Welp, I finally got to open the box and try out the Gelli Arts goo plate!
Did you ever get to do the linoleum cutting prints in high school? This is kind of like that except no carving or special tools are required! It's actually just a rectangular jelly on which you spread fluid acrylic paint. Then you put the paper over top and it transfers onto the paper.
Why don't you just paint directly onto the paper, you ask?
I don't know. But this way is fun too :3
It would be difficult to describe how to use one of these with words, but Roben-Marie has put together a fantastic video tutorial which answers all of the questions!
At first I had no idea what I was doing and started to have doubts. I don't have lots of cool masks or stencils so I thought I was simply out of luck. But the more layers I added, the more fun it became.
I used bubblewrap, string, circles of paper, a stamp, a regular paintbrush and some plastic canvas I had laying around.
I'm trying to stick with watercolour in my current journal, so I don't know how often I'll get to use this. Next journal batch, it will make some pretty interesting covers, I think! Maybe some clever greeting cards, too.
For such a cool toy that is quickly growing in popularity, the price is actually pretty reasonable. Part of the reason might be because it doesn't actually include a brayer in the package. This was the only thing that disappointed me. Without the brayer, it isn't truly "ready to use".
I suppose you could paint it on with a brush, or perhaps they expected this to only be popular among experienced printmakers who already have the tools... In any case, I ran down to the Michaels with a coupon and bought the simplest brayer I could find.
People are coming up with some pretty cool ideas.
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