It's Gelli Time! (there she go 🎵)
(including a behind the scenes Gelli printing cat video)
I have joined the jolly Gelli Printers!
I resisted for a very long time because I was put off by both the high costs and the crafty look. Now I own a gel plate (a bit smaller than DIN A4 for approx. 30€) and don't think about anything else anymore. How can I use this technology for my purposes? That's what I'm trying to figure out at the moment. There is a lot to learn and just as many mistakes to be made. But here's what I can say already:
“You either wait too long or not long enough!”
My first print gave me difficulty, mainly because of the thin printer paper I was using which tends to tear if there is too much paint. I also wasn't able to draw fine lines on the gel plate. I now know that acrylic markers might have helped here.
The most important thing I learned from my second print was that if you want to have light coloured areas, you should cover them up very well with white layers before applying the background colour. Otherwise they will become mushy and dull. I also like it better to mix the colours in advance. If mix them on the plate, it quickly creates this crafty journal look I try to avoid.
You can really use almost any medium. Most can be removed afterwards with baby wipes or baby oil and dish soap. I enjoyed making this spontaneous football print. This time I tried drawing with wet watercolour pencils (be careful not to scratch the plate with the tip) but then I experimented a little too wildly with watercolours instead of acrylic and all went downhill from there. You learn from mistakes…
I wanted to test how the printing method works in combination with a previously scanned drawing. I keep the ink sketch underneath a plexiglass pane as a rough guide. I then work layer by layer with acrylic paints, letting them dry completely in between. At the end I use my new favourite magic potion: A matt acrylic medium! There may be better ones out there, but for now I like the one I already had at home: "Liquitex Basics Matte Fluid Medium".
It works wonderfully as a finishing coat, even on dry layers, just before you press on the paper and acts as a kind of glue. There are many different statements about how long you have to wait before peeling off the paper. If you have thin layers of paint that are still wet, the print will often withstand being pulled without tearing straight away. With just a few dry layers, I managed to pull the paper successfully after applying a final fresh layer of acrylic medium (paint or gel) and waiting about 30 minutes to 1 hour. If there are a lot of dry layers though, it helps me to let everything dry under a stack of books for at least 2 hours or better overnight.
I only waited for 2 hours with this print of a cat, which is why a piece got stuck on the plate in the middle. 🙀 However, pulling away from the other side finally worked.
I then digitally combined the ink drawing (created with my new lovely Sailor Fude fountain pen <3 ) with the print and I am quite happy with the result. What do you think? Here is the process I recorded:
I hope the video was interesting for you. Feel free to ask me any questions in the comments (Although I'm not an expert and I'm still looking for more answers myself). What methods/paints are your favourites for printing that I should try next?
Show me your first gelli prints - we could start a little jolly gelli group.
What do you think the cat in my final illustration is looking at?
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Or you can send this letter to a friend who is totally into gelli printing or loves cats:
Love,
Ruth
So interesting! Thank you Ruth for sharing all these various attempts and learnings. As you know, I haven't tried yet (it's like the newsletter!!). But if I decide to try, I'll join your group :)
Love your cat illustration. I think he's looking at the birds eating on the neighbours'balcony (This is what my cat do at home. Windows need to remain shut - especially because we live on the 4th floor!).
Awesome process, and the soundtrack is perfect for it! 💖🐈