I was a little bored last night and feeling the need to do something creative, so I broke out my Gelli Arts Gel Printing Plate. I ordered it a few weeks ago from Interweave when I ordered the 2012 Cloth Paper Scissors Mixed Media calendar (beautiful and on sale!). I’ve been wanting to try gelatin printing for several months now, but I keep forgetting to buy the gelatin and other supplies. Besides, I like creating on the spur of the moment and gelatin printing definitely demands pre-planning!
The plate comes in two sizes – 6×6 and 8×10. I initially ordered only the smaller one, but I went back and ordered the larger one after I signed up for Jenn Mason’s class on gelatin printing at CREATE Orange County in May (more on that in an upcoming post). I just got the larger plate today; I’ll definitely be using it before the retreat!
The first thing I did was gather my Golden Fluid Acrylics and some mark making tools. The instructions that came with the printing plate said to use inexpensive craft paints, but I just couldn’t bring myself to do it! I love my Golden’s! For mark making tools, I collected some of my favorite stencils, various strips of punchinella (AKA sequin waste), some old gift cards, a few small paint brushes with narrow handles, a toothbrush, a stiff bristled gesso brush, a couple of sea sponges, some paint texture tools, bubble wrap, and my favorite biscuit cutters (they make great circles in graduated sizes!).
You can see the printing plate on the left in front of my supplies. I also have an acrylic brayer, a roll of paper towels, and an acrylic sheet (think Plexiglas) to mix my paints on. For the first few prints, I used magenta (from USArtQuest), Hansa Yellow Medium, and Primary Cyan. I love the vibrancy of these colors.
The only real problem I had is the problem I always have – I live in the middle of the Mojave Desert, so my paints dry incredibly fast (I have a humidifier in my studio, but it’s in need of cleaning and a refill). I could rarely get a decent ghost print. It was true monoprinting for me! I have some Golden’s Open Medium that I could mix into the paints to extend their open time. I’ll try that next (that’s infinitely easier that cleaning and refilling the humidifier).
I really enjoyed the process. It was fun to play with a new product and technique. It was not only fun, it was good for me to be creative without expectation. Because it was something new for me, it was easy to get into “beginner’s mind”, and just go with the flow without judgment or expectation.
I’ll definitely be doing this again!
Looks like great fun! Thanks for sharing.
I love beginners’s mind! Great experimenting with techniques, too. I’ve not heard of the Gelli Arts printing; thanks for introducing it.
Great post!! I am unfamiliar with this technique but very intrigued now – I love your test runs!! xoxo
I have never even heard of these, but thinking I want some now. Love being introduced to new product…thank you!
I am also loving your 2012 word..Deliberate. Its sound exactly like it has purpose…a strong word..
I rarely use it, but thinking that I might have to add it to my vocabulary.
Hope 2012 is on the right path for you!
Julie
Looks like a ton of fun! Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I always like to hear what other artists think about particular techniques and products.
I loved this post because I have been playing around with printing and transfer techniques and did not even know about this gel plate stuff. Very cool! Thanks for sharing!!!!!
-Kristen
Your prints turned out great. I’ve tried some monoprints on acrylic and they didn’t turn out well at all. I’ll have to get a Gelli plate and try again. Thanks! Lisa
I’m passing you the Liebster Blog Award! Just stop by to pick it up:)