I have had a small lino block for some time now but keep putting off carving it. There seems to be a bit of fear! In the meantime I have been carving Speedball Speedy Carve rubber and having a blast with it! Printing on silk organza, as well as hand painted and dyed cotton using textile paint. Then I used the textile paint on a Gelli Arts plate and I just love how the results don’t look much like the original print (clear and clean) but more like a fern. Have you used these product? How were your results?
I too have a lino block awaiting my carving. Now that I can’t really press down without pain it’s time has been pushed further out. I love the idea of printing on silk organza. I’ve done a bit of gelatin printing with homemade gelatin plates. The results weren’t special, but I’ve been meaning to give it another go. And I think no matter what, you won’t get thin, clear lines with that type of monoprinting.
As for monoprinting on gel plates, I think the type and consistency of the paint/ink used is what makes the difference. I’ve also gotten better results from the manufactured (faux) gel plates than I ever have from a homemade plate. I don’t know if you have seen or would be interested in this video – I made a Lutradur and cotton sandwich and pressed it into Jacquard Textile Color paint on a gel plate. It was fun and I achieved surprising results https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XuSlWZVmgMk Thanks for reading my blog, I always appreciate your comments.