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Gelli prints are a lot of fun and I have seen some amazing tutorials out there with fantastic results but they tend to include a lot of waiting time for the inks to dry and some more technical processes. This article is all about doing Gelli prints with children, so no long waiting times, no fixed rules, a lot of happy accidents and interesting layered results. There is no fixed outcome, it is just about experimenting and enjoying the process.
Oh and it can get messy too!
MATERIALS:
- Gelli printing plate
- Acrylic block printing inks in a few colours
- A brayer (roller)
- Paper - thicker cartridge paper without too much texture works well
- Damp cloth
- A selection of textured leaves, flowers and feathers
HOW TO:
Set up your Gelli printing plate on a flat surface. The amount of ink you need will depend on the size of your plate. Ours measures 12cm x 18cm so we used about 1/4 of a teaspoon of ink.
Use a roller to spread out the ink. When you role our the ink, you want a nice thin even layer all over the printing plate. Too much and your print will slip and you won't get a good result, too little and your print will be patchy. With a little experimentation, you will find the right amount. It can also vary depending on how thick your inks are.
Place some textured leaves and flowers onto the printing plate and place a piece of paper on top pressing firmly with the palm of your hand.
For the first print, you will only get an outlive of your flowers. Don't discard this print, they look great layered up with lots of other different colour flower silhouette prints.
Carefully remove the flowers leaving behind the textured patterns on the printing plate. Place another piece of paper on top of the printing plate and rub gently with the back of your hand. Peal off the print to reveal your flower prints.
Some prints turn out better than others (this one wasn't great!) but that is part of the excitement of the process; you never quite know what you will get. When you are finished, wipe the printing plate clean with a damp cloth and start the process again.
Now it's time to experiment layering up different colour prints and different flower textures. Usually I would start with lighter colour inks first and then add darker colours on top but it is up to you. It's all about experimentation and enjoying the process.
Feathers are another great option for printing and give some really cool results. You can also try other textured materials like bubble wrap, string, fabric, corrugated card or netting. Get creative with what you have available!
Happy art making friends!
