Stamped Bookmarks with Gelli Arts® by Helen O’Hara

Hello
everyone. I’m here today to share with you my favorite Gelli Arts® mono-print
technique – freezer paper masks. You can use any kind of stamps to make these
designs. Rubber stamps work well as do linocuts and potato prints.

I’ve made
my prints into bookmarks but you can use this technique to make colorful
papers for cards, tags, book covers and more.

Watch my video to see the process:

You’ll need
your Gelli Arts® plate and a brayer, your stamps, ink, freezer paper, baking paper and
an iron. I’m using Chromacryl student acrylics in process magenta, cyan, yellow
and white. Thin card works well for bookmarks. You can use any texture tools
like stencils, bubble wrap and combs.

Lay a piece
of freezer paper shiny side down on your table. Place your card onto a clean Gelli Arts® plate. The soft surface will give a good print. Stamp your card. Every
time you stamp the card, make a stamp onto the freezer paper as well. The prints on
the freezer paper don’t need to be perfect, you just need to be able to see the
outline. Cut out all of your freezer paper shapes.

Place your
freezer paper shapes shiny side down on top of your card stamped images. Place
some baking paper on top to protect your iron. Iron the freezer paper shapes.
The shapes will stick to your card and mask the images.

Roll some
paint onto your Gelli Arts® plate and make marks any way you choose. Here, I used a
comb and a cotton tip.

Place the
card image side down onto the paint and pull the print.

It’s easier
if you now let the paint dry. Peel off the freezer paper masks. If they are
tricky to remove then iron them again between baking paper to warm them and
they will pull right off.

You can now
use the card in any way you like! You could cut it into strips and add a ribbon
to make bookmarks. 

The freezer paper masks can be used again and again. No need
to cut more. Once you are finished with the masks it’s nice to use them as
collage elements in your art journal.

Happy printing!

-Helen

Materials
used:

• 8 by 10
  inch Gelli Arts® plate
• Thin Card
• StayzOn ink
  pad
• Butterfly
  stamp
• Freezer
  paper
• Scissors
• Baking
  paper
• Iron
• Acrylics (Chromacryl
  student acrylics in process magenta, cyan, yellow and white)
• Pool cover
  scrap
• Homemade
  junk stamps
• Stancil
• Cotton tip
• Gelli Arts®
  paint comb
• Round foam
  brush