I've Been Kind of Obsessed with Gel Printing Lately!

Hi friends!

I hope you are well. It’s starting to feel like spring here in Maine with the snow melting and the longer days. this always puts me in a creative mood and my current art obsession is Gel Printing!

I’ve dabbled in gel printing over the years, I was first introduced to gel printing back in 2004, I took a workshop with a local artist using a plate made with Knox unflavored gelatin that I had to store in the freezer when not in use so it didn’t mold! I was hooked! We used found objects, hand cut stencils, and plants to print with. I bought the book Making Monotypes Using a Gelatin Plate by Nancy Marculewicz and had a grand time making prints at home! I also made a playlist of 30 gel printing videos going over everything from making plates and tools, to making prints and projects with the prints. I love it so much because you can have fun making the supplies and then creating with the prints you make! I just did a collage with some recent prints (see photo below) and I love it!

There is a time lapse on YouTube, and there’s a real-time lesson for members in Critique Club. Critique Club is currently $5 a month but will be increasing to $7.50 per month for new members on April 1st. If you join before April first, you will lock in the lower $5 a month price. No current members will see a price increase in their membership, their price is locked if they stay subscribed. I started Critique Club for $5 a month back in 2019 when I had only 1 tutorial up, now there are over 150 real time art lessons exclusively available to Critique Club members covering a variety of art media, I think it’s a great value and I want to make sure any of my current newsletter subscribers have the option to join before the price goes up. No pressure tho:) I just want to let you know that current members’ prices will be locked at the lower rate:)

So, back to my Gel Print obsession, I had a great idea for brayer storage last weekend. I was tired of my brayers getting jammed in my drawer so I came up with a way to make them more accessible by using Zip Ties on the edge of my wire shelving! I’m so proud of myself for coming up with that! I’m probably not the first to think of this but in my mind I am a legend LOL!

Then I thought it might be fun to share a few other ways I store my supplies and prints. I use an over-the-door shoe organizer to store my acrylic paint for printing. A clear one would be better, but I already had this, so I put colored cardstock in the pockets to see what I had more easily.

I use yarn and clothespins to hang prints to dry, which is much better than the “hot lava” method of strewing them around my floor when creating and trying not to step on them.

I have a video on how I organized my prints on YouTube if interested:)

Then once they are dry I sort them by color in large plastic pouches so I can find what I need when I want to use them in a project.

This big print is 16”x20”! I’ll have a big budget print video coming soon to YouTube!

Of course, I have been making larger prints lately so I will have to create a big portfolio for them. Please share any gel printing tips in the comments of this post so we can all benefit from the creative hive mind of this awesome community! Don’t forget, if you want to join Critique Club and lock in the lower monthly rate of $5 per month, do so before April 1st. With your membership you get access to all past Critique Club lessons and 2 new ones every month, plus monthly prompts and the ability to upload your work for feedback! Thank you for reading and as always happy crafting!

Lindsay Weirich