Month: October 2014

We’ve been having a lot of interest in Gelli Plates recently so thought it was about
time we posted a few of our own Gelli Plate experiments for you to have a look at. If you haven’t already heard of Gelli Plates, they’re reusable,
durable printing plates that allow you to mono-print without a press. Intrigued? Read on…

These plates feel and work like gelatin plates but there is no gelatin or any animal products in the plates. Hooray! With good care, they will last years
and can be kept at room temperature.

There are loads of ways to use Gelli Plates to make prints. Here is one way we used our 8″x10″ plate to make a print.

Peel off the plastic layer from the Gelli Plate and lay it flat on a wipe-able surface. Squeeze a little acrylic paint onto the plate. We used System 3 acrylic paint which worked very well as it didn’t dry out quickly. Use a roller to spread out the paint evenly all over the plate. You really don’t need to use much paint here – a thin layer is better
than a thick one.

At this stage you can draw into, press into or paint into the paint. You can use anything to do this as long as it won’t scratch or damage the surface.
Scrapers, stampers or the ends of paint brushes work very well for this. Place your paper on top of the plate and press all over with the flat of your hand.

Peel the paper off to reveal the first layer of your print.

If there is paint left on the plate you can use a sheet of scrap paper to pull it off in the same way as you take a print. For our next layer we rolled
out pink.

We then used a piece of bubble wrap that we had inked up with red acrylic paint. We used this bubble wrap to stamp onto the plate on top of the pink…

…and then placed this little paper bear on top to act as a mask.

When the print was taken, the mask left this little bear in the brown from our last layer.

We felt he needed a little detail so rolled out a darker brown and used the bear mask and the negative cut out of the bear to print some darker lines.

We tried to get our bear down in the same place but ended up with a slightly mis-registered print. We’re still quite fond of him though.

We tried lots of other techniques with our Gelli Plate too, such as drawing into the paint with the end of a paintbrush, graduating the paint in stripes
on the plate, and overlaying lots of different textures on top of one another. Working with Gelli Plates is really addictive! Here are some photos
from more of our experiments:

We even printed some Christmas present tags using our Gelli plate textured with bubble wrap!

We used a 8″x10″ Gelli Plate, but they’re also available in 3″x5″, 6″x6″, 5″x7″, 8″x10″ and 12″x14″! You can find them all here.

We also now have a starter kit that we have put together you can find that here.

You will also need:

• A roller
• Various tools such as these scrapers and these stampers to create textures
• Scraps of materials such as bubble wrap, sequin off-cuts and lace
• Paper stencils and masks cut out with scissors or a craft knife
• Acrylic paint
• Papers to print on

There are lots of books out there on Gelli Plate Printing – This one has to be one of our favourites: Gelli Plate Printing: Mixed-Media Monoprinting Without a Press by Joan Bess.
This book is the ultimate guide. Joan Bess is one of the founders of Gelli Arts who designed the Gelli Plate. The book contains lots of step by step projects,
on how to use your Gelli Plate in numerous ways plus a great section focusing on Artists working with Gelli Plates. Loads of pictures – really inspiring.

We’ve been having a lot of interest in Gelli Plates recently so thought it was about
time we posted a few of our own Gelli Plate experiments for you to have a look at. If you haven’t already heard of Gelli Plates, they’re reusable,
durable printing plates that allow you to mono-print without a press. Intrigued? Read on…

These plates feel and work like gelatin plates but there is no gelatin or any animal products in the plates. Hooray! With good care, they will last years
and can be kept at room temperature.

There are loads of ways to use Gelli Plates to make prints. Here is one way we used our 8″x10″ plate to make a print.

Peel off the plastic layer from the Gelli Plate and lay it flat on a wipe-able surface. Squeeze a little acrylic paint onto the plate. We used System 3 acrylic paint which worked very well as it didn’t dry out quickly. Use a roller to spread out the paint evenly all over the plate. You really don’t need to use much paint here – a thin layer is better
than a thick one.

At this stage you can draw into, press into or paint into the paint. You can use anything to do this as long as it won’t scratch or damage the surface.
Scrapers, stampers or the ends of paint brushes work very well for this. Place your paper on top of the plate and press all over with the flat of your hand.

