Gel Plate Monoprinting BtB Resources

A sense of feeling overwhelmed or frustrated, when printing, can arise from having too many choices, be it colour or botanicals. Self-doubt or simply not knowing where to begin (or where to go next) can add to this. If you experience these feelings – you are not alone! In this lesson, we’ll explore some strategies to overcome these creative roadblocks.

I go through this myself at times, and these strategies are practical approaches I take myself to move through the feelings.

1. Limit Your Palette > Simplify Colour Choices

Begin by selecting a handful of colours:

• Choose up to 3-4 colours that resonate with your mood at that time; or
• Select your top 3-4 favourite colours; or
• Pick your 2 most favourite colours and add two less-used colours.
• Fewer colour choices in front of you removes that layer of decision making while printing.

Print a series of layered images. Change colour with each layer. Don’t overthink which order to layer the colours – just print.

Print again with the same colours, but in a different layering order.

If you are feeling overwhelmed just by colour selection alone, decide on one of the colour harmonies covered in The Colour Workshop and explore that combination of colour in different printed layers.

2. Focus on One Botanical > Embrace Exploration

Concentrate on a single type of botanical or a specific shape that interests you.

Exploring its various possibilities in terms of shape, texture and placement can enhance your understanding of negative space. Consider combining this idea with intentional exploration of the Rule of Thirds.

If you decide to work with two different botanical shapes, intentionally alternate them between layers. The goal here isn’t to create a pretty picture but to focus on alternating colours and botanicals as you build up the layers. After a few layers, pause to review the results – you might discover unique colour combinations and composition ideas.

Again, restricting your choice of botanicals removes that aspect of decision making while printing.

Combine this with colour restriction and you can narrow your focus even further.

3. Embrace the Unexpected > No Mistakes, Only Outcomes

Shift your perspective from fear of making a mistake to embracing the unknown. The nature of this process is such that you won’t know what the print will look like until you lift the paper from the plate. And you won’t know that until you place the paper on the plate. Release your attachment to the outcome and print.

Unplanned outcomes often lead to unique and interesting prints. If you create a print you dislike, try something bold as a final layer to rescue the print, like a colour combination you’ve never used in combination before. You have nothing to lose but a piece of paper, and it might lead to an extraordinary discovery.

4. Time Challenge > Boost Focus

Set time limits for your printing sessions. This exercise encourages you to focus solely on the process. It’s an excellent technique to clear your mind when feeling anxious or busy. The next tip introduces strategies for printing within time constraints, promising a fun experience.

5. Collaborative Printing Sessions > Creative Support

Overcoming creative frustration and overwhelm is often easier with the support of your creative community. Consider organizing collaborative printing sessions with friends to share ideas, techniques and experiences. Discussing challenges and successes with others can provide valuable insights, making the creative process less daunting. You can also turn these sessions into friendly races, seeing who can print the most papers in an allocated timeframe, ultimately adding more joy to your creative journey.

The Time Challenge is an exercise designed to immerse you in the printing process and release the attachment to the outcome.

The Objective

The aim is simple: print as many layered botanical impressions as you can, within an allotted timeframe.

Don’t overthink it and don’t labour over any one printed paper.

If you create a print you like, set it aside, grab a fresh sheet of paper, and keep printing.

Why it Works

Imposing constraints on your creative process can engage you in the present moment. Your goal is to print, not to create perfect prints. The more you get into the challenge, the greater the state of flow and the greater the encouragement for spontaneity.

Let’s get started …

1. Determine Your Time > On Your Marks …

Select the duration for your printing session. It could be 10 minutes, an hour, or even a few hours. Whatever time you have is perfect.

2. Prepare Your Materials > Get Set …

Gather a substantial stack of blank paper, ranging from 20 to 100 sheets, or more, depending on your allotted time. Challenge yourself by adding more paper than you think you can print. This abundance keeps you focused on the act of printing and encourages you into a state of flow.

3. Select Your Palette > Nearly There …

Limit your colour choices and botanical options. Pre-select a few favourite colours or mix favourite shades with some unfamiliar ones. Do the same with botanicals. The key is to keep your selections simple, so you can concentrate on printing during the challenge.

