Gelli Plate Prints -- Overprinting

I can't tell you how excited I am about these gelli plate prints. Boundless energy and excitement! Whoo Hoo!! I have more samples to share with you and these involve overprinting, the process  of painting or stamping or stenciling over the top of images already made. Some may be the result of recycling pieces you weren't so fond of, or pieces that "just need a little extra" or even your favorite pieces you like so much you want to experiment with more. I did have a chemistry set as a child,I think I'm harkening back to those days. I want to play more and more often and with more stuff. Can you relate?

I like to let these pieces just evolve. Here are a few examples...

Sherrill Kahn stamps and a goddess stamp on right

This piece features limes and turquoises added over a piece I did yesterday. It has Sherrill Kahn stamps, I love her work. It can be seen at www.impressmenow.com/. Several years ago I was fortunate enough to take a 5-day workshop with Sherrill in Sedona where i learned many of her techniques. 

Can you see the crack in the plate on the print?

These pieces too have been overprinted to achieve a more abstract effect. Can you see the cracks in the plates? I'll leave it up to you to decide whether that is an effect you like or not. I think it depends on the piece. It doesn't bother me in either of these prints, but it was more obvious in the original piece and I want you to see how it can be camouflaged by working it into the over all design thus making a more successful final piece.

Watercolor wash applied over all

This green piece is one of my personal favorites. The base was a light limey green which I decided needed more definition. I added more circles using cookie cutters and stencils, many different shades and brands of green acrylic paint (whatever I had one hand from the very old craft paint sitting in the drawer to Yellow Green Heavy Body Acrylic by Golden) and topped it off with a watercolor wash of green from my Prang set. It gives a very textural effect. Love it!

Cookie cutter slides

This print was accomplished by using Titanium White Fluid Acrylics by Golden applied with a circle cookie cutter and using a credit card to pick up the paint and slide it down the piece in a dragging fashion. I like the more organic nature of these circles, imperfect and subtle.

This overprint uses a flowery stencil from Crafters Workshop www.thecraftersworkshop.com/. It has a rather striped effect which I find very interesting. I had used a brayer and just ran a streak of teal down the piece.


What kinds of textures and other effects can you obtain using the fabulous "gelli" method? My mind is overflowing with ideas and things I want to try next. And the beauty of this is that it works on paper or fabric, your choice. Either one works beautifully with the gelli printing techniques.