Peel the paper off to reveal the first layer of your print.

If there is paint left on the plate you can use a sheet of scrap paper to pull it off in the same way as you take a print. For our next layer we rolled
out pink.

We then used a piece of bubble wrap that we had inked up with red acrylic paint. We used this bubble wrap to stamp onto the plate on top of the pink…

…and then placed this little paper bear on top to act as a mask.

When the print was taken, the mask left this little bear in the brown from our last layer.

We felt he needed a little detail so rolled out a darker brown and used the bear mask and the negative cut out of the bear to print some darker lines.

We tried to get our bear down in the same place but ended up with a slightly mis-registered print. We’re still quite fond of him though.

We tried lots of other techniques with our Gelli Plate too, such as drawing into the paint with the end of a paintbrush, graduating the paint in stripes
on the plate, and overlaying lots of different textures on top of one another. Working with Gelli Plates is really addictive! Here are some photos
from more of our experiments:

We even printed some Christmas present tags using our Gelli plate textured with bubble wrap!

We used a 8″x10″ Gelli Plate, but they’re also available in 3″x5″, 6″x6″, 5″x7″, 8″x10″ and 12″x14″! You can find them all here.

We also now have a starter kit that we have put together you can find that here.

You will also need:

• A roller
• Various tools such as these scrapers and these stampers to create textures
• Scraps of materials such as bubble wrap, sequin off-cuts and lace
• Paper stencils and masks cut out with scissors or a craft knife
• Acrylic paint
• Papers to print on

There are lots of books out there on Gelli Plate Printing – This one has to be one of our favourites: Gelli Plate Printing: Mixed-Media Monoprinting Without a Press by Joan Bess.
This book is the ultimate guide. Joan Bess is one of the founders of Gelli Arts who designed the Gelli Plate. The book contains lots of step by step projects,
on how to use your Gelli Plate in numerous ways plus a great section focusing on Artists working with Gelli Plates. Loads of pictures – really inspiring.

As Halloween fast approaches, it’s time to get those costumes ready. We think it’s a perfect opportunity to try out Speedball Night Glo Fabric Screen Printing Ink! Print glow in the dark Halloween messages, pictures, or even your kids’ spooky drawings onto their own costume.

We’ve chosen to print a skeleton and here’s how we did it:

Start by drawing your design onto copy paper, making sure that it fits onto the surface of the top. We’re using a dark green school jersey – this project is perfect for up-cycling your kids’ old worn out ones.

When you’re happy with your design, cut it out using a craft knife or scalpel. Remember that the cut out areas are the parts that will print.

We also made an arm-bones stencil for the sleeves of our top on a separate sheet of paper.

Place a piece of newspaper inside your garment, just in case any ink goes through to the other side. Lay it flat on a slightly padded surface. Place your stencil where you would like your design to be printed.

Use parcel tape to tape up the edges of your screen on the front and the back of the mesh. Place the screen on top of the stencil. Make sure there are no gaps around the edges of your stencil. If there are, add more more tape to the screen to fill the gaps.

Spoon a line of Night Glo ink along the top of the screen.

Use your squeegee at a 45 degree angle to gently drag the ink down the screen. This floods the mesh with a thin, even layer of ink.

When you reach the bottom, scrape any excess ink off the squeegee. Bring the squeegee back to the top and pull it down the screen, again at a 45 degree angle, pressing firmly this time. The Night Glo ink is pretty thick so will require a quite a lot of pressure to get through the mesh. You may want to get someone to hold the screen still as you might need to use both hands on the squeegee. If you are printing with your kids, you might have to help them push hard enough on this bit.

Carefully remove the screen to reveal your print! Peel off the stencil and wash the ink out of the mesh straight away.

When your screen is dry, repeat the process with any additional stencils. We used our arm-bone stencil on each sleeve. Don’t forget to wash your screen right away or the ink will dry and ruin the mesh.

Our finished skeleton top!

