Gelli Plate Prints

Several people who are not familiar with monoprinting have asked to see what the gelli prints/monoprints look like and have also asked what do you do with them once you've made them.  So here you go...today I am going to share several prints and then tomorrow I'll show some projects using the prints and the tools I used to make them.

I used the Grunge Layers technique for this print paired with several of the die-cut foam stamps I made.

I used the Fantastix from Tsukineko for the design in the background for this print.

This was a Side B print that I added several layers to.  Lots and lots of stuff used here...foam stamps, Die-cut foam stamps, stencils, and I'm sure more - LOL!!

Paper doilies used here....

Stencils & paint left over from stencils.

Embossed cardboard texture plates

Grunge Layers technique paired with masks & stencils.

Several layers of stencils and foam stamps going on here...

Grunge Layers Technique and Fun Foam edgers to create the design.

Gunge Layers paired with a few stencils and some foam stamps.

Silicone barbecue brush used to create the design in a couple different colors of paint.

This print was made by pulling up paint over stencils...

and this is the print that was made after removing the stencils from the plate in the print above.  I thought it would be fun to show both together.  For some reason these two prints remind me of the sea...

So there you go...you can get a better idea of just some of the fun art you can create using this fun printing process.  Remember, tomorrow I'll be back with some project ideas on how to incorporate the prints into your cards, tags and more!

Gelli Plate & Monoprinting Basic Tools

Betsy asked about what tools she had to have to monoprint and what tools I use to make designs.

The basic tools you HAVE to have for monoprinting are:

Gelatin or Gelli Plate
Acrylic Paint
Brayer ~ I use a soft roller but you can use whatever you have.
Paper, Fabric, Ephemera, Wood, etc.

That's it...pretty easy list huh?

OPTIONAL TOOLS: These are the extra goodies that you can use to help make designs in your paint for all those fun prints.

Cotton Swabs (Q-tips) - You can use them wet or dry ~ I prefer wet ~ to help "draw" in the paint...you can move paint around, pick paint up, add additional colors to the plate, etc.  It really is a very versatile little tool to have on hand.

Found Objects (including Nature items) - This is pretty much anything that doesn't have a sharp edge or that will mar the surface of the plate...

Some of my favorites are drawer liners - these come in all sorts of fun patterns!

Bubble Wrap ~ who doesn't love this stuff.  The fun thing is that there are a couple different sized bubbles to choose from.

Paper Towels!!  Have you ever looked at all the fun designs paper towels have embossed on them?  Well if you haven't looked you really need to.  They are so cheap and so much fun to use....

Spread your layer of paint...

Place your paper towel over the ink and

lift it off.  Don't throw it away, you can use it several times.

And pull a print!

Amazing isn't it...who'd a thunk it...

paper towels!

Silicone Cooking Tools - yes, I know I'm a bit weird but hey, some of those things work great!  My favorite?  The barbecue brush - the little fingers make some way cool impressions and designs in the paint.  One of my favorite prints was made using it....

Ribbon, twill, burlap, fabrics, lace, and so much more.

Nature objects are great to use as well...my favorite by far are leaves.  Of course if it's winter that's not really an option but skeleton leaves work just as well.  Clover, flower petals, feathers, etc.

You can also use any number of crafty tools as well...

Stencils - of course everyone knows you can use stencils on your printing plate.  You can make a print over the top of them, remove them and use the paint that comes away on the stencils and you can also make a print of their impression left on the paint/plate!  It's probably the most widely used tool I've seen.

Texture Combs - These are super for dragging through the paint to create all sorts of fun designs.  Really inexpensive as well which is a plus!

Foam Stamps - There are two different vareities of these babies and both are super when paired with monoprinting.  The first type are those really cheap single image stamps you can find in the paint aisle at the store.  They come in all shapes, sizes, themes, etc.  I love 'em!

I'm not sure if they still sell them or not but for a while foam stamps was extremely popular for scrapbooking...of course I had to have them so I bought several different sets.  Making Memories, Heidi Swapp, Creative Imaginations, etc. all had their own sets out.  Some are black & white foam, others are chunky foam, and even more are foam on clear acrylic. It makes me feel good to be able to pull them back out again and use them.

Tsukineko/Imagine Crafts makes a wonderful tool for drawing, writing, doodling on your plate - Fantastix.  They come in bullet or brush tip and are made from a soft foamy type material.  They are soft enough they won't harm your printing plate but are durable enough to remove the paints and wash up in a jiffy!  These are my favorite tools for drawing patterns.

You can also use clear and rubber stamps but keep in mind that highly detailed stamps don't work very well...the paint usually squishes around and distorts any image the stamp might have made.  Also, you'll want to wash your stamps pretty much immediately so the paint doesn't dry in the cracks and crevices...it's very difficult to remove once dry.

