Printing with Metallic Paint & Textured Wall Paper on Gelli Arts® Printing Plates!

Hi
there! It’s Marsha here, and today I’m going to show you how to make stunning single layer metallic and pearlescent prints with textured wallpaper
samples and your Gelli Arts® printing plate!

Most
metallic and pearlescent paint colours are transparent or translucent. Any
colour that is underneath will show through the paint.

That
means if you use a metallic or pearlescent colour to monoprint on white
paper, the light background sometimes will make the result appear too subtle.

The
solution to make metallic and pearlescent paint colours truly shine is to make
sure that there is a darker colour in the background.

You
can achieve this by monoprinting a solid colour layer first before moving on to
a metallic colour. But you can also opt to print on a dark or coloured paper!

The
results are stunning, especially when you use stencils, stamps and mark makers
with intricate designs.

I
chose to work with textured vinyl wallpaper samples. You can find these in the
wallpaper section of most home improvement stores.

Look
for samples with a damask, floral or geometric design that have a good even
ratio of raised and flat areas.

First, apply a layer of metallic paint on your Gelli Arts® printing plate. Then cover
it with textured wallpaper samples. Mix
and match several different wallpaper designs for a fun patchwork effect. Here I am using an 8×10″ Gelli Arts® gel printing plate.

Experiment
with different kinds of paper and cardstock. A smooth substrate is best and the
higher the density of the paper, the less it absorbs the paint: this will make
the metallics shine more.

Try
varying the amount of paint on the plate. A small amount that doesn’t cover the
Gelli Arts® Gel Printing Plate evenly creates a beautifully distressed look.

And
lastly, I found that a metallic paint from one brand acts differently than what
seems to be the same hue from another brand. It’s worth trying several brands
to see which result you like best!

Metallic
prints make beautiful backgrounds, but sometimes they don’t need anything else
added. I like to use them to make envelopes, covers for traveller’s notebooks
and I use the cutoffs to create cards.

Print
with gold, silver or bronze on black or dark tissue paper to make your own
super chic gift wrapping paper.

You
can also monoprint directly on the cover of a blank notebook.

Cover
the Gelli Arts® Gel Printing Plate with the metallic or pearlescent paint of
your choice, make marks and then carefully place the closed blank book on the
plate.