For this project you will need:

• Garment to print on (we used a dark green school jersey)
• Pencil or pen
• Craft knife or scalpel
• Cutting mat
• Screen with 43T mesh
• Parcel tape
• Squeegee
• Padded surface
• Speedball Night Glo Fabric Ink
• Spoon or spatula

As Halloween fast approaches, it’s time to get those costumes ready. We think it’s a perfect opportunity to try out Speedball Night Glo fabric ink! Print
glow in the dark Halloween messages, pictures, or even your kids’ spooky drawings onto their own costume. That will keep ’em busy this half term.

We’ve chosen to print a skeleton and here’s how we did it:

Start by drawing your design onto copy paper, making sure that it fits onto the surface of the top. We’re using a dark green school jersey – this project
is perfect for up-cycling your kids’ old worn out ones. The tattier the better!

When you’re happy with your design, cut it out using a craft knife or scalpel.

We also made an arm-bones stencil for the sleeves of our top on a separate sheet of paper.

Place a piece of newspaper inside your garment, just in case any ink goes through to the other side. Lay it flat on a slightly padded surface if you have
one. Place your stencil where you would like your design to be printed.

Tape up the edges of your screen on the front and the back of the mesh. Place the screen on top of the stencil. Make sure there are no gaps around the
edges of your stencil. If there are, add more more tape to the screen to fill the gaps.

Spoon a line of Night Glo ink along the top of the screen.

Use your squeegee at a 45 degree angle to drag the ink down the screen. This coats the mesh in a thin, even layer of ink.

Scrape any excess ink off the squeegee. Bring the squeegee back to the top and pull it down the screen, again at a 45 degree angle. The night glo ink is
pretty thick so will require a quite a lot of pressure to get through the mesh. You may want to get someone to hold the screen still as you will need
to use both hands on the squeegee. If you are printing with your kids, you might have to help them push hard enough on this bit.

Carefully remove the screen to reveal your print! Peel off the stencil and wash the ink out of the mesh straight away.

When your screen is dry, repeat the process with any additional stencils. We used our arm-bone stencil on each sleeve. Don’t forget to wash your screen
right away or the ink will dry and ruin the mesh.

Our finished skeleton top!

If you would like to have a go yourself (of course you do) you will need:

• Garment to print on (we used a dark green school jersey)
• Pencil or pen
• Craft knife or scalpel
• Cutting mat
• Screen with 43T mesh
• Parcel tape
• Squeegee
• Speedball Night Glo Fabric Ink

It can be difficult to find the right inks for block printing onto fabric, especially if you haven’t got a few days to wait for it to dry. We have loved screen printing with Permaset Aqua Textile Inks, so we wanted to try block printing with them too!

You will need:

• Permaset Aqua Textile Ink
• SpeedyCarve
• Lino cutters
• Craft knife or scalpel
• Soft pencil, permanent pen and paper
• Inking tray or sheet of glass or perspex
• Ink spatula
• Piece of think felt or similar thick fabric slightly larger than your block. We used a heavy cotton wadding. You could also use a piece of foam.
• Tea towels or other fabric items to print
• Table salt

Start by making your blocks. We embraced the autumn and created a pretty two layer pine cone print! We drew around our template and cut the shape out of SpeedyCarve.

Carving around the edge of the shape with a thin lino tool first made it easier to follow the line with a scalpel.

We made two of these identical blocks for our two layer print.

Transfer the design for your second block onto the second piece of SpeedyCarve. We used the classic soft-pencil-scribble-drawing-on-the-back method seen here:

After the image was transferred, we used a permanent pen to make the lines more prominent before carving our block using a lino cutter.

Scoop out a small amount of Permaset Aqua onto you inking tray or sheet of glass. These inks are inter-mixable so create whatever colour takes your fancy! We used Mid Green mixed with Standard White.

Now for the clever bit: when you’re happy with your colour, sprinkle a few grains of table salt into the ink. As you mix it in, the ink should start to loosen up into a runnier consistency. Please only add a few grains at a time, not a liberal sprinkling as if you were trying to save a bland soup – you can always add more but you cannot take it away, as everyone’s mother once said.

This clever trick from Jezze Prints (who makes all kinds of beautiful things), creates an ink that coats the block in a lovely thin layer of ink without diluting the colour or affecting the colourfastness of the print. Nifty huh?

