Project Life and Journalling Cards

This is what I've been playing with this week. I made a whole bunch of cards to fit Project Life folders or just to use for journalling on. They were all printed on my 6" gelli plate and I'm just in the process of adding text to some of them.

Greetings!

Just been playing with my little 6" Gelli plate and a few blank greetings cards. I also added matching borders to the envelopes. The cards were finished off with a bit of stamping and homemade washi tape. Lots of fun!

Playing With Pattern

Following on from my previous post about texture plates, I decided to make a little video about different (mostly recycled/free) stuff that you can use for creating patterns on your gelli plate. I like commercial stencils and stamps but I have to say it's usually much for satisfying to come up with my own 'tools' for pattern making. Have a look and see what you think.

Have you got a favourite tool for printmaking? Do share, I'd love to know!

Hot Work

It's been incredibly hot here for the last three weeks or so, too hot really for printing before the paint dries on the plate, but I have finally got round to doing a little something. In a previous post I mentioned that I'd won a Gelli Arts giveaway and had some boards to make texture plates with as well as a 6" gelli plate. So here are my first attempts.

The top picture shows a plate made with stencils and modelling paste. The band across the top was done with Golden crackle paste which, as you can see, produces a craquelure finish when it dries. The one in the second picture has stencils and modelling paste again with the addition of glass bead medium across the top.

I have to say I had mixed results with these when I used them on the gelli plate. Joan's post here shows some excellent prints using this idea and I was hoping to have something similar to share. However, for whatever reason, I wasn't totally satisfied with my results. The patterns didn't always show up particularly well on paper and that may be to do with the way I constructed the plates - perhaps the modelling paste isn't even enough, or perhaps it was something to do with the heat or my choice of paper, I don't know. I will try again though and report back, and if you fancy having a go yourself I highly recommend the video I linked to above.

Anyhoo, here's a card I did make successfully with the texture plates - gelli printed and collaged!

Good Luck!

Look what arrived today! This is the prize I won in one of the giveaways over on the Gelli Arts blog. I am really looking forward to having a go at making some texture plates to use in my printing and playing with this cute little 6" gelli plate!

Also, check out the lovely card that Joan sent with my goodies. Yes, it's got metallic gold all over it. Heaven!

Gellis Again!

So, I have been finding other things to do with my stash of Gelli prints and one thing I decided to do was add paint and collage to an 'unfinished' print. Follow along with me here as I show you what I did!

Gelli Journal

 

I have been gelli printing a lot this last couple of weeks and decided to go ahead and make my new art journal with a pile of the prints I'd done. I'm really looking forward to working in it too!

Check out the video below if you'd like to have a guided tour of how I created it.

My New Toy!

I finally jumped on the Gelli wagon! I've always loved printmaking so, better late than never, I got myself a Gelli Arts plate and started experimenting with different paints and inks. If you'd like to see the process here's a video:

I have to say, it is great fun to play with and I plan to do lots more trying stuff out on it. The prints I pulled will mostly be used as backgrounds and I'll likely add other elements to them such as stamping, drawing and collage. Might even make them into a small journal when I've got enough!

Home

I cut this little printing block the other day. It reminds me of house quilt blocks which I used to love making and also of how much I'd like to start quilting again, if I can ever get my studio sufficiently organised to have the space for cutting and designing big pieces.

The snippet of text on this card is from a slightly mysterious old letter which I acquired as part of a job lot of vintage ephemera. It is from George Dyson to Miss Rosamund May and seems to be a discussion about booking church arrangements, although from its tone I don't think it's for a wedding. I love old correspondence and papers, there is something oddly touching about connecting fleetingly with the thoughts and concerns of people long gone, the outcome of whose stories we never get to hear.