Home-Made Gelli Printing Plate |
Once I made the plate, I left it outside in the cold to set - covered - (which didn't take that long.) Then brought it indoors and left it overnight - (you dont have to leave it this long) but the smell seemed to have disappeared. I patted it with some kitchen paper to remove any excess stickiness. It doesn't need to be stored in the fridge.
I did some research on the You Tube, where there are loads of tutorials, tips and recipes, but this is the recipe I used:
Recipe for DIY Gelli Plate
6 or 7 tablespoons of gelatin powder
dissolved in 1.1/2 cups of cold water
Add
1.1/2 cups of hot water plus
1 cup of Isopropyl (take care with this - use gloves)
Stir well, pour into a rectangular mould - mine is approx. 1/2" deep, leave to set.
(It has a rather nice feel about it once it's set! and is pretty robust)
You can also zap a 'dirty' gelatin plate, very quickly in the micro to dissolve it again, and re-set it. Make sure the mould is flat and doesn't have any bubbles in. When re-dissolving it - you will probably get a lump of the excess paint in the middle of the gelatin liquid. Strain this through some kitchen paper and a sieve to clear it. The amount of gelatin will reduce but it will become clearer/cleaner.
I haven't tried anything too adventurous with it, as yet, but have printed some quick 'backgrounds' using Acrylic Paints rolled directly on to the gelli pad. You can either use a roller for extra pressure, or your hands to rub the back of the paper into the inks.
If you use several different layers of acrylic colour, place your paper* on top, then pressing down quite firmly, little pieces of acrylic paint come off on to the printing paper - this makes a very nice textural effect. You have to work pretty quickly, if not using an extending medium, as the acrylic tends to dry very fast.
* TIP: dampen your paper first - you get a much better print. For speed you can just wipe the paper over with a wet/damp Jcloth - dont use thin paper. However, it is best to soak the paper properly .
New Note: (June 2014)
I have recently bought a small Gelli Plate and have used Golden 'Open' Acrylics - these work beautifully as they are slower drying acrylics and also have a lovely feel to them.
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