Homemade Gelatin Plate and Gelli Plate Comparison with SURPRISING RESULTS!

I made my homemade gelatin plate from simple household ingredients and compared it with my Gelli Arts Gelli Plate. This video compares the two plates in real-time, with surprising results!
Watch until the end to determine whether it's worth making your own gelatin plate instead of buying a commercial plate.
My recipe for a DIY gelatin plate:
8 x 10 clear box frame for the mold
2 oz unflavored gelatin powder
12 oz glycerine
1 cup hot water
Microwave oven
Directions:
Use a microwave-safe measuring cup to heat 1/2 c of the water until almost boiling.
Empty the glycerine packets, and stir them into a large bowl. Add the hot water into the mixture stirring slowly to dissolve the glycerine. Be sure to break up all the large lumps so the glycerine can dissolve as much as possible.
Pour mixture into your mold and let sit for several hours. If it is lumpy, and not smooth enough, cut up the formed gelatine into pieces, and place it in a glass bowl to heat in the microwave until melted. Re-pour into the mold. You can do this several times until your plate is clear and smooth.
Store the plate on a piece of glass, masonite, or lucite, and cover it with a clean sheet of smooth plastic. The finished gelatine plate is much more fragile than the commercially made one so handle with care. Enjoy!
Supplies I used in this comparison:
Gelli Arts 8 x 10 Gelli plate
DIY 8 x 10 gelatin plate
Acrylic paints
Mark making tools
PURE origami paper
Rubber brayer
Instagram: @karenelainecreative
Pinterest:karenelainecreative
Website: karenelaine.com

[@nadinemercader3209]

Your video was excellent! I particularly liked that you did not add music in the background since that just seems to be annoying. Your voice is well modulated which made a pleasure to listen to. I own 5 commercial gel plates and I just made a 9” circular plate. I have remelted mine 2 times because it tore on the first time and then the plastic (an old x ray) delaminated the top. I have watched numerous “how to make a gel plate” videos and I finally found Claire Passmore (New Zealander) and she takes a very scientific approach and I learned from her that adding salt (2 tsp in a medium recipe) increases the PH and therefore the strength of the plate. I am subscribing to your channel because I really liked your logical comparison approach.

[@KarenElaine]

Thank you Nadine, I am glad you enjoyed the video!

[@paulisaez]

Can you please give me the link of this Lady. I've done and remelt a few but st the end it seems that the gel plate loose it texture and it doesn't print as I wanted to. Thank you so much

[@maria-giulianalatini1724]

I think the DYI is better BUT i do believe you're transferring color from left to right when you use the same plastic bubble pattern without cleaning it or turning it. This may be compromising the results on the Gelli.

[@KarenElaine]

You have a good point there! I did notice many differences between the two, and I personally LOVE my Gelli plates and will stick with using them because the DIY version is a little flimsy and a bit sticky. The stickiness is what makes it accept the paints differently.

[@maria-giulianalatini1724]

@@KarenElaine I adore my homemade gel plate. I can't afford the large Gelli, like mine is, but maybe one day...

[@victoriaeichler6596]

I agree using the rubbing plate o th home made first each time was effecting the gelli plate. I would love to see you start with gelli first and see if there is a difference.

[@janicem4382]

I think you are correct about the commercial geli plate being muddied by the transfer from the homemade plate.

[@aprillej1]

I was thinking the same thing as I watched. Paint transferring from the homemade plate to the Gelli Plate is compromising the test.

[@cathyrazor678]

Karen, thanks for showing all that as I made my first DIY gelli plates and wondered about the cleaning process and would it disintegrate or not. I would like to say that the first gelli plate turned out too juicy. I cut it up and microwaved it for a minute at high and then poured again. The juicyness was goine and it was firmer. In the future, I will microwave for about one minute after mixing the gelatin, glycerine, and water. I also used some cookie cutters to make a variety of shapes which will come in handy. These DIY gelli plates are fantastic. Don't know why I waited so long to give it a try. Thank you, once again!

[@maureensmith4993]

I have been using my home made gelli plate for 3 years, and just re breed it in the microwave and it looks perfect again. Thanks for your great video.

[@bbquiltartist11]

If I didn’t already have several Gelli plates I would definitely want to make my own. The results are impressive.

[@CMason-yr9ks]

I'm blown away at the prints on the gelli plate you made. the depth is amazing. 💜

[@Miketz]

Any commercially manufactured product has to weigh durability with functionality and everything is a trade-off. Thanks for taking the time to do this comparison, I'll definitely be exploring the home-made route option and it looks to me like there is room for both plates in a studio as each behaves slightly differently - a softer/tackier one for one style, and a firmer more robust one for another.