4. Begin Printing > GO!

Start the timer and dive into the Circuit Sequence. Your objective is to print as many sheets as possible within the set timeframe. Avoid lingering on a single print; your task is to work through your stack of blank canvases. When you create a print you like, set it aside, grab a fresh sheet of paper, and keep the creative momentum flowing.

The Time Challenge isn’t just about creating art – it’s about embracing the creative process and letting go of perfection … releasing the attachment to the outcome.

I love observing negative space – the space between and around the objects placed on the plate. Sometimes the shapes made in and around that space can be more interesting than the object itself.

In this lesson, we’ll explore the creative potential hidden in the spaces between. Learn how these empty spaces can define, balance and build depth into your prints, guiding your viewer’s eye with subtlety and storytelling.

1. Embracing Simplicity > Less is Often More

When I started gel plate monoprinting, I found that I was losing the focal point in my prints. They were nice prints, but worked as background images more than resolved artworks in their own right. I realised this was because I was covering my plate with objects for most layers, visually filling my paper and not leaving any space for the eye to rest or define as a focal point.

Keeping each layer simple can take restraint, but it opens your print up to future layered possibilities.

Start with a simple composition:

• Ink up your plate, then place just 1 or 2 botanical elements on the plate. That could be 2 individual leaves or a few leaves attached to a stem. The objective is to not crowd the plate with objects and leave space to consider for future layers.
• Consider using the Rule of Thirds as a guide to determine where you want to place your botanical element.
• Print a series of impressions from the plate.
• Notice the empty space around the botanical element. Does it complement and enhances the subject, or drown it out?
• Repeat the process – placing the leaves in a different position on the plate. Use the same botanical elements, or new ones, but ensure you don’t crowd the plate.
• Notice how the added layer changes the print:
  • Notice the colour interaction and how the colour forms around the botanical elements. Does it add depth? Is it a distraction? Does it guide the eye around the printed paper?
  • Does the different placement in the second layer add balance, create or change the focal point of the print?

2. Playing with Scale > Explore Size Dynamics

If you feel uncomfortable leaving open spaces on your gel plate, explore some intentional placement of different sized objects, then observe the printed results.

• Ink your plate and place a large object on the left side, leaving empty space on the right side of the plate; then
• Place a small object inside that space on the right side of the plate; then
• Print several impressions from that layer of colour.
• What do you notice about the printed result? Does it feel balanced? Does the size contrast detract the eyes from, or focus the eyes on, the subject of your print? Does it feel more or less balanced between the different printed impressions? How can you print another layer to add interest or create a focal point?

Repeat the steps above, placing the same large object on your plate in the centre of your plate, leaving smaller open spaces. Place a small botanical element in that empty space. What do you notice when it is printed? And how does it differ to what you printed above?

3. Achieving Balance > Establishing Harmony

You can use negative space strategically to balance a composition. If you have already printed one or a couple of layers on paper but feel that the balance is not right, you can intentionally create negative space on the gel plate to complement or block out what is already printed. I use this method when printing to rescue a print.

• Consider placing a botanical element on your gel plate with negative space around it that, in mirror image placement, overprints an area with too much detail already printed.  This can also help create a focal point in the artwork and reduce visual distraction; or
• If you feel there is an area on your printed paper that appears uninteresting, position a botanical element to print in that space to add interest.

4. Restraint and Impact > (repeating) Less is Often More

You don’t need to fill every inch of the gel plate, or the printed paper with botanical objects.

Never be afraid of ‘space’.

If you feel that you have a tendency to print too many layers or too much detail on your prints, try these tips:

• If you tend to print 4 or more layers on a print:
  • Print with the consideration covered above, then STOP at 3 layers.
  • Put the prints out of sight for a few days then come back to them with fresh eyes.
  • How do you feel about them? Do you notice if they are any less visually cluttered than you have printed before.
• Using a view finder (or ‘magic window’ as I like to call it) can help resolve questions in your mind as to when to stop layering. Strategically looking at smaller or specific areas within your print can work to focus your view.