Clay Texture Plates - These plates are perfect to use for monoprinting but again like rubber stamps you'll want to clean them so you don't have dried paint clogging up your images.

Now you don't have to buy anything to make some fun tools of your own.  Below are two tools I use quite often that I made myself....

The first one is Die-Cut Fun Foam Stamps!  I simply cut fun foam with both my sizzix and thin metal dies (Quickuts, Spellbinders, etc) which I then glued to a piece of clear product packaging.  This is such a fun way to use things you already have in your stash.

I not only used the main image but I also kept the little pieces I removed from the die-cut and glued those down for a random pattern type stamp as well.

These are just a few of the die-cut fun foam stamps I've made....

TIP: If you do make your own you might do what I did...  I mounted my die-cut pieces on a larger than necessary piece of acetate packaging.  After the stamps had dried I bent both edges up to be used as handles!  It will save your sanity....  The first time I used one of my stamps I didn't have these handles but I did have nice little imprints of my finger tips where I tried to peel the stamp off the printing plate!

Fun Foam Edgers - (sorry forgot to take a pic of these) - This is so cool...you can take a piece of fun foam and cut it with a pair of deco scissors or an edge cutting die and use it to drag through the paint just like the texture combs!  Each scissor makes such fun and different designs and it's a great way to use more of your stash!

Another fun tool to make is Cardboard Embossed Texture Plates.  Below are a few of my favorites.  To make these plates I took pieces of thin cardboard or cardstock which I covered on both sides with Cold Laminate Film ~ pretty much it's just packing tape (only a little thicker) in large sheets.   Once you have your cardboard covered with the film, run it through your embossing folder and you have 2 texture plates in one...an embossed and debossed image!  

You wouldn't think it by looking at them that they'd work but I'm here to tell you they do!  Some designs transfer to the paint easier than others...the swiss dots doesn't work if your paint layer is too thick but the gears and circles work super with thicker and thinner coats.

These are great too because you can use them to "stamp off" the excess paint onto your Side B prints.   You can also clean them if you're so inclined....me, not so much but I will eventually...when I have to until then I just use them as they are.

I'm sure there are many many more tools out there that people use with their gelli plates but these are the tools I use most often.  If you have a tool you like to use be sure to add it to the comments below.

Gelli Plate - Grunge Layers

There are so many different techniques and videos out there to use the Gelli Plate...I started to look at them but then gave up.  I think I'm a bit odd because for me I like more free form art instead of the pattern intense prints I see so much of.   For me it's more about the colors and textures and how they interact which is why I'm going to share my favorite technique...

Grunge Layers

For this technique you're going to be creating multiple layers of paint/images to get to the really good stuff ~ the Grunge Layers.

So, I start off by rolling on a layer of paint - placing stencils over the paint and making a print - this pulls off the first layer.    Remove the stencils and you can see you have a nice set of patterns down.  Let them dry completely before moving on.  This usually doesn't take very long because you've pulled up much of the paint with the initial printing.

Now roll on the next layer of paint....in this case green.

Pull a print.  See how the dried paint comes up!  Awesome huh?

Your plate will now have a light blue and green layer.  Your roller should still be wet...roll on any paint left on the roller over the plate.  If your brayer has already dried, add a bit of paint off to the side (I usually put a drop or two on a piece of fun foam) and load your brayer with just a bit more paint.  You want this to be a really thin layer of paint.

Since the layer of paint is so thin it will start drying quickly...use some foam stamps to pick up some of the paint in any pattern you desire.  For this example I used dots.  Let the paint dry completely.

O.k.... now add another layer over your dried layers (remember you now have 3 layers of dried paint down).  I am using a purple....

Now pull a print....THIS is a Grunge Layer.  See how the print picked up the light blue, green & darker shade of blue all hidden under the purple!  I LOVE this print....

Quick Grunge Layers Variation

I have a quick variation of the Grunge Layer technique which is great if you don't want to add all the layers one by one.  Start off by adding 2 or more colors of paint to your plate.  Roll them out but be careful not to over blend them as your paint will turn to mud.

Here is how mine looked after I got them all rolled out....  Sort of an abstract art look huh?

Make a print to pull up some of the paint...

You'll be left with a very thin layer of paint.  Go ahead and use some foam stamps to add your design and pick up more paint from the plate.  

Now make a print....  Grunge Layer!!!   This so much reminds me of a Basic Grey paper from one of their earlier lines.  I simply love it!

Now you'll still have a bit of paint on the plate that is dry, cover it with another layer of paint...

And pull a print ~ this will pull up the remaining Grungy Layer of paint.

There you go!

My very favorite way to use the Gelli Plate....

Grunge Layers!!!!

I hope you give it a try sometime and get in touch with your grungy side!

