking techniques to retain some areas, while layering up other areas.

With this series of prints I was inspired by the ebb and flow of the tides and how detritus is left behind as the tide recedes, sometimes layering up on what has gone before. To give a greater sense of layering to the initial monoprints,  I added some collage elements and detailing with an Ink-Tense colour pencil. I have also added a relief print to the surface of some.