Process I use for my Gelatin Plate Monoprinting

The following images show how I fabricate my own gelatin plates for use in creating one-of-a-kind original archival monoprinted collage papers.

I use these gelatin plates to create unique hand-painted monoprinted collage papers to incorporate into my paintings.  I paint the gelatin plate using a variety of approaches to create each “gelatin plate painting” including the following:
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"Classical" approach - I use a paintbrush to construct a painting much as one might imagine a classically trained artist would.

"Sgraffito" approach - I brayer a layer of paint onto the gelatin plate in the way that one might frost a cake. I then create an image or abstract textures using silicon brushes, and other implements to “etch” patterns into the paint, almost like creating "snow angles" in a coat of fresh snow. 

"Resist" approach -  I brayer a layer of paint onto the gelatin plate as above, and then I apply scraps of paper, natural findings and other objects to create a “resist” when the printing process is done.  

 When I complete each painting on the gelatin pad surface, I place archival paper atop the painted gelatin plate and smooth it over the image to capture what I have created in a single print. ​I then apply one or two additional papers to the remaining painted imagery and create “ghost prints” that are very different in outcome from the original, yet every bit as interesting.

Painted Gelatin Plate

First Monoprint

Second Monoprint "Ghost Print"

Thank you for reading about my process. I love how incorporating these monoprinted papers into my paintings gives them each their own voice. 

"Arrangement" Work in Process