Gel Printing a Nested Design with the Gelli Arts® Gel Printing Plate

Hi there! Happy 2019! It’s Marsha here today with a fun,
relaxing printing technique for you to try as the New Year begins.

After all the end of the year busyness, entertaining, and
partying, I’m sure we can all use some creative time to relax and focus. That’s
why I was thinking of a mandala when I came up with the idea of a nested
design.

Think of it like completing a jigsaw puzzle. You need to
focus and keep the final result in mind when you want to create a print like
this.

You don’t have to stick to round shapes though! It works
with any shape you can think of, as long as everything fits together like a
jigsaw puzzle.

Step 1:

Take a sheet of paper the same size of the printing paper
you intend to use.

Cut nested shapes. You can sketch a design on your paper
first, or you can cut freehand. Try to keep it simple though. You can always
add details later!

Step 2:

Re-nest all of your shapes and mark them to make it easier
to align them later on.

Step 3:

Use tape to close the paper shapes if needed.

Step 4:

Set up your printing station.

Place the Gelli Arts® gel printing plate of your choice onto
a smooth, flat surface. My paper is 12”x12,” so I’ve chosen to work on the
12”x14” Gelli Arts® gel printing plate.

Choose the paint colors you want to use. I like to limit my
color palette to just 3 or 4 paint colors that mix well together.

You’ll also need an inking palette or a sheet of plastic to
roll out your paint.

Step 5:

Place your paper shapes on your gel printing plate. Start
with the outline shape. Align the bottom and right edges of your paper with the
bottom and right edges of the plate. Now it’s easy to nest the shapes needed
inside.

Step 6:

Cover your brayer with paint and then roll out the color
exactly where you want it on the plate. I used bubble wrap to create texture in that section.