Gel Printing and Mixed Media Video #3 Printing the Stash Demonstration

This is a demonstration of the way that I print botanicals on the gel plate for use in my mixed media work. I demonstrate how I "ink" the gel plate, choose and place botanicals and then pull between 4 and 6 prints on tissue from the set up.
Once the plate is "inked" using Golden Open Acrylic paint, I place botanicals in an arrangement that is not a composition in itself but will provide me with chunks that I can use in collage. I may stamp into the background with tools I have made such as corrugated cardboard stamps. Then I will pull between 2 and 4 negative prints using Art Spectra white tissue. Once most of the background ink has been removed, I lift the botanical elements and print 2 to 3 positive prints on tissue.
These prints will be shown in more detail in the next video - Demo Results.

[@Jeannine754]

I apologize. I’ve been so enjoying absorbing your work, that I’ve watched three videos without stopping to thank you! I have two gel plates waiting to be unwrapped and put to use, and boy am I ready now! Many many thanks!

[@KitBellArtist]

Enjoy using your gel plates! It has really expanded my options and I love that.

[@valeriesummers3809]

I hope you've started by now! This is so much fun you don't want to wait any longer. :-)

[@Jeannine754]

Thank you, Kit. I just got back from a trip out of town, so I will take your advise very soon! 🙏💜

[@annakatrina448]

Love this! You are such a wonderful teacher, and I love listening to you. It's so great to see your process, and you have sold me on buying the Golden Open acrylics. Very valuable information.

[@KitBellArtist]

You won't regret getting Golden Open acrylics for gel printing! They open up a new range of creative possibilities. Beautifully transparent so great for layering.

[@Hollywoodhat]

Just found you. Lovely prints. Helpful tips and very encouraging words, love your aesthetic ❤❤

[@KitBellArtist]

@@Hollywoodhat Thanks for watching!

[@madridcsr]

Hi Kit, Absolutely love, love your work!!! Great video. Thank you for sharing your methods. ~ Michelle, a hooked subscriber

[@KitBellArtist]

Thank you, Michelle! I have just returned from 6 weeks in Northern Manitoba and made quite a few prints on tissue of the local plants. I am working on a new KZbin series on this process and a series of small work that I am doing with those prints. Hope to share soon!

[@veronicadrillsma738]

Love this way of using the Gelli plate. Such beautiful prints. Thank you for sharing your creative time.

[@KitBellArtist]

Glad you like it!

[@amandavdbergh2210]

This is what I've been looking for!!! So happy that I found your videos! Thank you Kit!

[@KitBellArtist]

Glad you are finding them useful!

[@teresaseabright510]

I really love your prints. I only have a 6 x 6 gel plate but i have tried to do this. I think I should invest in some open paints. I am looking forward to seeing how you make these into a finished product.

[@KitBellArtist]

The open paints are a game changer. Invest in a few of your favorite colours and see how you like them. Enjoy the rest of the video series!

[@jam4441]

Lovely video thank you for sharing. I love your colour combinations and sense of space as you place your botanicals.

[@KitBellArtist]

Thank you! I find I gravitate to certain colours. These botanicals were pretty skimpy! I am looking forward to spring and summer.

[@avanellehansen4525]

Excellent! I've been blocked for too long. This gets me inspired! Thanks.

[@KitBellArtist]

Glad I could help! I love gel printing!

[@411chook]

You are a fab instructor and demonstrator, Kit. Lovely to see you work. Very inspiring. And I can't stress enough how nice it is not to have annoying background music in the video. I recently got my mitts on a nice set of Golden Open and some wet-strength tissue paper, so I'll definitely try some of your techniques.

[@KitBellArtist]

Lucky you! I started with a set of Golden Opens and have built it up. I love it for gel printing. I am going to have to get my hands on some wet strength tissue. I have heard so much about it!

[@anndekhors4160]

Wow kit just love this video, and your technique ❤

[@KitBellArtist]

Thanks for that! I am working on some more techniques to share soon😊

[@janetgoldstein7597]

I am so captivated by the possibilities your methods open up for me!!! I’m on my way to collect botanicals now!

[@KitBellArtist]

Have fun!

[@rebeccagirson1087]

Totally inspired to break out my gel plate again. These are great. Thank you!

[@KitBellArtist]

Awesome! I love to work with the gel plate.

[@hydraxisfrimon9785]

Just gorgeous, composition, colour and textures, made my gelli plate some time ago, you have enthused me to try again! Thank you!

[@KitBellArtist]

thank you for watching! i enjoy the process so much!

[@Bigheartrolling]

Keep everything and keep organized. Good advice! Thank you.

