Gelli Arts® Printing on Feathers

Hello, Birgit here
with a new tutorial video! Today, I will show you how to create beautiful printed
feathers on the GelliArts® gel printing plate!

FYI – Birgit did this project and it was such a big hit – we decided to create a DIY Feather Printing Kit for you!  You can follow along her blog using the items in your new kit.  Feel free to use additional items to create textures or additional colors of acrylic paints!

I used both feathers that I
bought (the white ones) and feathers I found in the woods and on the beach.  Besides that, I used
the 8” x 10” Gelli® plate, acrylic paint from DecoArt Media, stamps and
stencils from Carabelle Studio, Stazon stamping ink, and Posca paint markers.

Start by rolling out a
thin layer of paint on the plate and carefully place the feathers on top. Cover
the feathers with a sheet of printer paper and rub carefully. Make sure to apply some
extra pressure around the rachis, or the center shaft, of the feather. Then
remove the paper and lift the feathers from the plate.

Now add a new layer of
paint to the plate and layer stencils on top. Use a sheet of printer paper to
remove the paint from the open spaces. Then remove the stencils from the plate
and place the painted feathers on top of the remaining paint.

If you want to add
some bits of extra color to the feathers just roll out some paint on the plate
and lightly push parts of the feathers into the paint.

You can add more
patterns and colors using stamps. You can either stamp with a permanent ink
like Stazon or use acrylic paint. Roll out some paint with your brayer and use
the brayer to apply the paint to your stamp. This way it’s easier to spread the
paint evenly and avoid getting a lot of paint in the lower parts. Make sure to
clean the stamp right after using it!

Finally, you can add
some texture and color by creating little splatters. This is very easy with
paint markers. Shake them to mix the pigments and then hit them with something
a little bit heavier like a big brush.

Aren’t these feathers
just beautiful? You’re probably wondering what to do with them.

You can just frame
them as a piece of art, use them in your art journal, or as an embellishment on
scrapbook pages! You could even use them to spice up a nicely wrapped gift!

Thank you for stopping
by! I hope you enjoyed this tutorial and I would love to see your feathers.
Please share and use #gelliprintedfeathers so I can find them!

Happy printing!

Birgit Koopsen