Plate, that is. If you've never heard of it, that's okay. I gotta tell ya though, it's a wonder. It's magic. It's so versatile and lovely. Okay, I'm done now, maybe.
You really can do so much with a gelli plate. It's jello made in a scientific way to it doesn't go bad and instead makes artistic wonders.
To gelli print you need a few supplies: gelli plate, brayer, paper, acrylic paints, and texture tools.
Here's a couple different gelli plate options:
I believe Speedball also makes one. Gelli Arts and I think Gel Press make several different sizes. Gelli Arts also has small ones in different shapes. So the possibilities are really endless.
A brayer is like a paint roller, only smaller and for art, not painting a room in your house. Brayers also come in slightly different designs, but are very similar and work the same.
This is the one I have, and it works well for me. Here's a couple more option as well:
Speedball Rubber Brayer, 4 inches
When it comes to paper, you can use almost anything. I've used notebook paper, cardstock, heavy white paper, deli paper, tags, manila folders. According to Gelli Arts, newspaper ink can get absorbed into the plate as can photo paper coating.
Any kind of acrylic paint can be used, but I have found that less is more. Too much paint, and its rolling over the sides. You can always add more. You want a thin layer, otherwise the texture can get lost. I've done it myself, and it's not horrible, but I prefer the clearer prints. This is actually where the type of paint is important. I've used fluid or free flow paint before, but since it's thinner, you could end up with more than you bargained for. Fluid or free flow is good for some things, but use a careful hand when pouring. Or pour it on a piece of paper, roll the brayer in it and then roll it onto your plate. All that being said, it's entirely possible for some bits or sections to stay on the plate.
In that case, you can do one of two things. You can pull the paper off enough to see if it's sticking, and press down on the paper more to pull the paint, or you can do clean-up or ghost prints. Another trick I've learned from printing and watching videos by other artists is you can apply white paint to your plate and that will pull anything leftover onto your paper.
Last is texture tools, and these can be so many things. Anything really. A bamboo skewer you use to make lines, fabric, leaves, stencils. You can also take old credit cards and gift cards, cut notches into them at different points, and drag them across for texture before pulling prints.
As you do it more, you'll learn you can experiment with many things. I've seen videos for image transferring and using alcohol ink. I myself have used packaging from other items to make circles or just weird random patterns that only that object can make. When it comes to stencils, you can also pull the stencil print, then pull the other print separately, or add another layer of paint for a little or a lot of contrast and pull the print.
I've included some recent prints from a session, some of which has already been cut up and used on other projects.
Thank you so much for visiting! Bye for now!
