In Touch

Mono-printing For The First Time - Gelli Plates

This month, I'm stretching myself creatively by trying some mono-printing with a Gelli Plate! Gelli art has become extremely popular, especially in Mixed Media circles and can result in beautifully unique art prints for home decor, for creating interesting background papers, art journals, and can also serve as a foundation for other collage art work.

Let me preface this month's article by stating that it is written from a beginner's (not an expert's!) perspective. And, please trust me when I say that it is not comprehensive--artists are experimenting with all kinds of techniques, pushing the art form well beyond what I will be sharing. My "baby steps" are intended to introduce the Gelli Plate and Mono-printing to those of you who are interested in trying something new that can further enhance your paper crafting and allow you to use a number of tools and supplies that cross-over from the realms of stamping, card-making, scrapbooking, etc. :)

It's also somewhat long, but there is also an accompanying video. And, you may find printing the following information out can make a handy reference if you are a beginner, like myself, to mono-printing. :)

Here's a list of basic items I found helpful for getting started:

• Gelli Plate (I'm using the 6x6" plate, but it also comes in an 8x10 as well as a 12x14)
• Acrylic Paints (Adirondack, Distress Paint*, Studio by Claudine Hellmuth)
• Rubber Brayer
• Non-Stick Craft Sheet
• Masks/Stencils for creating texture and pattern
• Stamps, also for creating texture and pattern--I found bold images worked the best for me
• Photocopy paper (it will print well, and is very economical for getting started and experimentation)
• Paper Towels and/or Baby Wipes
• Hand Sanitizer (for clean-up)
• Old magazines, scrap paper or blank newsprint (for rolling excess paint off the brayer/clean-up)

*Please note that my experimentation incorporated the paints I had on hand, which was primarily Distress Paint. Distress Paints are much thinner/more fluid than regular acrylic paint and while they did bead up on the plate when initially applied, with a little patience and allowing it to air out/dry while brayering, the beading seemed to disappear. 

SET UP:

• Protect yourself with an apron, and your work table with newsprint or butcher paper
• Always keep your Gelli Plate on a non-porous surface, whether in storage or while working with it. Remove the Gelli Plate from the packaging, and remove a clear acetate sheet from the side you plan to apply paint to; leave the other on the back side of the plate
• Place the Plate (acetate side down) onto a non-stick craft sheet
• It can also help to place all of this onto a large cookie sheet to prevent the plate from sliding around as you are working

Alternatively, prior to removing the clear acetate sheets from the Plate, you could mark both of them with the word "outside" using a Sharpie marker, then remove them from from both sides of the Plate and tuck them, with the clean insides together, inside the clamshell, preventing any dirt or dust from getting on them.

Put your Gelli Plate onto a piece of Crystal Clear Plastic; it will give you an edge to hold onto while you are working with it, and also makes it easy to lift and carry the whole thing to the sink/hold under running water for clean up (You can also discard that piece of plastic when you're finished cleaning)

When you put your clean, dry Gelli Plate away, you can put the clear acetate sheets back into place, with the "outsides" facing away, and the "clean insides" against the surface of the Plate.

• Gather your tools:  Rubber Brayer, Photocopy Paper, Stencils/Masks, Stamps, Paper Towels, Hand-sanitizer

GET STARTED:

• Place a few small dollops of acrylic paint onto the Gelli Plate; you will not need a lot
• Use the brayer to spread the paint across the plate in an even-fashion; you want to coat the plate with a thin layer of paint
• Add texture and pattern to the plate by placing a stencil onto the plate.  You can also add texture by impressing a stamp to the plate, cleaning the stamp in between impressions; the clean stamp will lift/remove paint from the surface of the plate (be aware that word stamps will mono-print in reverse, however)
• You can use soft tools to draw your own patterns and images in the paint; Qtips, paint brushes and rubber combing tools work well. Avoid using anything sharp to draw with, as it can permanently damage your Gelli Plate
• When you are satisfied with your paint design, carefully lay a piece of paper over the top of the plate and smooth it against the paint, using the flat of your hands. You can also use the brayer to smooth out the paper, if you prefer
• Carefully pull (peel) the paper up and away from the plate and view the results! Set it aside to dry
• There is often enough paint still on the Gelli Plate that you can often get a second print or "pull", also referred to as a "ghost print" by placing another sheet of paper onto the plate and pulling again

Congratulations! You've just made your first mono-print! :)

I also have a two-part video, that shows you the process/steps I used to create the pieces for this article:

(After you hit the play button, click on the gear icon to select 720p,for best viewing quality)

PART 1

LINK: Watch Part 1 directly on YouTube HERE

 

