RECENT EXPERIMENTS

 Small print - viscosity inked.

Do you find it hard to get new creative ideas for Collagraphs?  I know I sometimes do.  You sit and think "What can I do?" but often only the same old ideas pop up or you can be completely at a loss. Some people try and draw and plan things out, copy someone else's work or go back to their tried and tired way of working.

Recently I created a Challenge for one of my Facebook Groups. I like doing these because I think working with the unfamiliar is a great way to break out of old patterns and begin to try something new. The last one, which you may or may not have followed, was using beer coasters as plates. They are challenging because they are so small and some are round which brings an extra challenge.

Even though I enjoy thinking up these challenges I haven't been that good about taking them on myself!  This time though I thought I should get into gear and take part.  I really like to work big so doing things this small is a real challenge for me but I found it fun to play with these.. 

When I started and it reminded me of a few things about creativity that I want to share with you.  This is what I think is the easiest way to get new ideas.

PLAY & EXPERIMENT WITH NO FIRM END RESULT IN MIND!

If we are too focussed on the end result we stop taking risks and then we end up with what we feel comfortable with.  Nothing new comes this way. We have to learn to be uncomfortable to get to the new.  An exercise that is often used for painters is to work with colours that they hate.  By forcing themselves to work with these colours they often discover that they actually like a colour, or they find new colour combinations that really go well together.

With Collagraphs I think scale is a good way to change things up so working extra big or extra small, or with a technique you are afraid of or haven't used much can do the trick. The whole idea is to get out of your comfort zone and play and just see what happens if you have no expectations.

Getting back to the Beer Coasters.  I decided to work with the small round ones.  They are only 3'5 inches max, 9 cm, in width so pretty tiny. I played quickly with texture on a few and then put them aside.  Next I decided that I would put a surround around them to give them more drama.  I looked at the circles again and that is when things moved along. I saw some marks on one of them that I though would stand out better if they were on their own so I cut around them so that they were in relief. Then the idea came to let the eye form the complete circle so I cut more away. 

I could have been worried about ruining the existing textured round plate but I had to take that chance.  After all it's just a piece of card and I could always make another one. To create you often have to take risks!

The photos below show the process. The surround was done with Carborundum.  The plates with paint, tile adhesive and tape. They were finished with golden shellac to seal them, something I always do it because I like the golden colour on the plate.  It also helps me see the tones how it will print. Unfortunately the carborundum picks up the light in the photo and looks like it is dusty but you will get the overall idea.

These were the first proofs so I will reprint them again to correct a few problems. I also prefer the placement of the circle in the unprinted photo so I will reprint it that way. I think I am going to try a realistic image on the next one I do.

Next I decided to try an owl.  I was prompted to do this because my daughter wants me to paint a large owl for their little cottage and I love the look of them. Here are a couple of proffs.  I have modified the plate a bit since then to improve it.

 I had some left over tan coloured ink so I decided to do another proof with a tan roll up over it. I think I would prefer it coloured A la poupee better.

I really love texture and that is what I think makes Collagraphs so exciting.  I teach how to use all these materials and more in my online course.  This will offered again in the fall so if you are interested in overcoming your challenges by playing and experimenting, do look out for the sign up info coming soon.  Please feel free to email me with questions about this post or the course anytime.

Warmly,

Susanne