Printmaking with Natural Materials and Open Acrylics

 

After ordering some Golden OPEN acrylics, I had a fun session testing them out.

Materials

3” square mini gel plate

The end of an orange

Leaves

Flower blossoms with stems

Golden OPEN acrylics

Mixed media papers—7” x 10” and 9” x 12”

Previously I had used craft, heavy bodied, fluid, and high flow acrylic paints. But the consistency of the OPEN acrylics seems very well suited for gel printing. You don’t need to use a lot of paint, especially on the little plate.

 

I made many square grids on the papers. Once I got the hang of it, I was happy to see I could make some ghost prints. As the flower blossoms absorbed more paint, they created lovely imprints and outlines.

I live in a humid city, made more so with the recent rains. The OPEN properties keep the acrylic paints from drying so quickly and you have more time to set up your prints.

Fun with Transparencies

The United States of Flowers

It started with flower embroidered blouse I picked to wear today, the 4th of July. Took a photo of it and printed on a transparency. Then used a glue stick to adhere it to a flag graphic printed on plain paper. Looked cool!

Waimanalo beach and Dog's Bay beach

I didn't want to waste the rest of the paper so on the plain paper and the transparency I found two of my favorite photos of two of my favorite places: Waimanalo beach on Oahu and Dog's Bay beach in Ireland. Love the combination! In this version the Irish beach is reversed because I didn't flip it before printing on the transparency. Tip: don't put the glue in a light area where it can leave a residue. Oh, well! It's art, not perfection.