And, the Stencil Parade continues… It’s time to bring that Gelli plate out of the cupboard and prime it with some beautiful paints… and Margaret’s beautiful stencils from Joggles. Can you say “dream team?!”
There are many gelli-printing videos on the internet, and Gelli Arts is a great way to begin, if you don’t already know about it. I chose to employ a very simple technique, layering the paint with a couple of the new Joggles stencils.
I began by placing the gelli plate onto a recycled cookie sheet, which I keep stored with my gelli plate. This surface is non-porous, keeps the plate secure as it clings to the metal surface. I inked the plate with several colors; golden green, a magenta red, white and a little yellow/golden brown. Lightly roll the brayer into it going crosswise and lengthwise. Then place your stencil on top.
Place your fabric on top of the stencil, and lightly brayer, and/or rub with your hands.
And pull that gorgeous print!
These colors almost make me hungry, they are so yummy… if only I could live on paint alone!
Before inking up the plate again, you can also pull a ghost print {see further down}. And of course, keep a few pieces of paper handy, and double your fun, by cleaning off your brayer with that beautiful paint. No need to clean the plate, just put your paint down again… a little goes a long ways. Also, at least so far, I’m finding that it seems I prefer the fluid acrylics vs the heavy body paints for movability across the plate.
The turquoise blue blobs seen above are from a heavy body version of the acrylic paint, and it was ‘globby’ and didn’t want to roll out nice and flat… I wasn’t too crazy about it… until this:
And throughout this process, I realized I perhaps need a little more practice with the brayer and the paint. Too much and it’s mixes into nothingness… not enough and it’s a little blotchy. I think that kind of goes with the territory of using different thickenesses of paints, too.
But one thing for sure: It’s FUN. And that’s the best part of all! Great therapy {and you have something to show for the money you’ve spent!} lol
And ~ oh. my. gosh. THIS print makes me swoon. I love these leaves… {Leaf Specimens}
and up close: Can you say “dreamy?” Oh my gosh, yes!
Ooohhh la la!!
And upon closer examination of those turquoise blobs on the fabric… well let me say ~ they are soo seriously cool! What was it I didn’t love? I’ve forgotten! Just goes to show ... expect the unexpected!
Close up of the Sunshine printed image:
I’m so excited about these images. I don’t know where they might end up in my creative play, but I am psyched about the possibilities!
The entire print below. I used more of my BasicGrey fabric stash, this base fabric a light aqua and white grungy colorway:
And don’t forget to pull one more print; it’s called a “ghost print” with the leftover image and remaining paint. {see picture below}. It’s the inspiration for my next collaged piece. I’ll be showing it tomorrow. {and I’m very excited about it}.
Comments 8
Looks really good on fabric Leslie, is that fabric specific paint you are using? xox
fabulous info and results!
Yes, and any ol' acrylic paint will do. You will find that the expense comes with the intensity of the color from brand to brand, and sometimes from type to type. They are all fun to play with, and you may find you like to start with just the small craft paint bottles available at the big stores. Thanks for asking!
Thanks for sharing this Leslie, I went and watched the video as I had no idea what gel printing was. Looks neat, you're just using regular acrylic paints?
Hi Leslie~ I've been following along with your stenciling and loving every post! As usual, your beautiful colors make me delightfully giddy!
I received the stencils that I won in your give away, and I'm anxious to play with them. My Mom has been in the hospital so I'm playing catch up in an online class right now. I hope to get to the stencils very soon because I think they're talking to me. I was able to use the Daisy stencil with markers in one of my online lessons. Have a great day!
I like the feather stencil with your beautiful choice of paint colors best…I love the mixture of colors! Thanks for sharing!
I love all of it! And you're right , fun is what it is all about.
Just got my Gelli plate and I see so much fun coming from it! Julie Fei-Fan Balzer has an awesome online Gelli class, worth every penny of the tiny $15 cost!! Beautiful fabric fun!