When you are happy with the consistency, which should be loose but not drippy, lay on your piece of felt or thick fabric. As you press the block onto the fabric a few times, the ink should begin to come through, and lo and behold, you’ve made a stamp pad.

You are now ready to print. Load up the block with a layer of ink and press it onto your fabric with the flat of your hand. We folded up the bottom of the tea towel to act as a guide to printing in a straight line.

Continue to load up the stamp and print in this way…

…until you have printed over the whole surface.

While this first layer dries, use the same method as above to mix up the ink for your second layer. We mixed Mid Green, with tiny amounts of Standard White, Black and Orange R to make this grungy darker green. Use a fresh piece of felt, or if you only have one piece, ring as much of the previous colour ink out. Don’t wash the piece of felt out at this stage or the water in the fabric will mix with the ink making it too runny. Press in your new stamp a few times, until only the new colour comes through.

Repeat the process as before. As the two stamps are the same shape, it should be easy to register the two layers.

When the second layer is finished, wash the ink off your stamp to use another day! When the prints are dry, iron the fabric on the reverse to set the ink.

Our finished tea towel!

It can be difficult to find the right inks for block printing onto fabric, especially if you haven’t got a few days to wait for it to dry. We have loved screen printing with Permaset Aqua Textile Inks, so we wanted to try block printing with them too!

You will need:

• Permaset Aqua Textile Ink
• SpeedyCarve
• Lino cutters
• Craft knife or scalpel
• Soft pencil, permanent pen and paper
• Inking tray or sheet of glass or perspex
• Ink spatula
• Piece of think felt or similar thick fabric slightly larger than your block. We used a heavy cotton wadding. You could also use a piece of foam.
• Tea towels or other fabric items to print
• Table salt

Start by making your blocks. We embraced the autumn and created a pretty two layer pine cone print! We drew around our template and cut the shape out of SpeedyCarve.

Carving around the edge of the shape with a thin lino tool first made it easier to follow the line with a scalpel.

We made two of these identical blocks for our two layer print.

Transfer the design for your second block onto the second piece of SpeedyCarve. We used the classic soft-pencil-scribble-drawing-on-the-back method seen here:

After the image was transferred, we used a permanent pen to make the lines more prominent before carving our block using a lino cutter.

Scoop out a small amount of Permaset Aqua onto you inking tray or sheet of glass. These inks are inter-mixable so create whatever colour takes your fancy! We used Mid Green mixed with Standard White.

Now for the clever bit: when you’re happy with your colour, sprinkle a few grains of table salt into the ink. As you mix it in, the ink should start to loosen up into a runnier consistency. Please only add a few grains at a time, not a liberal sprinkling as if you were trying to save a bland soup – you can always add more but you cannot take it away, as everyone’s mother once said.

This clever trick from Jezze Prints (who makes all kinds of beautiful things), creates an ink that coats the block in a lovely thin layer of ink without diluting the colour or affecting the colourfastness of the print. Nifty huh?

When you are happy with the consistency, which should be loose but not drippy, lay on your piece of felt or thick fabric. As you press the block onto the fabric a few times, the ink should begin to come through, and lo and behold, you’ve made a stamp pad.

You are now ready to print. Load up the block with a layer of ink and press it onto your fabric with the flat of your hand. We folded up the bottom of the tea towel to act as a guide to printing in a straight line.

Continue to load up the stamp and print in this way…

…until you have printed over the whole surface.

While this first layer dries, use the same method as above to mix up the ink for your second layer. We mixed Mid Green, with tiny amounts of Standard White, Black and Orange R to make this grungy darker green. Use a fresh piece of felt, or if you only have one piece, ring as much of the previous colour ink out. Don’t wash the piece of felt out at this stage or the water in the fabric will mix with the ink making it too runny. Press in your new stamp a few times, until only the new colour comes through.

Repeat the process as before. As the two stamps are the same shape, it should be easy to register the two layers.

When the second layer is finished, wash the ink off your stamp to use another day! When the prints are dry, iron the fabric on the reverse to set the ink.

Our finished tea towel!