My Favorite New Art Tool
I have been watching gelli-print videos for a while now and finally purchased a few of my own. A gelli plate is a flexible gellatin surface used for simple printmaking. I love the pure spontaneousness of the whole process. You cannot predict what the print will look like, it's pure playfulness; and really why would you want to, that takes all the fun and surprise out of it. It's great because it prevents me from overthinking the final prints, I simply can't.
The way it works is you lay ink down on the plate and spread it around with a brayer (roller). By using stencils and other marking tools you create a pattern or shapes on the plate. After it has some texture, you simply press a piece of paper onto it and you have a print. You may be able to get a few prints out of each layering of ink. They will get lighter and "ghost" as you lift up more of the paint. The results are amazing, and, if you don't like a particular print, just use it again, pressing and adding more layers until you like it, (or not). You don't have to love all of them.
The other thing I love about this is the cleanup; there is almost none. I lift most of the paint off the plate itself with your prints and I usually let the stencils and tools just dry. If the paint gets really gunked up and I want to clean the plate or tools, I just use baby wipes. Easy peasy, lemon squeezy! You can use any paper, recycled junk mail, book pages or scraps from other projects. A great paper to practice on is deli paper; yes the paper you get your sandwiches wrapped in. You can get a big box and pull out a single sheet at a time. Deli paper is thin like tissue paper, but much more durable so it can handle paint well and you can use these prints in collages etc. I plan on playing with this a lot in the future because I can create so many prints so fast for a variety of projects. I am also thinking of experimenting with materials other than paper such as wood. Can't wait to make more! A good days work is always dirty hands, happy printing...
Finding My Daily Practice
January was a time of reflection for me. I guess it is with most people, trying to figure out resolutions and ways to make the new year the best that it can be. Looking back at 2018, I am so proud of myself for writing and publishing a book and for tackling the world of social media and marketing. (I still have a lot to learn and a long way to go.) What I didn't do was draw and sketch enough. I didn't create enough new work or get excited about anything except my book. It took over, I’m a little OCD that way.
Last week I had a migraine on and off and couldn't bring myself to do the things I needed to do, such as cleaning my email, finishing my taxes and paying the bills, etc. It wasn’t a terrible one so instead of just doing nothing I changed into comfy clothes, made my favorite tea, put on a yoga sounds playlist and I went to sit at my studio desk. I pulled out all kinds of supplies, and I spent the next three hours drawing, sketching and painting. It was fantastic, the time went so fast and was very relaxing. I almost forgot what that felt like this past year.
I made my goal for 2019 to remember that feeling and make it a daily practice, like taking my vitamins. I tend to get stuck when I look at a blank piece of paper and can't think of what to make each day. So many ideas flood my brain at once and I end up doing nothing. To try and remedy this, I decided I am going to create five different sketchbooks, one for each day the week and each with a different theme. I got this idea from following other artists who post images from their "various" sketchbooks. For example, one might be quick line and shape drawings, one watercolor backgrounds, collage, old book revival pages, general doodling, etc. I love the idea of having more than one focus sketchbook as well as the idea of a specific day for each; boom, the decision is made for me. I can still change my mind, change the order or create something different that day if the urge hits me.
My past behavior of focusing on my one “holy” sketchbook, never worked for me. But if I can make this a daily practice and commit to picking up a different sketchbook each day and spending twenty minutes doing a page or two, I can be creative and not get stuck or bored doing the same thing every day. In a way, it would be like keeping an artistic day planner.
A revelation I had while reflecting on 2018 is that I found that I have become a creative “watcher” more than a “maker”. I spend a lot of time on social media viewing other artist's work and techniques. I get super inspired and collect ideas for future projects. I don't think there's anything wrong with that, on the contrary, the internet allows me to see the visual world from all around the globe. But if not careful, it becomes a time suck and then I find myself not creating at all. Maybe I am saturated with so much that I see, that it is just too distracting. I am hoping that in 2019 I can ground myself in a daily creative practice that nourishes my soul and finds my spark again.
And Learning to Not Think About It
As I have mentioned before, I am a planner, I always have been. I plan dinners, errand runs, vacation itineraries, house projects, chores, outfits... you name it, I plan it. I think that’s why graphic design was such a great career choice for me. I was always creative and the structured rules of graphic design suited me perfectly. I had grids to follow, color harmonies to make work, typography do’s and don’ts to abide by, etc. A match made in heaven for a while.
There was no such thing as a happy accident for me. Some graphic designers can create very freely and intuitively, not me, possibly in the early stages of logo design, but not really anywhere else. Everything had to be perfectly aligned and have a place on the grid. I would overthink everything I worked on, and when I thought I was done with a design, I would start overthinking all over again. My brain just works that way and it has been very hard to switch gears. I am still a work in progress.
Since I started creating fine art, I have struggled. Fine art for me means process over product, playing and experimenting. A lot of times I start thinking about what I am creating, what it will look like and how it will be used before I even begin. I took a painting class many years ago and that was the first time I totally let the colors and brush strokes move me. It was exhilarating and freeing, but not easy. I was the only one in class who didn’t use a still life set up, I just painted and it opened my mind up to organic creativity.
I have slowly let go more and more over the last few years. I sit now with my watercolors or markers and just paint or draw. I don’t think about what it will be as much, I just do it. The whole process is a happy accident in a way and I am usually happy with the end result because there was nothing preconceived. I use it as a meditation, and I still struggle a bit with completely letting go, but that’s OK.
I am an artist and I am a designer, I am a combination of the two. I am Yin and I am Yang. There are times my creative counterparts will fight each other and times they will compliment each other. Either way, I will always create.