PART 2

LINK: Watch Part 2 directly on YouTube HERE

 

TIPS:

• Stamping inks (dye-based) do not perform well for this technique because they bead up on the surface of the Gelli plate.
• I did experiment with two brands of pigment reinkers: Adirondack and Memento Luxe. Adirondack is thinner and more liquid-like; it beaded up on the plate considerably and no amount of brayering seemed to alleviate the issue.  The Memento Luxe also beaded up initially as well but it is thicker and behaved more like acrylic paint as I continued to brayer; I did have to work much faster with this pigment ink, to avoid the beading issues... Given that, I am more inclined to work strictly with acrylic paints
• Distress paints* are an acrylic paint, but they are much thinner/more fluid than regular acrylic paints; I found that initially, this paint beaded up on the surface of the Gelli Plate, but as I continued to brayer it out, allowing the air to dry it, the beading diminished/disappeared and I achieved a smooth, thin layer of paint.

Note: It did take a little longer/required a little more patience to develop this thin layer, than it would have with regular acrylic paint; this extra time was edited out of the video. A little research on this told me it can also happen at times with regular acrylic paints... To alleviate the issue, it can help to wash the Gelli Plate with soapy water, rinse and pat it dry with a lint-free cloth

• If you've applied the paint too thickly, stencils/masks and papers applied to the plate will tend to slip and slide around
• If you are having trouble pulling the paper from the plate, you probably haven't used quite enough paint and/or it has dried too quickly; too much paint, and you'll have a goopy slick surface that stencils and paper both slip and slide on...
• Some paints, such as the Studio line, which work lovely for Gelli printing, may require the addition of "Extra Time" medium (or extender) to prevent them from drying too quickly on the Gelli Plate--next time, I intend to try applying a dollop of Extra Time, brayering it onto the plate, and then add my paint; they should mix together as I brayer across the plate, and keep the paint wet long enough to get a good print and get a 2nd pull. I do not recommend using water as an extender; it simply makes the paint watery
• To avoid "lines" in the paints and create a smooth, uniform coating, allow the weight of the brayer alone to smooth out the paint, as opposed to pressing down while rolling the brayer
• Keep a stack of old magazines, blank newsprint or typing paper and a damp rag or baby wipe handy for rolling paint off your brayer when you set it down; this will prevent paint from building up on the brayer, keep paint colors pure (unless you deliberately want to mix), and make clean up later on much easier

CLEAN-UP:

• You can use a spray bottle of water and a paper towel to clean/wipe paint off your Gelli Plate when needed or at the end of your creative session. I used hand-sanitizer and paper towels to clean paint from my Gelli Plate because I was using mostly Distress Paint and it was more difficult to remove/clean off
• You can use the same method(s) to clean paint from your rubber brayer
• Alternatively, you can also carry your Gelli Plate over to the sink and wash it with soapy water, rinsing it under the faucet
• You can allow the Gelli Plate to air-dry or pat it dry with a lint-free cloth
• Store your Gelli Plate by replacing the original clear acetate sheets it came packaged with (remember why I suggested those acetate sheets with a Sharpie prior to first use?) and putting it back in the hard plastic clamshell

•••••••••••

This is just the tip of the iceberg with mono-printing and the Gelli Arts® Printing Plate!

FOR FURTHER EXPLORATION:

• Create own stencils/masks with your dies, or your digital die cutter, such as the eClips, to further expand patterns you can use with your Gelli Plate; you won't need to worry about cleaning up those cut from card stock as the acrylic paints will dry permanently them and actually give them more stability
• Use wedge (combing) tools to create a variety of patterns in the paint
• Try making your own texture tools--string/yarn, wadded up plastic wrap, bubble wrap, rags, or sponges can be pressed into the paint for interesting effects
• Stamp directly onto mono-prints you've created, to further enhance the designs
• Create even more layers, by using other paint colors and stencils to print again over previously made mono-prints. Mono-printing is indeed about layers of texure, imagery and color!
• Expand your paint colors by mixing your own colors, with these handy storage bottles
• Use your mono-prints in an art journal, as patterned paper for a scrapbook layout, or cut them apart for use on hand-made cards or tags
• Once you are confident in the process/steps to achieve the different looks you like, try mono-printing onto Smooth Bristol, which accepts mono-prints beautifully and makes for high quality prints that can be framed. You can also try printing onto (tightly woven) fabrics or canvases, pre-made tags, etc.!

The fascinating thing about mono-printing is that no two prints will ever be identical! You can find more tutorials and inspiration at the Gelli Arts blog--have fun experimenting with your plate!

