Gelli printing art activity

I saw this technique called Gelli printing on the internet and was eager to try it out. Instead of getting the commercial Gelli plate, I tried to make my own permanent gelatin plate. Although many has been successful with theirs, my DIY process has been semi successful. The texture of my gelatin plate did not turn out the way I was expecting it until after I left it to cure for about 2 weeks after the third try.

Excited, I bought a brayer and is ready to have a great time printing out colorful pages. But wait, being a very good Mom, I let lil Joy has her go first on my successful gelatin plate.

It is a fun process, especially when she has to pick out new skills like managing the paints, picking up the large bottles and squeeze them gingerly on the spot she wants.

Most of her prints come out to be brown or black because she loves to mix all the colors and love to have lots of black. During the process, she learnt to use the spray bottle to moisturise her paints.

And tons of concentration while she decides what she needs to do next. I have given her stencils and foams to make designs. It is really fun to see her place the blank sheet of paper and carefully lay it over the plate, then carefully remove it to reveal her artwork.

Drying lots of painted papers will not work on the floor. The last session we had ended in a mess because there is not enough space and the papers fly around. So this time, we made a makeshift clothes line. It adds on to the fun of this activity because lil joy gets to take a break from sitting down to peg her artwork. It is a joy to see lots of printings hanging in my living room.

After the session, I was excited to have a go on the gelli printing but alas, lil Joy broke the gelatin plate and I tried to melt it and set it again. But it did not harden up as well so I redid it and added more gelatin to it. It seems to work slightly better and I tot I will give it more days to cure. Sad to say, when i go back to check it a few days later, it seems to become very soft and part of it are breaking off. I suppose there is only this many times you can remelt the mixture.

I suppose, I just need to get a real Gelli Arts Gel Printing Plate 8X10 Inch for myself but I doubt they are for sale in Singapore and if I want to order from overseas, that will mean alot of shipping cost. Maybe.. I just have to be contented with the DIY gelatin plates for the time being.