[@alescographiks]

Enjoyed seeing the comparison, thank you. For economical reasons, I have always used a homemade plate. It is made with glycerin, gelatin and water, with a small amt of sugar added to keep it from getting mold-no alcohol necessary. I've had it for about two years so far and it is just a little flimsy, but holds up fine.It is a bit pitted by now though, but as you pointed out you can re melt them. Also by accident I found that if I put it on top of a canvas when I'm not using it, it comes off nicely without sticking to it.I do live in a humi Now when I used certain handmade papers with it, the fibers tend to stick to it, I don't know if that's the case with commercial plates. I usually use rice, tissue, computer paper or card stock..I used a large glass baking dish to mold it. I plan on making an even bigger one at some point with a baking sheet..

[@staceybobbitt7927]

Can you share your homemade plate recipe?💜

[@PaulaBrett]

@@staceybobbitt7927did you ever get the recipe?

[@traceyallen8286]

I've just melted my homemade gelli plate. A tip I saw online (don't remember where sorry) is if there's any residual paint on the plate, just strain it through a sieve as you pour it into the mould. Works a treat.

[@pamnoble4884]

Thank you for sharing this comparison! Like you, I was surprised to see the DIY plate performing so well. I've been using a DIY plate to explore the technique before deciding if I want to buy a professionally made plate. Image transfers have been difficult and inconsistent with the DIY plate, and I was beginning to think it was because of the plate I'm using. (I do more than image transfers, but after pulling my hair out too many times, I started to wonder if the plate was to blame.) After seeing your results, though, I feel really happy about the quality of my gel plate and think that buying a professionally made plate would be an additional plate for my toolkit, not a replacement. Very enlightening! Thanks again!

[@Deborah-ut3ud]

Thanks for taking the time to compare the two different plates. Very interesting and helpful. Liked that there was no music, too. I love music, but find so many videos play it much louder than the artist speaks making for difficulty catching all the instructions or annoyance at having to constantly adjust the volume back and forth to avoid a headache. Thank you.😊

[@thestikke142]

Thank you! This was a really good comparison video, the best one I've seen actually and I have been watching so many DIY gelli plate videos!! Thanks to your video I feel a lot more confident about making my own plate :)

[@marschantescorcio1778]

Very informative and engaging thank you! Just to echo what others have said regarding paint transferring with your stencils but overall I'm very impressed by the home made plate. I recently purchased my first plate (a Speedball) and will be asking for a refund due to it not working with acrylic but rather screening ink. Now the challenge as a South African is finding any other brand here. They're simply not available locally which is incredibly frustrating. So my diy project for the weekend will be making my own. Wish me luck!

[@kcbirder]

I know this is not a super-recent video, but some of us are just discovering gel printing! First of all, thank you for the suggestion of using the plex frames as forms! That was worth the price of admission. ;-) I'll be on the lookout for those. I also loved the look of the rubbing textures. As a polymer clay artist, I've looked at those for textures, and I do like the fabric printed with them, but have never invested in any. I love the layered metallic/interference paints with them. You mentioned that you can melt down your homemade plates. You can also add more gelatin to make them firmer. Just moisten your powdered gelatin thoroughly with water before combining it with your chunks and melt it all down! Spritzing the top of your poured plate with alcohol will get rid of most surface foam/bubbles. I made my own plates using 1 part glycerin, one part rubbing alcohol and two parts water, and for each cup of total liquid, 3 1/2 tablespoons of dry gelatin powder. I bought canisters of Knox on Amazon so I could measure by the tablespoon. My first plates I attempted were too delicate..they broke like Jello you would eat...so I just added more gelatin! And since I love doing botanical prints, if I damage them with a twig, I can just reform them.

[@suebarnett-naturegazing]

Excellent 🙂

[@doninis1354]

To prevant the gelli plate from indense I store mine between two glass peaces, like from a picturframe and if it gets to dry or to used I just heat it up and make it new. My plate I do have and use since two years now.

[@kcbirder]

Putting gel plates in between glass pieces to store it will CAUSE indentations, because you will inevitably trap some air bubbles and they will mar the surface. Storing them with glass on the bottom and a sheet of clean printer paper on the top will prevent the bubbles from ruining your plate.

[@G.G.8GG]

I made a big batch of the homemade solution which yielded several sizes and shapes, giving versatility of use. Since I live in a humid climate I added extra alcohol and over a year later I still have no mold. However I notice the homemade ones get nicks and tears much more easily so I also now have the commercial one.

