Hello friends and TY for visiting 😉 So, I have been really playing around with gel plates lately and today thought ‘I want to make some of my own stencils & masks’. So I picked up some Dura-Lar .005 clear film by Grafix. Sizzix Thinlits went through this like paper with the Vagabond and I am going to show you step by step how I gel printed the Tim Holtz Alterations #660222 Scribbles & Splat for this completed 6×6 card.

Steps will be below each image. Glare was a bit of an issue but helped with some shots also sorry about how dark, it is a dreary rainy day here today.

I am working on a 8×10 plate by Gel Press. On a plate that is dirty (has those yummy bits) lay the main stencil (mine is dirty but I have labeled it with green Stencil text and outlined in green dashed line.) Place the masks or actual die cut shapes inside of stencil (mine are blue but I labeled these, also) The masks should fit right inside of the stencil.

Apply using a brayer, color over the masks (here I have used Golden Fluid in Phthalo Blue green shade)

Remove masks and allow to dry.

Add the next layer of color (I used GF Quinacridone Nickel Azo Gold). Optional but I brayer excess paint onto other areas of the gel plate so no paint is wasted.

You do not have to wait for the above layer to dry before removing the stencil but you DO need to let the layer of QNAG dry.

Everything should be dry. QUICKLY  apply a thin layer of paint (I have used GF Hansa Yellow and GF Iridescent Pearl Fine). I want only one pull (no ghost print) so it should be wet enough yet thin enough to pull just once.

Lay paper onto plate, I like to use regular copy paper for this technique, and rub with pretty good full flat hand pressure. Be careful not to take too long or the paper could stick to the plate.

Grab a corner and start to pull inward. There are numerous gel printing videos on YT, a few of my favs right now are Kate Krane & Birgit Koopsen. One on Gel Press channel and one for Gelli Arts channel.

Here is the result. I love when the bits are present in a pull, that is why I chose to work on a somewhat dirty plate but this can be done on a clean one for a less grungy look.

close up of the heart. The colors I chose are transparent so the Phthalo and Quin layered to make a gorgeous deep purple.

The left side of this photo shows why I like cleaning up my braayer & stencil, masks on the open part of plate.

To complete my project I added some stamping, doodles and TH Snarky quote.

Tip:

That when you do need to clean a plate, don’t let the hand sanitizer blob go to waste, pull a print 🙂 Great watercolor effect that I am sure to complete at a later date.

I am sure this technique has been done by someone, somewhere before but I wanted to share my version with some of the materials I had on hand.

Have a blessed day!

Wendy xo