What is a Gelli Plate and How Does it Work?

 What is a Gelli Plate?

 So, what is a gelli plate? Simply put, it's a flexible gel printing plate that allows you to create all sorts of textures, patterns, and designs with ease. Whether you're interested in making cards, wall art, fabric prints, or something else entirely, a gelli plate can help you bring your vision to life. And the best part? You don't need to spend a fortune on a printing press or master complicated techniques – a gelli plate and some paint is all you need to get started!

How Does a Gelli plate Work?

Using a Gelli plate is really easy and most of all it is fun if you love to create. You can literally spend hours creating design after design. 

 If you are ready to take your art to the next level, I can walk you through a few basic steps to get started. Nothing fancy.

 Step 1: Gather your materials. You'll need a Gelli plate, paint, a brayer, and paper (or other surfaces) to print on. You can also gather other materials such as stencils, stamps, and texture plates to add extra layers to your prints.

Step 2: Squeeze out a small amount of paint onto the Gelli plate. Use a brayer to evenly spread the paint across the surface of the plate.

Step 3: Place a stencil or stamp onto the plate, or use your fingers to create texture and designs in the paint.

Step 4: Lay your paper (or other printing surface) onto the plate, and use the brayer to transfer the paint onto the paper. Carefully lift the paper off the plate to reveal your beautiful print!

Step 5: Repeat the process to create multiple prints, or layer different designs and textures to create even more unique prints.

 Here is a video courtesy of Gelli Arts that show a basic printing technique to create multiple layer prints.

Once you have created some prints and allowed them to dry you can then use those prints in art journals, junk journals, or other paper craft projects.  

This is the plate size I started with. In my research I found it was the size to start with then I could experiment with other sizes. 

 Now go forth and create something amazing!