[@allthumbs3792]

I also added alcohol to my DIY plates, they had really strong odor. I kept them clean and covered but all developed mold within a month! Terrible waste of money/materials. Commercial plates have lasted 3+ years and counting. Well worth the investment!

[@G.G.8GG]

@@allthumbs3792 So sorry that happened to you. The DIY ones were great for me getting started and still usable but the commercial ones take the wear a lot better.

[@kydally]

The receipe doesn't make sense to me. Can you please clarify when you add the glycerine and the gelatin?

[@theodorabadra5]

Yes it says half cup of water than it says again half cup of water 😮 in the ingredients it states half cup of water once

[@donnawinberg5667]

thank you for a great video. This is perfect for someone like me who wants to try gel printing without making a big investment in materials. Your comparison was very helpful! I see that someone mentioned adding 2 t salt to the recipe to make a more resilient gel. Has anyone else tried that?

[@sharronchurch6740]

I love how the homemade ones turned out!!! Good job.

[@valkiehaider4544]

Love the homemade effects…❤🕊️🕊️

[@Cyrilmc222004]

Thank you so much Karen, that was really really interesting indeed. I really really love ❤️ the print’s you’ve got here. But, I really think you got better results from your homemade plate. And I have a large plate (commercial) one. I really really love ❤️ it but the print’s were far better on your plate. Please stay safe and well too xxx Mags

[@jeanieferretti4203]

That’s all I have is the one I made years ago but I need a bigger one 😂 love the demonstration of the two ❤ Thank you ❤

[@sherryleggett1612]

Wow, I just ordered three big gelli plates. I wish I had seen this first. I haven’t even received the commercial one yet. I have several I made myself. I could have saved a lot of money.

[@RainDropps]

I like the outcome on your homemade plate.

[@lindsaysurdukan5244]

Thanks for this video but your directions need to be more clear please regarding the recipe. Where does the other half cup of water go? Thanks!!

[@MaLiArtworks186]

I love yours better! Maybe you need to start making these. I am going to make my own and use your recipe. Thanks so much! 💙

[@rachelbunt2188]

Your homemade Gelli is awesome !

[@Blessed_Bread_Enough_Said]

Thank you for making this video. I am new to this gelli plate printing. I was wondering where to start. And thanks for posting the recipe so I can make mine! Loved your comparison and results! 👍😁

[@KarenElaine]

You are so welcome!

[@diydecormorewithdeniselynn3676]

Where did you get the black texture plaques?

[@Urbanmoon]

WOW! This is amazing. Gorgeous results with the DIY! Thanks for sharing.

[@irinaplace3033]

Thank you--a good scientific test!

[@amandabartlett309]

So enjoyed this. Thanks very much! On a funny aside, I was watching it at double speed, and you sound just like Geena Davis from the accidental tourist. I have now subscribed to you.

[@KarenElaine]

Wow, thank you!

[@Rosalia-le7xv]

Gracias Karen 💐

[@jeanescharms2163]

Thank you for this video! I am going to make some minis and this will be perfect!

[@desotopete]

I wonder if changing the home made plate recipe could make it firmer. Less water. More geletin etc.

[@jojojo8835]

Cool! I might experiment making mini plates I think, uses less gelatine- plenty of scope for odd and interesting shapes which aren’t going to be available commercially.

[@heksedansd.2919]

Interesting!👍 Thank you!🙂

[@MoniqueAO888]

Thank's for sharing this informative video !!! 🙂

[@AWSRWS72]

Thank you for your video ... very helpful 😊

[@63artemisia63]

I’m sure somebody has probably commented by now that you’re using way too much paint on your homemade plate and too many colors. (The more colors, the muddier the prints get.) Nevertheless, thank you for this demo! I’m making a plate asap 👏👏👏👏

[@astorybookfinish5055]

Very interesting

[@jaybee4118]

I think the success or failure of the print and the impression used was more about which plate you put the paint on first. I think it was consistent that the one you did first you got a worse print from, especially when you then reversed the order from paint first and then did the impression on that one second. Hopefully that makes sense. I think they’re probably a lot closer in performance than it might appear here, but doing side by side tests like this are hard with such fast drying paints!

[@_H_2023]

I'm surprised the gelatine set with so much glycerine.

[@susane945]

Interesting!! ❤

[@63artemisia63]

Where can I find the texture plates? They’re great!

[@glynissweeney]

Hi, great video for those of us that can not afford the expensive extra large gelli plates. Just a question to confirm form the UK - Does '1 c. hot water' mean '1 cup of hot water'? I have never seen that abbreviation before and only ever use metric/imperial measurements in the kitchen. I don't want to buy all the ingredients, guess it means that, mess it up and waste money, thanks 😊

[@KarenElaine]

Yes, it is 1 cup of hot water. I made the correction in the description. Thanks for catching that!

