New Gelatin Print: CATS

[mstuarte]

I'm working with some animal stencils. The Cat theme is dedicated to my daughter's cat who recently passed away. These are slightly larger than the previous prints.

I also cut my first plastic stencils, using some of those thin cutting mats I bought at Dollar Store. Easy to cut. Can't wait to try them.






(Cats and Crows)



(Night Cat)

[mstuarte]

Not sure how this happened.
Mods? you can delete one of these duplicate posts
thanks
Mark

[JenZ]

WOW! These are phenomenal! I love the color, movement, composition... they are really dynamic.

I think #1 is my favorite because it reminds me of two feral cats, passing in the night...

Great job!

Jen

[mstuarte]

Jen, thanks for the comments! I like the night time effect and your observation about feral cats is wonderful.

I have some dachshund stencils that will combine with the cats.

This process is always surprising and often difficult to predict effect ( of each over printed layer). My registration is pretty much 'eye balled' so there is a ghostly effect. Over printing successive 'ghosts' of the cats revealed some cool ideas and effects (image #1 and #4). #2 and #3 are 'window' prints where the cat shapes prevent ink from printing and allow the back designs to show through. It's like one approach is back loaded and one is front loaded. Keeps me awake at night thinking about it (har har)

By the way, I cut an experimental cat stencil using the very thin 'chopping board' plastic I bought at the Dollar Store. It works PERFECT! I love finding useable art materials CHEAP - especially when it works. NOw I can create washable stencils that will last for ever. I'll always have a place for natural and cardboard materials in the process, but this cleans it nicely for sharper originals and ghosts. The flippy-floppy mat material also takes Golden Gel Medium and will provide that texture you see on cats 1 and 4. Onward!

[karenlee]

Hey Papa.
It's nice to find a printer just 90 miles away!
I'm curious about those 'mats' you got at the dollar store & your press. Could you please show us what you're using?
Thank you mucho!
Karen
(former Madison resident)

[Diane Cutter]

These are super... I love the unpredictability of monoprints. It makes it a very exciting 'da-da' process. I look forward to the dog series. Have you tried your "$store stencils" yet?

Diane

[mstuarte]

Karenlee and Diane:
Thanks for the kind words and support. Yeah, this is a spontaneous and surprising process that has produced some exciting results.
Karen: Good to hear from a printer/artist in the Badger State.
I'm not actually using a press... just pressing with my fingers on the back of the paper. Here is a link showing a bit of my process:
http://papawheelie.wordpress.com/201...late-printing/
(I'm amazed at how clean and clear my table looks in these pics. It is just covered with scraps and shapes now.

I have cut some stencils using the flexible 'cutting board' material that I got at the Dollar Store. The thickness is even thinner than yer basic ceral box cardboard. Two 12" x 15" sheets for a buck! Works great. I brushed on some Golden Mediums Gel for texture. After a several prints the gel starts to come off (doesn't bond like it does to cardboard). Today I scuffed up the surface with sand paper and will see if that will help it stay on longer, but I'd be happy with out the texture too. I can wash these stencils under water if I want them squeaky clean... tho mostly I like the way the residual color plays into the next prints. I cut a new dachshund stencil today and have done some cat/dog/crow prints. The cats need something to play with so I did a mouse (ha)... but I am developing some new ideas.

The Dollar Store 'cutting mats' are in the kitchen section (of course) and have french labeling on the outside.
MOre to come!

[Marge Cameron]

These are great! Top one is my fave. Loving all the dark texture inside the cat stencil.

Sorry for your daughter's loss. Hopefully your prints will help her through it.

[mstuarte]

Marge: Thanks for the comments!
That swirly texture is the gel medium. It has become a standard part of my shapes. ON the 'cutting mat' stencil pieces, I'm trying a variety of textures (scratching, gouging, and gel medium). The gel seems to give me the richest textures.

I like both - the textured main shapes and the 'windowed' shapes, letting layers below through. Sometimes I will lay 2-4 different colored cat passes on top of each other, graduating to dark or light, creating slightly offset ghosts... jittery!

[artgoddess]

Beautiful.

[kaslkaos]

Wow, and thanks! For that idea of painting/using gel medium as relief transfer on the stencil. I've been using polystyrene as a backround, but it's really nice to have it on those stencils. You are sharing your secrets. Thank you.
I'm using old file folders. Recently, without gel medium, deciding ephemeral (here today, gone tomorrow) might be a good thing after all. Another way of setting 'limits' on the addition.
As for your cats, they are wonderful, stunning,.

[mstuarte]

Ingrid: Good point about limiting the editions. I think what happens is, one day I look down and say to myself: "time for something new!" and I cut some new shapes. The plastique cutting board just makes certain transitions and effects easier. If I want the color pure, I can wash off residue. If I wash off, it doesn't fall apart like cardboard. You are an inspiration as well... and I have to go now and leave a comment on your thread.
Mark

[mstuarte]

more cats:

[kaslkaos]

Just noticed I said 'additions', ha, who has time to edit.
Didn't mean to say that making 'keepers' is a bad! I think these gelatin makes the whole 'limit' edition numbering system moot. I can never decide in advance how many, or in fact, how on earth to something that has an image used 6 times, overlaid with one used 10 times, with a background used unlimited (I recycle my textures until I get bored).
For me, the discovery was that if I spent too much time thinking of 'keepers' and making such (gessoing) I was stopping myself from just taking a knife to a piece of paper and 'go', and not worry about how long it would last.
End of coffee break...

[Jeremy Bryant]

These are pretty great. I like the fluidity of the prints, they really are perfect for the kind of art that you're trying to do. And the cat must agree with this.

Sorry bout your cat.