Monoprinting

A fun time was spent on Monday monoprinting. Together with another member, Maggie Harris, I was to lead a technique-sharing session yesterday with Great Western Embroiderers, the group I exhibit with, and needed samples to show so it was a good excuse to play, especially with Gelli Arts printing plates that had arrived just before I went to Scotland.

It was sometime since I'd used the techniques and had forgotten the pleasure in the serendipity of the process - all those unexpected effects as colours mix and merge and are superimposed.

I kept it simple and small-scale (about A4) but was surprised again at the effects possible with acrylic paint, just by changing the consistency of the paint, layering colours, marking into the paint on the plate and masking out areas. 

There were lots of failures and some pleasures, as is always true in play (and the point of it really), but there are three pieces of fabric offering possibilities for stitch doodles. Others will go into my fabric box to await their fate.

Off a glass plate came this one - a hedgerow or coppice?

Off the Gelli Plate came this one - perhaps a snippet of a stone wall?

And off the glass plate again and back to circles - an abstract.

Now to choose the colours and threads, decide on the stitch to use, and to get going in those odd moments when I don't feel like working on my bigger pieces. As I've blogged before, I find these little doodles very helpful when my bigger ideas grind to a halt. They are undemanding and relaxing and seem to clear the brain.