October 2021

I don’t know about you, but I watch quite a lot of art videos now that I am retired; but even before that, I used to watch these videos in my spare moments.  There is something about watching an artist at work that I find fascinating and that inspires me to make art too.

Recently, I have been watching YouTube videos about using the Gel Press Plate because I got one for my birthday way back when and really never did anything with it.  I decided to watch the videos and learn how to use the darn plate correctly.  Boy, was it an education.  These plates can absolutely do amazing things if you know what you are doing.

If you Google Gel Plate, you will get a list of over 100 million listings about it.  When you click the video tab, you get a list of over 400,000 separate videos showing how to use the gel plate and new and different ways to use it.  So, with all these videos to watch, I will become an expert soon, right?  Wrong.

The problem with the videos is that the person making it can edit out all the time spent waiting for paint to dry, so it appears to be a quick and easy thing to do.  I have, however, discovered there are many things left out in these videos and what is absent really does make a difference in whether or not your prints turn out and whether or not you like using the gel plate.

A Little History:

The Gelli Press were introduced in June of 2011 and was created by an artist named Joan Bess (who is co-owner of Gelli Press).  She created a way for other artists to make their own monoprints to use in their work without making linocuts or other processes that are either time consuming or incredibly messy.

Frequently Asked Questions:

When someone is considering printing with a gel plate, they may have a few questions about the plate itself as well as about how to use it.  Some questions about the plate itself may be about whether or not it is reusable (yes); if the plate will dry out between uses (no); how long does the plate last (indefinitely if stored properly); and the basic question of how does it work?

How Does it Work?

Basically, the plate is a squishy, semi-soft gelatinous mass that you apply some type of paint, ink, etc. to and then press a piece of paper on top of it to pull a print.  That sounds so simple doesn’t it?

It really is how it works, but the end result will depend on numerous things, like what you use for color, if you make marks in the color, if the paper makes “good” contact with the plate (that means it almost melds with the plate and there are no air bubbles).  Also, the amount of time you leave the paper on the plate plays an important part in what type of print you will pull off.

As I said earlier, that part is not really as clear in some of the videos I watched.  You need to give the paper time for the color substrate to actually transfer to your paper–sometimes it is instantaneous and sometimes it takes a few minutes.  You will know only as you pull your print and see whether all or just part comes off the plate.

Below is a short video from Joan Bess describing the plate and how to use it.

 

What can you do with these?

Gel prints are for a myriad of different things.  You can use your prints to make cards or use them to make homemade wrapping paper or use them in your art journal; and you can use them to make beautiful prints to frame.  Some people use them to make ATCs or print onto fabric; or make gelli printed backgrounds for zines.  There really is no end to the things you can do with the prints you pull off your plate.

What do you need to make prints?

There are very few supplies you need to get started.  First, you need a gel plate and you can get one here if you are ready to start. Next, you need paint or ink and paper.  I frequently use my junk mail for printing.

You usually can use the backs of the papers, or use the front if the printing won’t make you upset.  You can even print on index cards, and envelopes at times and that I seem to enjoy most.

After paint and paper, you may want to get a brayer to help you spread out the paint on the plate and it can help you to make sure the paper is flush on the plate.  You can get a brayer here if you don’t already have one.  That really is about it.

Use any paint to make your prints and I usually use cheap craft acrylic paints when I make my prints because they are easy to get and come in so many colors.  You can get a starter pack here if you really don’t have any lying around your house right now.

 

What They Don’t Show You in the Videos:

Earlier I talked about what gets edited out of the videos.  Time for paint to dry is the most obvious.  This may not sound like a big deal.  But if you put on several layers of paint, waiting for paint to dry can add up.  The last print I made took over 45 minutes to complete due to paint drying times.  For me, that was really a long time to hang out between layers. I discovered that the video host will go do something else while waiting, which is exactly what I did too.

Another thing I was confused about was if I needed to clean the plate and how.  Some videos said to clean the plate with baby wipes and others said they never clean their plate!  So which is it?  I still am not sure, but if a dirty plate bothers you, please clean it with baby wipes.  I hate to put my plate up dirty so  I decided to clean mine at the end of each printing session.

To see all the various techniques you can use, try the videos of Gelli Arts, Carolyn Dube, Brigit Koopsen, or Denise Lush.  If you watch those, you will get more inspiration than you ever will be able to use up.

I hope this information was useful.  Please feel free to let me know in the comments if you have any other questions.  Although I am by no means an expert, I will try to help.