Gelli, Gelli, Gelli

Another Gelli Print. This was done by my friend, LaVon Campos, today as we worked together using gelatin printing techniques. We made our own gelli surfaces from Knox brand gelatin and LaVon, although new to the process, was drawn in as much as I have been.

To make the gelatin surface, we got out a glass Pyrex baking pan (9" x 13") and put in 8 boxes of the natural, unflavored gelatin powder. Any brand will do. They are available at your local grocery store near the Jello. Next we added two cups of cold water (we put ice cubes in the water and then poured off the cold water without the ice, the same easy way I make Jello. We stirred this gently and well, trying to minimize bubbling. Next we added the two cups of almost boiling water and again stirred until the mixture was completely dissolved into a thick gel. We let this one set up overnight in the refrigerator so that it would be ready to go in the morning.

I've seen videos online where they took small strips of newspaper to dredge across the surface of the gelatin to remove the bubbles, but lucky for us, we did not need to do that.

With the glass pan of gelatin ready to go, we laid it in a bath of warm water temporarily to help it soften around the edges because we needed to be able to turn the pan upside down for it to drop onto our cookie sheet so that the sides would be available as well. Two tips: we ran a blunt knife edge around the sides of the pan to loosen it and we put a plastic garbage bag over the cookie sheet we were transferring it to. We did try the technique of putting plastic wrap in the Pyrex pan before making the gelatin, but from our experience, it was not as successful. I would forego that part of the process recommended by some. But, hey, if it works for you... We're in low humidity here in Arizona and that may have factored in.

And that is how the "make your own" process works. So far my own efforts to make the surface have been moderately successful, not that expensive, not that difficult, not that messy. Do I still want my own manufactured surface? Absolutely. I do spontaneous, impromptu pieces, on  a whim one might say. If I'm bored, if I have moments of free time, if the mood strikes me. I don't want to wait a day for my surface to chill and set up. I want to pull it out of the drawer and get to work creating. But that's just me... If you,, to, want a gelli plate, it is available at http://www.alteredpages.com/shop/Tools/Gelli-Gel-Printing-Plates.htm.

Circles made from paint bottle caps

For this print, LaVon, our first-timer, grabbed the paint bottle lid and started experimenting with what effects she could achieve. You go, girl! She ran the first print, let it dry temporarily before going back in with a dark teal craft acrylic and whooping it up.

The two white slashes across the piece near the top were created by the gelatin itself as it started to crack. but she simply incorporated that into her design and went on forward. This is one of the drawbacks of making your own surface, but as long as you handle it creatively, it can become a very effective design element.  

This was one of LaVon's early pieces. She used a stamp on the surface to create the diamond effect. By rotating the stamp as she moved across the surface, she was able to create a sense of movement. I think it is perfect. Soft and light, not heavy-handed at all. A soft light touch with the pouncing of the stamp is very effective. Some of the paint colors she used were Tulip magenta, FolkArt school bus yellow, Delta truly teal, and FolkArt kelly green. The inexpensive craft paint you may already have leftover from other projects, or the kinds you can find on sale locally work as well as the more expensive ones you can find at your local art supply. And who doesn't have leftover paint around?  

This color combination is achieved by many soft layers of print on the fabric, creating a multidimensional effect. All this from inexpensive muslin that we purchased from our local craft store at a discount. And as a note, we did prewash our muslin because it was not PFD (Prepared For Dyeing). We paid about $3 a yard and got many, many prints in a couple of hours.

Paintstick Rubbing Plates

This piece features Metallic Blue Sapphire, Metallic Plum and Metallic Emerald Green FolkArt paint on a circular-patterned rubbing plate from www.lauramurraydesigns.com. When finished, this piece as well as all of the others was left to dry overnight and then heat set with a dry iron  (no steam) . A muslin press cloth or "Goddess Sheet" from www.mistyfuse.com was placed on both sides of the fabric and it was thoroughly ironed from the back side first and then from the front side for about 10-15 seconds to set the paint color. Enough heat has to build up to permanently set the paint. The press cloth can help any excess paint that does not absorb into the fabric. As a tip, I usually check the surface for any mini-globs of paint and scrape those off with a palette knife before I go to the iron.


You can see plate cracks on this piece and also the remnants of loose threads that have been painted and then the thread has been removed. If you don't like that effect, be use to check your fabric sheet for stray threads before you begin to work on it. I myself like what it adds.

This abstract piece is very effective with its swishes and swirls just finger-painted on. FolkArt's Kelly Green and Americana's Cadmium Yellow are featured. While you can use all kinds of instruments for painting, sometimes the tools you were born with are the perfect ones to use. You can see more finger painting ideas from Crayola at www.crayola.com/educators/techniques/fingerpaint.cfm. I know, you're saying, "Do we rally need to look up techniques to know how to do something we've been doing all of our lives, but the internet is such a valuable resource, I just can't overlook it. Just google "finger painting" and see what you come up with. You don't even need to search your kitchen, garage, or at closet for utensils, just use the ones you have with you all of the time. 


This piece is delightful as is or could be overprinted if you want more color or movement. The possibilities are endless. And you'll never want to stop.