Sort of off topic, I have to say that playing with the Gelli Plate is very fun for me...I love to get messy...usually with ink but playing in the paint is just as much fun ~ I usually end up covered in paint and I simply love it!  Almost as much as being covered in ink ;)

Have a grungy day everyone!!

Gelli Plate Paper Comparison

Several people have been asking what papers I use for gelli plate monoprinting.  The honest answer is just about anything I can get my hands on.  I've used everything from copy paper, mixed media papers, watercolor, bingo cards, tags, book pages and more!

The only type of paper I've never tried is glossy cardstock or photo paper.  It explicitly says on the Gelli Plate web-site that it will damage the Gelli Plate so I've not even tried it.

My favorite types of paper to use are the Mixed Media papers below....

L - Dick Blick MM; Center - Canson MM; R - Strathmore MM

These are cardstock/index paper - They both work pretty well but the Georgia Pacific (R) seems to pick up a more even coat than the Neenah Index paper.

 I know lots of people use copy paper but I personally don't like it...it gets extremely warped because of the moisture content in the paint.  It ends up sounding like dried leaves once it's dry...

L - Crayola Watercolor/Marker paper - Looks & feels like copy paper

R - GP standard copy paper.

This is my other favorite (L).  It is printing making paper from Dick Blick.  It's a bit larger than regular papers and it's got a great feel wet or dry.  The prints stay flexible and can take layer after layer after layer of paint.

The smaller example which took paint really well is Canson watercolor paper.  I don't use it often since it's more expensive but it is nice for certain looks.

Now lots of people claim they love to use deli paper...I've never had any so I can't tell you how well it prints or how it compares to these other papers.   If you have a chance to try some, I'd say go for it and then compare it to others.  You might find you like it just great...

So there you go....other than the copy paper I think they all did a great job...

I think it's more personal preference and the finished look you're going for.

Gelli Plate - No Mistakes!

One thing I love about monoprinting is there are never any mistakes and you don't have to stop at one layer.  You can continue to build upon a design until you strike it rich.

I'll be the first to admit I don't love each and every print I make.  Sometimes I get an idea in my head, roll out the paints and it's a hit the first time and sometimes the results are less than thrilling.  Your first instinct might be to toss the offending print in the trash and start over.  Well I'm here to tell you there are no mistakes in monoprinting and you shouldn't throw ANY of your prints away. You can continue to add layer after layer of paint until you get a print that suits your fancy.  The print I'm going to share today was exactly that ~ very unimpressive after the first layer but got better and better as I went along.

Now here's how I work my plate....I start off with a stack of nice clean papers (I'll talk more about paper preferences next week) but I also have a stack of "B"s.  What are "B"'s?  (This is really going to date me)
When single music recordings - 45's - came out there was the "A" side which was the reason you bought the record but there was also a "B" side...sometimes it was a good song but most of the time it was just O.K....  I consider my prints that aren't a hit right out of the gate my "B" side prints.

This is the story of how one of my prints went from the "B" pile to the "A" pile!  It started off with an idea...I wanted to make a print with several different designs which was great.  Rolled out the paint, positioned the stencils but then I realized I didn't have anything that fit in the triangle....I didn't have my stamps handy nor did I have my foamies either so I just went ahead and made the print....

and here's what it looked like....  o.k. but nothing spectacular.

so I added another layer - whew...that pink is killer!!!  It turned out much brighter than it looked in the bottle.  It did go into the trash...but I felt guilty so I pulled it back out and left it in "B" pile... maybe something would help it at a later point.

I added a couple more layers to this print...once I used it to clean up some sparkle paint (which you can't really see in the photo) (yes!!! Sparkle paint DOES work on the Gelli Plate!!!) left over from a print and that improved things immensely.  You know glitter CAN make you feel better ;)

I finally added a really pretty cream print over the top of the other 3 and what do you know it worked!  Thankfully with those two additional layers of paint the horrible neon pink was tamed down enough that I really liked how it turned out.  This print had finally made it from the "B" pile to the "A" pile!

So, no matter how much you initially dislike a print there is always hope!  

You'll never have a mistake or a bad print...

it's just a "work-in-process" print waiting to become an "A" print!

Gelatin Printing Plate - Glycerine Recipe

Kristy T - An Ink Stained reader e-mailed me and told me about another recipe to make a home-made gelatin plate posted by the Frugal Crafter here - A Permanent Gelatin Printing Plate.  She uses glycerin mixed with the water & gelatin to create a printing plate that doesn't need refrigeration which is super.    Kristy said she used hers for several months.

She also suggested keeping a little spray bottle with glycerin handy to spritz onto your paints for a longer open time.  A super idea!

Thanks Kristy!!

Gelatin Monoprint Plate Recipe & Monoprinting Intro

When I recently posed the question about Gelli Plates there seemed to be quite a bit of interest about both the Gelli Plate and monoprinting in general.  Today I thought I'd jump in with an introduction to the Gelli Plate, monoprinting and give you a recipe for the home-made gelatin version.

