6 Common Gelli Print Mistakes and Some Solutions

I make mistakes, like everybody else. :-) I don't mind that much, as I like most results anyway. Yet, still, I want to improve myself, so I try to do it better the next time.
See some of my solutions in this video and read more about Gelli printing in my article:
clevercreating...

[@evermoreart]

Thank you! You just explained so much in such a short amount of time. Bless you for saving me from having to figure all of this out by myself. It's a mini miracle. ❤

[@HannieMommers]

@evermoreart You're welcome. I am always eager to help :)

[@jessieleggoe455]

I've faced everyone of these issues. Great tips on how to deal with my problem areas.

[@HannieMommers]

Marvellous, Jessie. Glad I could help :)

[@josvanmeel742]

Hee Hanny, ik ga ook weer drukken! Leuk je hier te ontmoeten.

[@HannieMommers]

Ohhh, dat is lang geleden!! Woon je nog steeds in Turkije? Ik woon in Spanje tegenwoordig 🙂

[@cherewharry]

So very helpful and encouraging, too.

[@HannieMommers]

Thank you, that's so nice to hear! 😃

[@alexandralin9768]

Hi, thank you for sharing all these tips.Greetings Alex

[@HannieMommers]

You're welcome. I am glad you can use them. Greetings back, Hannie.

[@towahead]

thanks. I'm new and making lots of mistakes.

[@HannieMommers]

Not to discourage you, on the contrary: even when we are experienced we make mistakes. It's part of the process and a way to discover new things! Good luck and have fun.

[@BunnyLang]

Thanks for this video!

[@HannieMommers]

You're welcome. I am glad it was helpful :)

[@karendigiallonardoballard4851]

Thank you for the great tips!❤

[@HannieMommers]

You're welcome. I am glad to be of help and if you have a tip of your own, please let me know. :)

[@shanesummerkelly-uw5tg]

👌 thank you for this!! Do you ever have problems with too many dried paint layers on your brayer? How do you clean ?

[@HannieMommers]

Hi ShaneSummer, I do 😀 I try to avoid it as much as possible by rolling the brayer on scrap paper every time I have rolled paint on the Gelli plate. Most of the time I can get it clean with a baby wipe, although I do have one brayer that is beyond cleaning. It depends on the material of the brayer as well. The one I use in the video is a semi-soft silicone which cleans very well. Good luck.

[@avanellehansen4525]

I agree with Hannie. brayer off onto scrap or book pages. I also keep a pan of water with a splash of Murphys oil soap nearby. toss stencils, brayers, stamps in for easy clean up later. even the next day.

[@HannieMommers]

@@avanellehansen4525 What's Murphys soap? Is that like 'our' green soap? Thanks for the addition :-)

[@avanellehansen4525]

Murphys Oil Soap is sold as a wood floor cleaner. it breaks down acrylic paint easily.

[@HannieMommers]

@@avanellehansen4525 I'll have a look if they have something like that here in Spain! :-D

[@lotuseater7247]

The biggest problem I found was that the paint would come off or burr up. I put this down to it being too thin, but in fact, it may well be leaving the brayer on the whole time whilst rolling.

[@HannieMommers]

Too thick or too thin paint, and the number of times you move the brayer over it, is a precarious balance. Eventually, you will get a feel for it, but sometimes we need much patience to get there. :) Good luck!

[@lotuseater7247]

@@HannieMommers thanks. Yes it is. I expected it to be ‘easier’ than other forms of monotype processes, but it just has different challenges. That being said, I started with trying to do image transfers before the basics. It seems to be going ok now

[@HannieMommers]

@@lotuseater7247 Great to hear that! Image transfers can be quite tricky as well :) What technique(s) do you use for that?

[@lotuseater7247]

@@HannieMommers I have just been using magazine advertisements. I have limited myself to only using a variety of black acrylics to see if they vary in the results. I understand that laser print can be more reliable, but I only have inkjet. I tried a few ideas, like using a gloss paper, or even wax paper, but the results were ineffective. The magazine results have improved though.

[@HannieMommers]

@@lotuseater7247 I have the same problem, Jason, inkjet and not a laser printer. Some magazines give a good result result and some do absolutely nothing. It probably has to do with the composition of the ink but what part of it, I haven't discovered yet. I used one of my old books with black & white pictures that gave a great result. 😀

[@sax5281]

Grazie per i consigli.😊

[@HannieMommers]

Prego! 🙂 Which one helped you most?

[@kylami2501]

I don't know what I am doing wrong, every time we try lift a second layer with the gel plate, the acrylic stays put and no patterns or anything even show up, I've gotten up to 10 layers with the same results before giving up, what am I doing wrong?

[@HannieMommers]

I can't say what you are doing wrong. I should be next to you to be able to do that. There are a few things you can question yourself. * Do you clean the gelli plate well enough and regularly? * Have you tried to add a thin layer of Gel Medium? * Have you tried a different paper? * Have you experimented with the thickness of the layers? * Are you putting the paper on and off right away or do you wait a couple of minutes with a heavy book on it? I hope one of these questions will give you the answer. Good luck.

[@barbsnyder6512]

ooo, whay is that cool mesh you applied to the pop can, pls?

[@HannieMommers]

Do you mean the piece I have glued on the bottle? That is a part of the stuff they use here in Spain to cover the grapes. When it's torn down by the wind, they just throw it aside, making a mess, of course. I collected some to give it a second use. :)

[@floradiamonds]

What is a gel medium, please?

[@HannieMommers]

Hi Christina, a gel medium is more or less transparent and acts as a kind of glue. I have Liquitex matte medium. A well-stocked hobby store will sell this. I order mine from an online store, Mi Tienda de Arte in Spain. They are part of a chain (including Craftelier) that is located in different countries. Good luck :)

[@floradiamonds]

@@HannieMommers Thank you.

[@avanellehansen4525]

acrylic paint without the color. goes on white, dries clear.

[@floradiamonds]

@@avanellehansen4525 Thank you 😃

[@sushanart]

😇💖🙏🙌

[@HannieMommers]

❤️