I have become a bit obsessed with gelli plate printing recently. I had one in my cupboard from years ago after using one on a course, but never got around to really getting to grips with it.
I joined a number of Facebook groups filled with mono print artists who create the most wonderful work using the gelli plate which encouraged me to give it a try.
It’s both simple, but also requires a lot of trial and error to find the best way of creating consistent prints. The idea is simple, you place a liquid medium (such as acrylic paint) onto the plate using a brayer, create marks into the medium resting on the plate using stencils or found items like leaves or bubble wrap which removes some of the medium from the plate creating a relief, and either continue layering on additional liquid mediums or place your paper on top of the plate, and pull the paper off the plate, to see what you have managed to print.
Sounds simple enough but there are so many elements to consider which will have an affect on what you end up with. Humidity can change the drying time of the paints, the amount of time you leave the paint on the plate prior to a pull, how long you leave the paper on top of the plate before you pull it, the types of acrylic you use on the plate (fast flow, heavy body etc), the opacity of the paint, the thickness of the paint left on the plate and even the type of paper you use to pull the print can change the outcome of the print.
All these things have a big impact on what you end up with, and honestly, I have found it quite the learning experience to realise that it will never quite work out as you expect it might.
I’m not used to working in an abstract way or not having a plan in my mind of what I’m working towards. I certainly started off the process with ideas of what I wanted the outcome to be, but realised pretty early on that I need to let that go, just play freely with colour and pattern, and wait to see what comes of it in the end.
You can’t go wrong with gelli printing, as even pages that don’t quite work, or you don’t like, can be used as a background to print on again or used as collage papers. It’s quite freeing when you let go and enjoy the process.
What I love the most about it all is the textures and vibrancy of the colours. The layering you can achieve is so satisfying.
I have included a few of my prints below.
Comments