Something New!

After the emotional drain of the past day, and setting aside the large piece I've been working on - I decided what I needed was a "fun day", just playing and exploring. I had recently ordered something new, and this would be the perfect time to experiment with it.
It's called a Gelliarts Printing Plate.  I found it on sale at Dick Blick Art Supplies and it came in last week. The package looks like this:

At Dick Blick, they carry two sizes; at the Gelliarts link they carry larger sizes and they cost more as they go up. I purchased the 8 X 10 size. There is a video at the Gelliarts site which explains how it works. Basically, you are printing without a press. All you need is paper, paint and a brayer. Stencils are a lot of fun to use. The print you make can be used in your art journal, or as a part of a larger collage, or as a card if printed on cardstock.

You pour the paint on the gel plate, spread it with a brayer, and then lay a piece of paper over it and smooth with your hands, then pull your print off. No two prints will ever be the same.

Here are my first gel prints!

This was the very 1st one I did, the shape is the cap to something. I almost threw it away, but in the kind of art I produce, you never know when you need something. 

Tada - I feel vindicated for being a packrat! The paper is from a Mixed Media pad.

These were actually one sheet of postcard stock with perforations to become four postcards. I can see lots of possibilities with postcards!

This was done on deliwrap paper, which is sort of flimsy but has possibilities for using in collage work.

This is done on card stock, would actually make a nice folded greeting card once it's trimmed to fit the envelope.

You can see the stencils, and the lovely way the color melds together. Again on cardstock.

cardstock again

cardstock

cardstock

writing paper

writing paper

It's great fun, and pretty inexpensive to do. You could even use craft paint to do your printing. The last one is a monoprint, and I love the colors! If you go to Youtube and do a search, there are videos there of ways to make prints. Now I will have to think of all kinds of ways to use them!

Click on the photo to see anything closer.

Come see my latest postcards I've received on Postcards Buffet!