SUPPLIES:

• Gelli Arts Printing Plate, 6x6, 8 x 10, or 12 x 14
• Rubber Brayer
• Non-stick Craft Sheet
• Stencils/Templates: Wood/Woodgrain, Shattered Circles, (BalzerBits): Pomegranate Flower Bits , Two Leaves Bits
• Studio Acrylic Paints, Adirondack Acrylic Paints, Distress Paints,
• Extra Time Medium
• Savvy Brush Flower Head Stamp

 

 

Mixing Patterns by Julia Stainton

If I'm honest, I'll admit to being a patterned paper addict. I love the prints, the colors and all those beautiful patterns. Even more fun is putting them together to create your own project. Mixing up the colors and patterns for endless possibilities. For some, this just seems to come naturally and for others with practice. Since Ellen asked me to write this month's newsletter on Mixing Patterns, I've been jotting down ideas as they come to me and the process that I seem to follow most of the time. With a few hints and a little practice, you'll be mixing and matching with ease.

As I decided to create all the sample projects as cards and for ease of photographing, I'll be using 6x6 paper pads. If you're wondering about creating with the larger 12x12 papers, it's exactly the same thing, the prints are just larger. These work great for larger projects and scrapbook layouts and the same principles work for the larger canvas size. I find the smaller scaled papers the perfect size and the patterns just right for designing cards.

When starting to mix and matach patterns, using papers within one particular line is a great place to begin. The product designers have done most of the hard work for you as a well designed paper line should mix and match well for the most part.  All the colors work together and there even within one paper pad, you'll find a myriad of choices.

There are a few things you'll want to keep in mind when choosing your papers. Patterns look best if they are not too repetitive. That means that while they coordinate in color and style, you'll want a variety of print scale, color depth and intensity and pattern variation. I'll show you some examples of what I mean. here's a selection of 6x6 papers from the new Origins line by Basic Grey.

This is a selection of papers I wouldn't put together. The colors coordinate and there is a nice range of color and intensity but the papers are all bold florals and are much too busy together.

 

This is another example of what you DON'T want to do...mix too many papers that have a very similar look to them. These papers all have grid on the same scale and it is just too much of the same thing to be interesting. The key to mixing patterns is to find papers that coordinate but still have variety and balance.

This selection of papers works together well. It has a small grid pattern, a small floral and a larger dark floral paper. You can also see a variety of colors and tones, the dark brown, a medium green and a lighter yellow.

 

Here is yet another selection from the same paper pad. It has a small grid, a larger scaled geometric floral pattern and a mid scaled ornate pattern in brown. This is the grouping of papers that I ended up using to create a card.

As you can see, I've used different amounts of color on this card sketch. It will depend on the look you want which patterns you use the most of. Take into account visual balance when decided which papers to put where. Darker patterns, more vibrant colors and more intensely patterned papers carry more visual weight than lighter papers. On the following card, I've placed the heavily patterned brown toned paper to the far right and balanced it with a wider piece of the yellow paper on the opposite side.

Supply List:Origins 6x6 paper pad by Basic Grey, Neenah Classic Solar white cardstock , Basic Grey Origins Pieces, Origins Canvas Tags by Basic Grey, Tim Holtz Paper Distresser by Tonic, Tim Holtz Game Spinner by Advantus, Tim Holtz Tiny Attacher by Advantus

These are some of the papers from the 6x6 Sugar Rush paper pad by Basic Grey. I love the range of colors and print and the great vibrancy to this line.With such a range, first start by picking a favorite paper and then looking for papers that will color coordinate well with it.

My favorite easy combo...dots, stripes, text and floral prints. On most designs, I usually gravitate towards a combination of these four types of prints. Dots and stripes just seem to go with everything. I thought this was a fun combo to work with from this line. If you look below, you'll notice I actually didn't end up using the green. I almost reshot this photo using the light bluish/purple pattern but decided to share my process with you. Not every selection will work with every layout. Occasionally I find that something I originally thought would work, actually looks better with something else. It's OK. It's just paper. Arrange them until you get a look that you like.

Stitching can be a great way to tie patterned papers together and transition from one to another. The subtly printed patterned paper I substituted is a nice restful piece. You  can use these subtle papers as you would a cardstock layer as well. They are super easy to use and coordinate perfectly with the rest of the papers in the line.

 

While you're having fun mixing patterned papers, don't be afraid to mix them up with stamps as well. Patterned paper with a very subtle print looks fabulous stamped on.

