Botanical Printing With The Gelli Arts® Journal Kit by Marsha Valk

printingwithgelliarts

8 months ago

Hi there! Marsha here today, sharing a fun summer activity you can do with clippings or weeds from your garden.

Watch the video below to see how I use tissue paper from the Gelli Arts® Journal Kit to create botanical prints, and in the second part, I will share how I make a tissue paper collage:

Or click here to watch YouTube tutorial : https://youtu.be/g-wkz_XUezI

In the video, I’m using the new Gelli Arts® Journal Kit, which comes with everything you need to start gel printing in a journal. The only additional items you’ll need are acrylic paint and, optionally, matte medium.

This kit is the perfect small art kit to gift someone who wants to start creating in a journal, but doesn’t know where to begin.

It includes a card with a QR code that you can scan to access downloadable instructions and an extensive and exclusive step-by-step video tutorial by me, Marsha Valk.

Tips for successful botanical gel prints:

-Place the Gelli® plate on a smooth and flat surface.
-Forage the garden for clippings or even weeds.
-Be mindful of any water left on the plant matter. Water drops can cause the acrylic paint on the plate to separate. This will result in a loss of detail. However, if you’re after a more distressed look, you may not mind it at all.
-Roll out a thin and even layer of acrylic paint on the gel plate. A thin layer of paint typically results in better, more detailed prints.
-Carefully place some of the plant matter on the wet paint to avoid creating unwanted marks.
-Carefully place (tissue) paper on top, pressing the plant matter down and at the same time making sure all of the paper comes in contact with the exposed paint.
-Paint can sometimes seep through thin papers, such as tissue paper. If needed, use scrap paper to prevent paint from getting on your hands.
-For more detail, place the leaves vein side down on the plate.
-Ensure the tissue paper feels dry before you pull it up. The tissue paper provided in the Gelli Arts® Journal Kit is very sturdy; however, not all tissue paper is the same, and some may tear when still damp.
-Don’t despair if your paint dries too fast to pull a satisfying print. Pick up any dry paint with a new layer of acrylic paint or matte medium.