The photo below is a work in progress. It’s a monoprint, created on a gel plate with acrylics and Inktense block outlines. I will be adding more details.

Leaves, Leaves, Leaves and Gel Plates

My home is surrounded by trees, and I am forever picking up interesting leaves. I have a box of dry leaves in my studio. To get into the creative zone, I often work on a gel plate. Mostly I use acrylic paints, but depending on which brand, I may use ink. (Speedball plates need to be used with ink – I found this out the hard way.) This time I used a Gel Press plate and acrylic paint. Of course, the most important thing was the gum leaves I had gathered.

Layering is my way of creating textures, regardless of the medium I am using. Starting with leaves on a gel plate is peaceful. A short walk in the forest to find interesting shapes and textures. Rolling paint onto the gel plate and placing the leaves. Several layers of paint and print pulls are usually needed to get the look I want. When it happens, it is so satisfying.

Sometimes I paint the leaves and press them onto the plate before I roll on the background colour. This can be effective if I paint each leaf differently. Along with gum leaves, I often use bracken fronds or Pincushion Hakea leaves. The latter has parallel veins as shown in my post on Day 43.

Work in Progress

As a base, I love the pale blue on the mottled brown. I also think it needs more definition and some light and shade. I’ve used Inktense blocks for this because I know I can wet the pigment to get different effects. My style is loose, so I am not being too particular about the outlines. I just don’t want to lose any of the interesting blue details. A deep olive green is under consideration for the background detailing. I think it will be interesting when it is finished. Hopefully it will.

When the work is finished, I will post the end result.

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