Thursday, June 21, 2012

Gyotaku gel prints

 Polar Star

I had seen the new Gelli Arts gel printing plates for sale and read more about them online.  I made a gelatin plate from scratch years ago and while it worked well and lasted reasonably well, it was time consuming and a bit fiddly.  Also, they're not the best things to use in summer.  If we had any heat that is, but that's another story. These gel plates are reusable indefinitely with a little care and I wondered if I could incorporate some gyotaku into them, so I ordered a 6 x 6 one to experiment with.

Acrylic paint is used as the medium instead of ink and any object placed on the wet surface then removed will also remove the paint, leaving an outline, so I figured it would be a type of reverse gyotaku.

I gathered a few starfish that I had lying around, as fresh fish were in the freezer (yes, I know that's a contradiction - fresh and freezer :) but you know what I mean.


Applying the paint to the gel surface is simple but very easy to arrive at mud.  The first print was a bit like that but the imprint of the Northern Sea Star and shells and bubbles contrasted well and some shots of colour still came through.  Every mark or ridge in the paint shows through and adds to the interest in each piece.

 Movement North

I pushed for more colour with the second print and got more of what I was looking for and the large and small sea stars came through well.

41o46' N, 50o 14' W  SOLD

The last prin,t shown at the top of this pos,t is my favourite.  A polar sea star which has nine legs and is purple, is an amazing beastie.  I went with prussian blue with a little cerulean and a touch of orange.  I like how the orange becomes a light source, but very subtle. The variances in value and colour are much better in person as is usually the case.


These are all 6 inch square printed on Kinugawa Japanese paper with a generous border on all sides.

10 comments:

Christiane Kingsley said...

These are so wonderful, Jeanette! I can't wait to see more of your gel printing.

Jeanette Jobson said...

Thanks Christiane. They may get additional colour in some form added when they're dry. The gel plates are interesting to use.

Billie Crain said...

These are stunning. I love the effects you're getting with these new plates.

suzanneberry said...

WOW!! jeannette, these are OUTSTANDING! i absolutely love them and reading about their creation. i love each one but "movement north" is my favorite! are they for sale?

and thank you so much for your kind words on my blog, very much appreciated!

Jennifer Rose said...

I really want one of these plates, but at £30, its going to have to wait awhile :/

really neat how the textures of the starfish show up :)

Jeanette Jobson said...

Thanks Billie, its a unique surface to work on, very much a reverse gyotaku. I'll be playing with some other fish later to see what I come up with.

Suz, thanks so much. They are different aren't they? A bit of a learning curve is in store re what I can put on them in terms of fishy bits, but I like the potential for experimentation with them.

And yes, they'll go up for sale in my Etsy store in the next few days most like. I love the bubble effect and the shell whorls in Movement North.

Jeanette Jobson said...

Jen, I'm sure they'll go down in price. I bought the smaller one that's 6 x 6 which was $20.

You could always make a gelatin plate, not that fiddly really and quite fun to work with.

Jennifer Rose said...

i'm hoping they go down in price, and i not i will get one with my student loan for college

JANE MINTER said...

b/w image is striking jeanette ..colours are beautiful in the prints below ...just watched their video thanks for the link ..i want to try !

Jeanette Jobson said...

There are all kinds of possibilities with the gel plate Jane. I hope you get to try it out.