Gelli Arts® Gel Printing on Transparencies

printingwithgelliarts

9 years ago

Gelli
Arts® Gel Printing on Transparencies

Happy
2018! It’s Marsha here, and today I’d like to share an exciting way to create
stunning, shiny Gelli® prints!

Have you ever tried Gelli Arts® Gel Printing on transparencies?

It
differs a bit from regular gel printing on paper. Instead of layering
back to front, you have to think about the star of your finished print first
and then add everything you want to appear behind it next.

Think
of it like reverse painting on glass: you apply paint to the transparency, and
you view the image by turning the sheet over. You’re looking at the picture
through the transparency.

Step
1

Place
the transparency on the Gelli Arts® Gel Printing Plate. This will prevent the
transparency from sliding. I’m using the 6”x6” sized plate, and I’ve cut my
transparencies to match that size.

Roll
Jet Black acrylic paint out on a sheet of parchment or palette paper. Dab a
(hand carved) stamp into the paint and stamp the image onto the transparency.
Repeat until you’re happy with the pattern.

Make
sure the acrylic paint doesn’t dry on your stamp. Clean the stamp as soon as
the stamping is done.

Leave
the transparency on the Gelli Arts® Gel Printing Plate. Wait until the stamped
images are completely dry before you proceed to the next step.

Step
2

Choose
a lighter or contrasting colour paint. Make sure the stamped (paint) side of
the transparency is still facing up. Paint over the stamped images.

Wait
until the paint is completely dry before you proceed to the next step.

Step
3

Now
you can start building layers behind the stamped images. You can do this by
either gel printing or stenciling. When you print, the painted
side of the transparency faces down, and when you stencil, you need the painted
side of the transparency to face up.

You
can alternate between printing and stencilling as often as you want. Just make
sure the previous layer is completely dry before adding another one.

Pulling
prints

The
best printing result is achieved by placing the transparency directly over the
paint on the Gelli Arts® Gel Printing Plate. So to pull stencilled images, it’s
best to apply paint to the printing plate through the stencil.

Start
with a clean plate. Place a stencil or mask on top of it. Roll paint out on
parchment or palette paper before applying it through the stencil to the printing
plate.

Remove
the stencil and pull the print (with the glossy side of the transparency facing
you and the side with paint already on it facing the printing plate).

Take
advantage of the fact that you’re printing on a see-through sheet: line up the
transparency and the plate precisely the way you want the paint to print!

Leave
the print to dry.

Ghost
printing

Roll
paint out on the printing plate. Place a stencil or a mask on top of the paint.
Place a sheet of parchment paper (or other thin paper) on top to remove paint
from the plate.

Remove
the stencil from the plate. Remove more paint if needed.

Pull
the ghost print with the transparency (again with the glossy side of the
transparency facing you and the side with paint already on it facing the printing
plate).

Leave
the print to dry.

Stencilling

Place
the transparency with the glossy side down (painted side up) on a clean Gelli
Arts® Gel Printing Plate. This will prevent the transparency from sliding
while stenciling.

Place
a stencil or mask on top of the transparency. Squeeze a drop of paint onto
parchment or palette paper. Dab a cosmetic sponge into the paint. Dab off as
much excess paint as you can. Pounce the sponge up and down to apply the paint
through the stencil onto the transparency.

Step
4

Once
you are happy with the way the layers look, you can apply one last coat of
solid colour to complete the print.

Place
the transparency with the glossy side down (painted side up) on top of a clean
Gelli Arts® Gel Printing Plate. This will prevent the transparency from
sliding.