Monday, February 5, 2018

Gelli Arts� Gel Printing with Crayon Resist

Hi there! It�s Marsha here today! I�m excited to share with you a way to add unique personal elements to your Gelli Arts� gel prints using a crayon resist technique!

You can use any greasy crayon you have at hand as long as it isn�t water-soluble. Wax crayons, oil pastels and china markers all work.

The results may vary depending on the type of crayon or even brand. There is no one-stop answer for which one is best because, in the end, it all comes down to personal preference.

So just give it a try with what you have in your stash first. You can always look into other materials later on!

Step 1

Grab some printer paper and a couple of crayons. Go around the house and look for interesting textured surfaces.

Stencils and stamps create beautiful rubbings too, but it�s especially fun to look for objects that you usually would not put in direct contact with paint and your Gelli Arts� Gel Printing Plate!

Place the printer paper on top the textured surface and rub over the paper with the long side of the oil pastel or wax crayon.

Step 2

Place your Gelli Arts� Gel Printing Plate precisely in the middle of a sheet of paper the same size as the paper you want to print on. This will make it easier to line up all of your printed layers!

I�m using the 5� x 7� Gelli Arts� Gel Printing Plate.

Roll a layer of acrylic paint onto the Gelli Arts� Gel Printing Plate with a brayer. Medium to heavy body acrylic paints works best for this technique.

Place one of your crayon rubbings on the painted plate. Rub it to remove paint from the plate around the crayon marks.

Remove the crayon rubbing.

Roll a layer of a different paint colour onto the printing plate. Place a sheet of (drawing) paper on top. Make sure to line it up with the paper underneath the plate.

Rub the paper or use a brayer and pull the print.

Step 3

Take a sheet of printer paper and the crayon of your preference. Doodle or make some marks.

Roll a layer of acrylic paint onto the Gelli Arts� Gel Printing Plate.

Place the doodled paper on the painted plate. Rub it to remove paint from the plate around the crayon marks.

Remove the paper. If you still see some paint where you do not want it, you can quickly wipe it away with a damp cloth or a baby wipe.

Place your previous print on the plate. Make sure to line it up with the paper underneath the plate.

Rub the paper or use a brayer. You can use the back of a spoon to apply extra pressure in specific places.

Pull the print.

Step 4

You may havegathered by now that if you can use crayon doodles to print, you can also pull prints with crayon drawings and writing!

Take a sturdier paper or a sheet of greyboard (thin cardboard from packaging) the same size as the paper you�re using to print on. Draw an image using your favourite crayon.

Make sure you saturate parts of the drawing with crayon and also leave parts completely bare. Remember that the crayon marks will show up in the print and the exposed portions will show the background.

You can even include your handwriting!

You do not have to worry about reversing letters or words. When you use a paper with your normal writing in crayon to remove paint from the Gelli Arts� Gel Printing Plate it will transfer reversed. And then when you pull the print it will automatically be reversed back again.

Long story short: what you write is what you get!

Step 5

Roll a layer of acrylic paint onto the Gelli Arts� Gel Printing Plate. Use a darker, opaque colour if you want your drawing to pop from the background.

Place the greyboard drawing on the painted plate. Rub it to remove paint from the plate around the crayon marks.

Remove the board.

Place your previous print on the plate. Make sure to line it up with the paper underneath the plate.

Rub the paper or use a brayer. You can use the back of a spoon to apply extra pressure in specific places.

Pull the print.

Don�t worry if your print doesn�t come out exactly as you wished.

Because the crayon marks on the greyboard do not absorb the paint, you can wipe the paint off with a damp cloth or a baby wipe.

Leave your greyboard to dry for a bit and then give it another go!

You can print at least two or three times with just one greyboard crayon drawing.

Happy printing with this crayon resist technique!

Materials:

Gelli Arts�:

5" x 7" Gelli Arts� Gel Printing Plate

4" Pop-In Soft Rubber Brayer

Ladder Stencil - 5� x 7�

Other:

Printer paper

Drawing paper

Thin greyboard or cardboard (from packaging)

Wax crayons, oil pastels and china markers

Medium to heavy body acrylic paint (Royal Talens Amsterdam Oxide Black, Persian Rose, Primary Yellow, Quinacridone Rose, Sky Blue Light, Titanium White, Turquoise Blue)