DO-IT-YOURSELF
It’s time to put up some new art on those walls, and sometimes the best art can be found right in your backyard. Leaves and flowers have such unique shapes and gelatin prints are the fun and easy way to capture them. To start, all you need to do is go out and grab leaves, flowers and ferns that catch your eye. (Or get creative and find objects that simply have a cool silhouette.)
Try to find fairly flat objects that aren’t sharp, as they will make it more difficult to press and can also cut into the gelatin. Also, feel free to experiment with colors or even use black-and white for a sharp clean contrast. Now to pick the wall it goes on!
Follow the guide below to create your own gelatin prints.
• plain Knox Gelatin
• edged baking sheets
• measuring cup
• printmaking brayer
• printmaking ink
• paper cut to fit the baking sheet
For each tray mix 8 gelatin packets to 4 cups of water. Start by boiling 2 cups of water. While you are waiting for the water to boil (as we know, a watched pot never boils) mix all 8 packets with 2 cups of room temperature water. Now add the boiling water and stir. Pour the mixture into the pan and allow it to set. Once it sets put the pan
in the refrigerator to harden overnight.
Collect leaves, stems and flowers that have a bold or interesting outline. Try to steer clear of sharp edges that can cut into the gelatin and cause the ink to bleed. The flatter and more textured the profile, the better.
Slowly, lift the paper up and off of the gelatin. Start at a corner and pull back completely.
Carefully peel the plants off of the gelatin to reveal the ink that was trapped under them.
This will become a more detailed print!
Repeat steps 6 and 7 with another piece of paper. Place it on top of the gelatin and smooth it out. When you lift the paper the leftover ink from the leaves will leave you with a magnificent positive print.
Roll a thin layer of printmaking ink onto the surface of the hardened gelatin.
The thinner the layer the more detailed the print.
Arrange the plants (or objects of your choice) on the top of the ink. This is the time where your artistic hand comes to play. You can spread each piece out or have them huddled like a bouquet;
it’s your choice!
Carefully place a piece of paper on top of the plants you’ve arranged. Gently smooth it out to make sure that the whole piece of paper makes contact with the gelatin. Do this slowly as to not slide the paper around.