[@desertgirl1392]

You have such a nice voice

[@paulisaez]

Thank you for this very good video. I was wondering if spending money in this gel plate. Love the printing. Thank you so much for sharing t g e recepie. How long your home made geli plate is good to print?.

[@tedmount331]

Excellent video....how can I get the recipe for making the plates? I saw two packages of gelatin and a half cup of water?.....how much glycerin?

[@JanaLubo]

Hi, great tutorial. May I ask where you got your texture plates?

[@vel0811]

I got mine from amazon.

[@susanb4816]

The gelli plate is air cured Let your diy sit for at least a week flipping once a day ( depends on humidity)

[@CynthiaTrombley-jz9dh]

Lovely demo but I don't believe you touched on how to store the homemade gel plate. Does it require refrigeration? And does it have a shelf life?

[@KarenElaine]

It doesn't require refrigeration and I am not sure of the shelf life,. I hope this helps!

[@emmawild2808]

Has anyone made a plate without microwave - I don't have one so wondered if you could use an oven?

[@leslieherger2703]

it's harder but you can heat it up on a stove top, not the oven though. that will be too slow. I've found it helps to use rapidly boiling water when I add in my water.

[@astorybookfinish5055]

How do you clean up your templates and the other tools that you use to create your marks?

[@elenaball3884]

La que hiciste tu es mejor? Yo me hice 2

[@cheriequinlan9444]

Why doesn't it mention mixing the gelatin?

[@lauramiranda5893]

sorry but I don´t understand the directions.... you always talk about glycerine, but the gelatine...? when do you add it? thanks!

[@KarenElaine]

The directions are in the description. Enjoy!

[@claudiamorrison408]

Laura, I think she meant to dissolve in the water the gelatine and then, mix in the glycerine

[@thisisthewayinperth]

same here ... i cant find at what stage and in which 1/2 c of water its added to. :(

[@petersenesac8102]

It's hard to understand because the directions are wrong. She says glycerin when she means gelatin. Glycerin is a liquid, gelatin is the powder.

[@yolandemontmorency7074]

Bonjour J’aimerais si possible que vous donniez la recette de votre de votre plaque de gélatine Elle semblerais qu’elle donne de très belle couleurs. J’ai déjà essayer une recette mais cela n’a pas fonctionner. Merci❤❤❤J’aime beaucoup ce que vous faites, vous êtes très relaxante 🙏 merci Yolande

[@alexandriasmith8986]

Bonjour Yolanda, La recette est dans la description.

[@louise9973]

In your recipe you don't say when to add the gelatine. You just talk about the glycerine packets. Can you help me with how and when I add the gelatine. Thank you.

[@donnadavis2883]

What do you use to put the gelatin mixture in to cure?

[@karenriso5380]

I love it. Where can I find the texture plate? Like the bubbles and screens?

[@KarenElaine]

I found my texture plates on Amazon. Just type it into the search and you will see lots of options!

[@SusanSaladino-u6b]

I would love to make my own using cruelty free ingredients. Can I substitute the gelatin with something else; if so do you have a recipe for that? Thank you

[@KarenElaine]

Unfortunately not. I don't know what can be subsituted for gelatin.

[@paulagiordan3753]

Agar Agar works, but I don’t know the proportions.

[@Katzenlaufwunder]

Your gel plate was too thin and that makes it more sensitive. Then the temperature also plays a role, if it is used in a very warm environment, it is also more sensitive. Then it also makes a difference whether it is brand new or has already had a few layers of paint. And finally, compare gelatine with silicone. You can still work on the formulation of the gelatine sheet to make it more stable. Too much glycerine causes it to retain too much moisture, making it very sticky. It is better to use more gelatine to make it more stable. Nevertheless, very nice results.

[@katmcgee9516]

Recipe? Do u use alcohol in urs?😊

[@karinlease3544]

Do you know what gelatin is made from?

[@PrinceCharmingsMom2930]

Cows hooves

[@HQMan2008]

I have a question: If the homemade Gelli plate does not become very firm the first time and I have to melt it to re-mold it, is it possible to add more glycerin and/or gelatin powder to it before re-molding?

[@michaelbergfeld7288]

Yes, it is possible. I've had to do that and it worked out fine. I always have a few extra gelatin packages in my supplies.

[@HQMan2008]

@@michaelbergfeld7288 Thank you!

[@karenholst8306]

👍👍👍💕💕💕🇩🇰