[@KitBellArtist]

One day's trash is another day's treasure! Thanks for watching.

[@sharongiles7222]

Wonderful video, thank you! What you can try with the baby's breath is to use wc spray inks on it.

[@KitBellArtist]

That's a great idea!

[@allthumbs3792]

Beautiful pulls!! I just acquired some wet strength tissue and can't wait to try some botanical prints I have bamboo in my yard. I've not tried the open acrylic but can see the price may pay for itself after the number of pulls you can obtain. Wonderful video!

[@KitBellArtist]

I just ordered some wet strength tissue. I can't wait to try it out! If you are already using artist grade acrylic, the price of the open is not much different. Golden prices them the same as their regular paint. I just love their transparency. I often prefer the second and third pulls where the colour gets more delicate.

[@ginabadeaux9319]

these are so beautiful ,i must get outside and get some greenery and try this ,i have 2 gelli plates ,not any great prints so far ,i want to try magazine transfers, thank you

[@KitBellArtist]

Stuff is just starting to grow here in the Okanagan! Have fun!

[@kascialelonek8757]

Wow what a video! Thiankyou so much for sharing this. Ive subscribed❤

[@KitBellArtist]

Thanks for subbing!

[@Ladysmyth]

Wonderful!

[@KitBellArtist]

Many thanks!

[@BethSchuler]

Love gelly plating playing

[@KitBellArtist]

I love the gel printing part! It is so satisfying somehow.

[@deborahthompson3847]

Thank you!

[@KitBellArtist]

You're welcome!

[@51Shazzy]

Thanks so much for sharing. Love listening and wathcing what you do.

[@KitBellArtist]

You are so welcome!

[@aliciamedina-karras1346]

Vraiment un Bon travail

[@KitBellArtist]

Thank you!

[@marie-claude4518]

The results of your impressions are absolutely beautiful. I wish in your video you showed the color mixes used as in the first impressions you made. How do you mix your acrylics with the gold or silver bases and in what proportion? I subscribed because I have a preference for botanical prints. I adore!

[@KitBellArtist]

Good question! The colours I used in the second roll up are just Transparent Red Iron Oxide, Dioxazine Purple and Sap Green (all Golden Open acrylics). In the last roll up I used those three colours again plus Ultramarine Blue. I didn't use any metallics in this session but the wet paint on the reveals may look shiny because it is wet. I love botanicals too!

[@christinedozier6071]

Gorgeous! And how are you cleaning the plate? Thank you

[@KitBellArtist]

When I change colour scheme I spray the plate with water and wipe the excess paint off with a paper towel. Then I can start fresh. Depending on how much "junk" is left from the botanicals, I will take the plate to the sink and wash with soap and water at the end of the session. I find it easy to clean off the Golden Open acrylics because they don't dry very quickly and are easily reactivated for cleaning with water. The odd time, I might use a lysol-type wipe to get off a stubborn bit.

[@anntralka9749]

I love this video! Many thanks. When it is time to glue a piece of this wet tissue down, how do you minimize the wrinkles? Mine are a mess!

[@KitBellArtist]

I work from one end. I apply matte medium to a 2 inch strip and then lay down the tissue. Then I lift the tissue from the bottom, apply another strip of medium and work that way until it is all attached. There will be some wrinkles but I think that adds to the appearance.

[@sylvielamothe3420]

I saw this video today and 😮 I'm in awe! Everything was so gorgeous... Now I dream to try something similar. Can you please tell me where you bought your 16 X 20 hello plate? I'm Canadian too, but from Québec, and there isn't much choice online, it seems. Thanks 🙏🏼

[@KitBellArtist]

You can order it directly from Gelli Arts. They will ship it to you in Canada. I love the versatility of this plate. I use it to make small prints too.

[@puppydood]

I’m loving this series. Thank you so much for sharing your amazing work. Are you getting multiple pulls due to the thickness of the initial paint layer, or because you are using golden slow drying paint?

[@KitBellArtist]

I am getting multiple pulls because I am using Golden Open acrylics on the plate. I will get from 4 to 6 or 7 pulls depending on how thick the paint is. With my Amsterdam acrylics I would get 2 max and only if I am fast :) I used to think that some of the pulls were "waste", just picking up the background so that I could get to the positive prints. But now I am finding that I am using chunks of negative prints as I build up the structure of the mixed media work.

[@ellenstoune8937]

What a lovely and informative video! Thank you very much for sharing your process. I was particularly taken with how the diox. purple looked with the other colors. I love that color but find I never reach for it. I will certainly try it now. By the way, you mentioned you soaked your twig specimen for a couple of days... was that just in water or did you add glycerin or anything to help soften it?

