Drawing challenge: Plate (gelatin plate)
Since Joke announced her lovely drawing challenge: plate, I thought and thought about “plate” as art.
And, you all know me, I’m not happy with an actual plate, although I wondered about going to one of those “decorate your own pottery while we fire it for you” places, and, while I’ve done that before and really liked it, time wise it wasn’t something I could do right now.
So I thought about plates and kept coming back to printing. Printing plates. What kinds of printing plates could I do with limited time and my three little granddaughters under foot?
Gelatin plates!
I made one in a very shallow tray using my old favourite Oetker gelatin sheets right out of my kitchen. I just made the gelatin a little harder by keeping 1/2 cup of water out of the normal recipe. Then I went outside and got some grass and a piece of sword fern from the garden.
The first colour I chose was blue. Cerulean blue acrylic, squished out on the gelatin plate and spread with a paint roller.
Then I spread out a few grasses on the blue paint, lay a sheet of smooth watercolour paper on the gelatin plate and pulled a print.
Then I rolled a light green paint on the gelatin plate and pressed a piece of sword fern down, and placed the paper back down.
I love the second print on the first. I love this! How is it that I’ve never done gelatin plate printing before…omg?!? 😀
Mind you, it’s 30 degrees here today, I did this printing in my studio under the roof, where it’s 35 degrees, and I ruined the gelatin plate after the two prints. But it was so worth it!
I took the print to my dining room table, (where it’s not so hot), and decided to draw some grass and Queen Anne’s lace on it in ink.
Love it. I can see more gelatin plate prints in my future.
Pop on over to Joke’s for a big plate full of fun when you have a chance. 😀
tinyWOOLF
oh, so, you mean, the gelatin melts of course, in higher temps. how extraordinary. it seems so fetching you’d come up with gelatin printing, since i’ve been researching the exact process for months now and still have cold feet to actually make a plate. so i’m gonna do that this summer and see how it goes! i’d like to make mine a permanent one, at least i have my actual tray ready already!
the effect is quite stunning, is it not? i think it makes great backgrounds to further work on like you did.
great, v. thxs for the first hand info! n?
Veronica
That’s wonderful Nadine! I hope you do try it. I usually just sort of look at a technique and then go for it with very little idea of what I’m doing, lol, but I love the experimentation time. Very exciting for me. (I’m a mad scientist at heart) 😀
marianbonelli
Wow, brilliant idea, the finished pro t is beautifully especially with the Queen Anne lace! Exactly what I grew up calling it! 🙂 I’m away staying with my family, seeing my tiny granddaughter this weekend, but I’d like to catch up on the plate DC… mxx
Veronica
Oh good! Hooray for tiny granddaughters. My three are here this week. I’m looking forward to checking in with you next week…from England! 😀
jo headington
I’d never heard of gelatine prints before today!
It’s not something I keep in the cupboard – but I might just go and raid the shops for a packet now.
I love your print too Veronica – perfect colours 🙂
xx
Veronica
I know Jo, so random, but the jelly is a great, soft platform for the transfer of paint! Go try it. I bet jello would be dirt cheap. I’m off to E tomorrow and so hope to find some gelatin there. 😀
Joke Konings
A new plate is born! and that at 35 degrees. I’m glad it worked out. it fits well together. Thank you for joining in.
Veronica
Thank you Joke, and thank you for hosting with such a fun theme. I love our DC because it makes me stretch myself as an artist. 😀
Tammie
such a grand thing to do for our them. your print/drawing is beautiful Veronica!
Veronica
Thank you so much Tammie. This was a lot of fun and I think it might be a very useful technique for beautiful backgrounds. 😀
debrashewhoseeks
Neat technique!
Veronica
I think so too Debra. 😀
Cecilia Mary Gunther
I love these How do you preserve them? Will it eventually harden or did I miss a step? c
Veronica
Celi, there is a way to make permanent gelatin plates, or rather, long lasting plates, but I haven’t tried that yet. What I used was a commercial unflavoured gelatin, just kept 1/2 cup of water out of the regular mix to make it stiffer. Basically I just winged it after I read about it, (In that “Come on now, how hard can it be?” way I usually do…lol.)The main problem was that it’s too hot, I’m impatient, and the gelatin went soft and melty really quickly.
Julie@frogpondfarm
Hey V .. you are just too clever! Love the Queen Annes Lace to finish. I don’t have a creative bone in me! Damn 😀
Patrice A.
LOVE this!
never made gelatine prints
but it looks like fun!
and instand results, also nice ;^))
fine week (and safe travel!) to you
xx
daryledelstein
clever miss!
roberto
Wow!!! Excellent!!!!!!!!!!!!
Lisa Palmese
Just beautiful I really enjoyed your presentation and you kept me very interested thank you so much