Gelatin Monotype Printing Class

Gelatin Monotype Printing Class

with Carol Boucher

Saturday November 5th

11:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. with a break for lunch.

Ages 15 and up, $80.00 per student. Sign ups required by October 24th.

Gelatin monotype printing is a fun and easy way to access the monotype process without using a press. Textures appear sharp and colors stay vivid as the artist pulls beautiful, “painterly,”one-of-a-kind prints.

We will be using water-based inks and paints; feel free to bring your favorites. Carol will demonstrate techniques using brayers and tools to achieve the images. Gelatin printing is versatile way to make art and a unique way to create beautiful holiday greeting cards or gifts. Your cost for the class includes the gelatin printing plate, which you get to keep. Experience is helpful but not necessary. Some materials and tools provided.

Why take the Gelatin Monotype
 Printing Class?
Hand-pulled Gelatin Monotype


Printmaking vs Etching press monotype printmaking

1. No etching press needed. If you already have an etching press, it's a way you can print when you away from home. It's a great way to work on serious art and explore monotype techniques and tools without the expense and bother of a press(space, maintenance, limitations).

2. Non-toxic and safe. If you like working with water-based, non-toxic media, this gets you away from any toxic solvents. If you have children in the house and a studio in it, here's a way to safely work around them.

3. Versatile. The plate can be made any size or any shape you wish. It is reuseable for weeks. When the surface gets "tired", you can cut the plate into pieces, melt it in the microwave, let it set up in the fridge and start fresh in a day.

4. Fast set-up. Since you store the plate in the fridge, you just need to get it out and start working. With zinc and plexiglas, you need to clean and dry the plates after working to preserve them. To clean the gelatin plate, you need only spray it with water and blot away any remaining ink and paint. Let it stay damp, cover with plastic and refrigerate; ready to use next time.

5. Rainy day adult/child activity. Make your own greeting cards, bookmarks, etc., just pull out of fridge and get out those water-soluble paints/inks...a fun afternoon.

6. Small studio activity. All you need is a refrigerator, a spray bottle, and the kitchen table.

7. The plate is the press. This is useful when working in groups. Usually, there is a line to get to the etching press, but in this case, everyone has a plate and can work at their own pace.

8. Ease of use, unique surface from other types of plates. You adapt to pressing the paper very gently on the surface. The gelatin has a useful property of bonding the damp paper to itself. The give of the gelatin surface is responsive. Surface offers superior texture and color saturation, for example, you see the tiny veins in a leaf, not just the big ones. Colors transfers are vivid on paper; if you applied heavily saturated color on the plate, you will get it on the paper. Sometimes on zinc or plexi, ink resists transfer...so that is an added bonus of gelatin.



Please Remember Pre-paid Sign ups are required by October 24th.
Gelatin Monotype Printing Class with Carol Boucher
Saturday November 5th 11:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. with a break for lunch.
Ages 15 and up, $80.00 per student.

Materials needed and can be purchased at Artists Mediums include:
printmaking paper (Stonehenge)
brayers for rolling ink and paint
spray bottle for water
your favorite water-based paints (acrylic inks, liquid acrylic paints, water based monotype inks)
palette knives, trowel style preferred(stainless steel or plastic are fine) for stamping shapes and mixing colors
disposable latex gloves (if you have latex allergies, please bring non-latex if needed)
scrap glass and cardboard backing to make a palette (at least 16" x 20")
stencil paper/plastic(Yupo and film papers are sturdy)

Other items to bring (some you may already have) include:
scissors, tweezers, forceps, rags
scrap fabrics and papers for creating textures(grocery net bags, plastic or paper doilies, small craft stencils, etc.)
rubber stamps can work, but not letters, which will come out backwards.

Artists’ Mediums will provide:
extra tables or drying racks or space for each student's finished works and works in progress,
Plain newsprint sheets or old newspapers for testing and as a background for rolling ink onto stencils and for laying prints on while working on them.
buckets for water (and the water)