Monoprinting - a single impression made on paper from glass or an equally smooth surface to which paint or ink has been applied.    

Monoprinting is nothing new...it's been around for ages but the Gelli Plate is a revolutionary tool that is bringing monoprinting to the masses.  I'm not sure why it's taken so long  for the Gelli Plate to catch on (possibly the price) but the buzz about it seems to be growing.  This plate is such a fun, versatile way to make TONS of your very own cool papers designs for scrapbooks, cards, art journals, mixed media projects, collages and sooooo much more.

Before the Gelli Plate came out if you wanted to try your hand at monoprinting you had to plan ahead... way ahead.  You had to make your own plate out of gelatin and water... (see the recipe below) let it set up which could take hours and THEN you could play but that's only after you remember to buy the right amount of gelatin.  Of course then if you wanted to use it more than once you had to find a place in your fridge to store it until you were ready to play with it again...  I don't know about you but real estate in our fridge is always at a premium and I've never had that much space to store something as large as a gelatin plate in there for long.

How to make your own Gelatin Plate - basically it's just like making Jello Jigglers (finger jello) and they actually feel very similar (imo).     Since you can make the gelatin plate in most any baking dish or cookie sheet the actual amount of gelatin mix you'll need will vary.  I've made mine about 1/4" - 1/2" thick which takes about 6-8 cups of water in a large baking dish - larger cookie sheets will take more.

You need to mix the gelatin using the following recipe:

1 Box (4 packets) of Knox Unflavored Gelatin + 1 Cup of Very Hot Water

As I mentioned the number of cups you'll need will vary from dish/pan/cookie sheet.  I would suggest you initially fill the dish you intend to use with 1/4" - 1/2" of water, counting the cups of water as you go.  This will give you a reasonable idea on how many boxes of gelatin you'll need to buy/use.  Once you get the gelatin mixed and it has set up you're ready to play!

Now here's the kicker - to make 8 cups of gelatin it costs approximately  $10-15.00 and it's basically a throw away item unless you have a large fridge with lots of extra space.  The 8x10 Gelli Plate is approximately $25-28.00 (less if you use a coupon), is re-usable and doesn't have to be refrigerated.  Personally I don't see how you could go wrong with the Gelli Plate in the long run - again, just my opinion.

How to monoprint -  Monoprinting is really easy...whether you use a gelatin plate or Gelli Plate it's basically the same.  You add and remove paints from the monoprinting plate in various configurations.

You'll need the following supplies to get started:

Gelatin or Gelli Plate
Brayer (soft or hard roller - personal pref.)
Acrylic Paint*
Paper
Tools to add/remove Paint**

Add a small dollop of paint to the plate and roll it out in a thin even layer.

For this example I'm using stencils  over the painted plate - you don't have to fill up the space but any areas that aren't altered in some way will print as a solid color on your paper.

Place a sheet of paper over the stencils and use either your brayer or hands to smooth the paper down so the paint is picked up onto the paper through the stencils.

NOTE: My paint didn't transfer as well as some because I was fumbling around with my camera trying to take pictures with painted fingers so some areas dried more than others.  You get the general idea though.

When you remove the paper and stencils you'll be able to get a second impression of the paints left behind...this is called a ghost or reverse print.

I wanted to add more color to my original print so I applied another layer of paint to the plate and placed several masks over the plate.   I then positioned my paper over the plate and burnished with my hands.

and here's how it turned out.... 

 I love how the original textures are peeking out from the masked areas.... 

*Paints are always debated on when people get to talking about monoprints.  Let me start off by saying you are going to use a LOT of paint for this technique.  It's not that it takes so much to make a single layered print but sometimes you're going to add 2, 3 or more layers to a single monoprint.  The other factor is that you can't just stop at one...  once you begin playing you're going to want to make more and more.  It's really very addictive!

So anyway, back to the paint - some people say you have to use student or artist grade acrylics because it offers a longer open time for you to manipulate patterns in the paints.  Being the frugal artist that I am, I have always used craft grade paints that you can purchase virtually anywhere.  I feel I get just as nice prints as others do that are using the expensive paints.  So if you work quickly it's not an issue but it's up to you.

**These tools could be virtually anything that won't damage the surface of your plate.... cotton swaps, make up sponges, feathers, leaves, fabrics, masks, paint texture tools, paint combs, rubber/foam stamps, stencils, etc.   You can also make a whole host of other tools but that's another post in the near future.


Now, this post just grazes the surface of the joys of monoprinting and the thousands of different techniques you could use to approach this art form.  In the coming days I'll share some of my personal favorite techniques and my own style of monoprinting.  Hope you stop back and join me.