[@KitBellArtist]

Do try dioxazine purple! I love it on mixtures. That poor twig was a dried out early winter find. It was very 3 dimensional and brittle. So I soaked it in water for a couple of days and then put it under some weight to flatten it. I haven't had much luck with soaking plants in glycerin.

[@cecilialelina6996]

Thank you for this wonderful tutorial. 💖Do you use other kinds of paper other than the white tissue?

[@KitBellArtist]

I love the white tissue for this type of collage where I build up layers. I also use Pacon drawing paper (which is acid-free, etc.). Again, I print it with multiple layers on the gel plate and then use pieces in my collage. I have also gel printed on Dura-lar which is a very interesting surface to work on.

[@deborahthompson3847]

Absolutely wonderful ! What size is this gel plate?

[@KitBellArtist]

This one is 16"x20". I leave it set up so it is easy to use. I started out on an 8x10 which is a very useful size.

[@beatarudecka4914]

Jestem z Polski. dziękuję Ci za pokazanie swoich wydruków. Super. Gdzie ja taką płytkę żelową kupię? gdzie jej szukać?

[@KitBellArtist]

This is the company that sells the gel plates that I use. In Canada we can also get them through Amazon. www.gelliarts.com/

[@beatarudecka4914]

🥰@@KitBellArtist

[@cecilialelina6996]

Very lovely!❤️ How do you clean the rollers?

[@KitBellArtist]

Because I use the Golden Open acrylic, the paint does not dry quickly on the roller. Unless I am changing colours I don't even brayer it off on a piece of paper. When I am finished my session, I clean the roller with soap and water.

[@yasoda2010]

me encanta! solo se puede hacer con esa placa? o puedo utilizar una bandeja de plástico por ejemplo?

[@KitBellArtist]

For this technique you need a gel plate. You can make your own - I haven't tried that myself but Linda Germain has recipes and instructions on her website. I use the Gelli Arts plates.

[@yasoda2010]

@@KitBellArtist thank you

[@wendylund2361]

I’m wondering if you could use golden retarder with Amsterdam paint to achieve the same result as open paint? I don’t have the money to buy more paint. Great video very easy to follow thank you 😊

[@KitBellArtist]

I haven't tried Golden retarder but I do use Golden Open Gel which works really well. I just mix some Open gel into some paint on a palette, then roll that onto the plate. Mixing on a palette prior to rolling also allows you to mix colour more smoothly.

[@wendylund2361]

@@KitBellArtistI’m so tempted to buy some open paints and a larger plate now , maybe a Mother’s Day present 😊 I tried using Amsterdam paints and a 8x10 plate today but couldn’t get your results . I love the rectangular frames and circles you use. What are your favorite open paints that mix well?

[@KitBellArtist]

@@wendylund2361 Many of the Amsterdam paints are opaque so will not give a similar result. Whereas many of the Golden Opens are transparent so they layer nicely. I personally love Transparent Red Iron Oxide, Dioxazine Purple and Paynes Grey. Sap Green, Indian Yellow Hue and Ultramarine Blue are also good. Video #8 shows you how to tell if a Golden colour is transparent or not. But mainly, buy what you like!

[@Pattymelt415]

Hello. What kind of tissue do you use? Thank you❤

[@KitBellArtist]

I live in Canada so I use Art Spectrum Art Tissue in white. It is reasonably strong and goes fairly transparent when collaged onto my surface.

[@Pattymelt415]

@@KitBellArtist thank you for responding. Is it wet strength tissue paper?

[@KitBellArtist]

​@@Pattymelt415it is not. I have ordered some of Carnival's wet strength tissue to try. Art Spectrum is available in North America.

[@Pattymelt415]

@@KitBellArtist thanks again for your response. I will research it. The tissue I'm using is not strong enough for collage but the wet strength paper is too expensive.

[@user-zj4gt2nv4c]

What is the best papers for printing?

[@KitBellArtist]

Good question! It depends on your purpose. I create art which I sell and which I enter in juried shows. I want materials that are acid free and paint that is lightfast. I love printing on tissue so I use Spectra Art tissue. I have just purchased some of the Carnival wet strength tissue to try. Tissue goes fairly transparent when you collage it. For mid weight paper, I use something like Pacon drawing paper. If the print is the final product, I prefer ARCHES hot pressed watercolour paper. Each type of paper prints a bit differently. Try out different papers and see what you like 👍 👌

[@navinhookoom3584]

Thank you for your advice on the type of papers that you recommend. Curious to know if ordinary tracing paper could be as 'good' as the art spectre white tissue. Would highly appreciate a quick response. Thank you!

[@KitBellArtist]

I find that tracing paper wrinkles too much when I collage it