Supply List: Sugar Rush 6x6 paper pad and Sugar Rush Pieces by Basic Grey, Domestic Love Stamp set by CHF,  Neenah Classic Solar White Cardstock, sewing machine, Black Cardstock, Heart Trinket Pins by Maya Road, Tim Holtz Sanding Block by Advantus, Sakura Quickie Glue Pen, Martha Stewart Glitter, twine, buttons by Basic Grey

For the next couple projects, I pulled out a selection of 6x6 papers from the Gossamer line by Memory Box. The subtle prints and colors and beautiful. They are also very easy to use as most of the prints work very well together.

Most designs use two, three or four different prints of patterned paper. I love being able to mix more than that together as it's a great way to use of scraps and be very cost effective. Using strips of paper or squares or punched circles is a great way to use a lot of prints. When you are using that many prints, feel free to loosen the "rules" a little. Actually it's more of a rule of thumb not to use two stripes or two dots than any hard and fast rule. There's always an exception and the more you mix papers, the more confident you will be at putting them together. Because I used five strips of paper in this design, the stripe and the text which almost gives a striped look to it aren't next to each other, they work well.

After adhering and stitching these papers, I die cut them with a Spellbinders Heart die. This will turn one project into two as both the positive and the negative shapes can be used.

Here's how I've used the negative shape to create a card with my mixed patterns.

Supply List: Neenah Classic Solar White cardstock, Gossamer 6x6 paper pad by Memory Box, Key Expressions stamp set by Cornish Heritage Farms, silk ribbon by May Arts, sewing machine, Classic Heart Dies by Spellbinders, Tim Holtz Key Holes, paper piercer

Mixing lines is also something you can do. In the above projects, I've kept to one line from a single company on each card. The next card mixes the heart that I die cut from the previous project of mixed Gossamer papers with a dotted paper from the Sugar Rush pad by Basic Grey. Because the colors and pattern scale and size coordinate well. This is great for using up scraps or just for having fun with a unique look.

Supply List: In addition to the above list... Classic Hearts Scalloped by Spellbinders, Classic Scalloped Large Square dies by Spellbinders, kraft cardstock by Memory Box, Confetti Cake White flowers by Prima, twine, Word Charms by Maya Road

But pattern mixing is not just for patterned papers...it's also something you can do with stamps. Really the same principles apply. Coordinate the style and then mix up the scale and type of pattern to get the look you want. In this photo, the French Script, Weave and Flowers and Lace Backgrounders would make a really pretty project.

 

Scrapblocks are just large 6x6 background stamps. They can create patterns that can be mixed with themselves or with other background stamps. Here I chose the Vintage Text, Love & Aged Sheet Music Scrapblocks to work together. Unlike stripes, text patterns will almost always work together. I find text to be an incredibly flexible pattern to use.

A very easy way to coordinate patterns that are stamped is to vary the cardstock and stamp them all in the same ink. Black, Brown or other intense colors work well for this. Tone on tone is another great look but what will look good will vary from design to design so experiment for yourself.Here I've used Tuxedo Black Memento ink on all three patterns.

This is the final project. I've used the stamped layers in a project, just like I would use patterned paper. I've even stamped on top of the stamping. By embossing the chandelier, it stands out much better than just stamping in dye ink.


Supply List: Vintage Text Scrapblock, Love Scrapblock & Aged Sheet Music Scrapblock by CHF, Small Chandelier by Hero Arts,  Kraft, Raspberry, Willow and Water cardstock by Memory Box, Black Crochet Ribbon by May Arts, Tuxedo Black ink by Memento, Ranger Black Embossing Powder, Versamark Ink by Tsukineko, Jet Chandelier Crystals by Advantus

The final thing I want to mention for you to think about when mixing patterns is color. For the most part, it's easy to pick out the predominant color of a patterned paper. You'll instinctively know that a paper "reads" dark brown, even if there is a myriad of other colors on the paper. Usually the background color of the print will be the dominant color but in a heavily patterned paper, this may not be the case. If you're unsure about the color or weight of the tones, squint your eyes together when you look at it. This will blur all the pattern going on and give you a idea of the depth of tone. This can be helpful when balancing out colors in a complex design.

I hope you'll have some fun experimenting with mixing papers and patterns. It's fun and adds a great look to your projects. While mixing patterns in fashion may be a little intimidating, after all you have to wear it, and mixing patterns in home decor is a huge investment, mixing patterns in paper crafting is quick, easy. If you make a few interesting choices, who really cares? Truly, I've seen some incredible paper crafters put together papers in a wild and fabulous look. I would never have put them together but something just makes them work. Like all paper crafting, it's all about personal taste, self expression and having fun.

Thanks so much for joining me today at In Touch.

Julia