Gelli® Printing, Planners & Travel Totes!

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More and more, we're seeing art journals and planners morphing into one creative entity—becoming a perfect place to consolidate your lists, goals, schedules and...art! Watch this video for ideas on monoprinting your own artful planner pages!

The key to keeping a planner/art journal is having it with you! That can mean keeping a special tote for your planner and supplies—and Gelli® plates fit right in. Whoever said "you can't take it with you" clearly didn't have Gelli® printing in mind! Gelli plates offer so many advantages as a printmaking tool—and among them is portability!

Gelli printing on-the-go is easier than ever! The convenience of stamping with Mini Printing Plates takes the fun to a new level. And you can create with them just about anywhere! They're great with paint and a brayer—or stamp pad inks. So be sure to include these essentials in your tote bag!

I had a ton of fun painting this canvas tote bag with DecoArtMulti-Surface Satin acrylic paint and decorating it with strips cut from Gelli prints! It's the sturdy Voyager 15" Riggers Bag from Harbor Freight—and it holds a LOT of supplies!

So the question becomes—what to pack! I'm partial to the StaplesArc Planner because the disc binding allows you to easily add and remove pages. The Arc Compact Punch turns any print into a page you can insert. It's slim profile and light weight make it a 'must-have' in my tote! But just so you know—punching through heavyweight paper with the Compact Punch takes some strength. Lightweight papers are a breeze to punch.

Working on single sheets gives you plenty of options for paper choices. Strathmore has a great selection of pre-cut papers and pads that are sized just right for packing in your tote. My favorites include their Mixed-Media paper, Printmaking paper, and Ready Cut Watercolor paper—hot press—for it's smooth surface.

A 5.5"x8" Strathmore Mixed Media Art Journal is another thing I keep in my bag. It stands up to wet media—and Gelli prints look so beautiful on the quality paper. And I especially love that it lays flat when open—it's such a pleasure to work in.

For paint, I'm always happy using DecoArt Fluid Media acrylics. The bottles are small and pack easily—and a few drops are enough paint on a small Gelli plate! Take your primary colors, white and black—and you can mix the rest. A color wheel is always good to have handy too.

Another wonderful source for color is Splash Ink by Yasutomo. It's a system of the three primaries (Yellow, Blue, Magenta) and black, designed for mixing any color. Inks are thin, so adding it to a medium or white heavy body paint can make it even easier to Gelli print with. Plus, you can alter any acrylic paint color by adding just drops of Splash Ink! Use a Niji Waterbrush with Splash inks to embellish any print. And add a special sparkle of color to your pages with Niji Pearlescent Watercolors. The Niji Water Brush is a 'must' in any tote!

Stencils and masks are so easy to pack—so I keep a bunch of them in my bag. There's always room for my favorite 'Bits', 'Fragments' and 'Remnants' by The Crafter's Workshop—along with some of their fabulous 6x6 stencils. I'm loving these stencils, designed by Rebekah Meier—so many images to use—especially with the Mini plates!

A selection of wonderful Andy Skinner stencil designs by DecoArt—as well as some fun 6"x8" Americana stencils—are in my tote too! Love them all!

I'm crazy for the Gelli Printing Tools—and regardless of the plate size I'm working with—I love combing patterns through the painted surface. So both sets of combs—Squared Edge and Rounded Edge—are in my bag! Aside from creating all sorts of swirly, wavy designs—they're great for adding lines to my planner pages! Perfect for creating original, artful 'List' pages.

Packing an art tote for Gelli printing is pretty straightforward. All you need are Gelli plates, paint, a brayer and some texture tools—plus whatever planner or art journal you work in. But that's just the beginning!

Then, there are supplies needed for journaling on prints and creating planner pages—and collage. This is where everyone's list starts to vary. We all have our favorite art materials to work with.

If you've discovered the total relaxation people are finding in adult coloring books—stick one in your bag for those moments when you're looking for a calm, happy escape. There's a reason these are bestsellers everywhere! I like to cut up colored-in sections and collage onto a Gelli print for that extra element of design and color. They're also a great source for design ideas!

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED!!!!

AND OUR WINNER IS.... Lisa McGushion!!

And now...it's for time our GINORMOUS HOLIDAY GIVEAWAY

In this season of giving, all of us at Gelli Arts are brimming with excitement about our giveaway this month—with tremendous gratitude to our entire Gelli community.

I'm not a magician—but I'm pretty good at cramming things into a small space. HA! Even I can't fit ALL of the cool stuff in this giveaway into the tote bag.

Our lucky winner gets it all—and can decide what goes in the tote :) 

And yes, the tote I decorated is part of this prize!

Our HUGE prize includes the following:

• 1 - 8"x10" Gell Arts® Gel Printing Plate
• 1 - 5"x5" Gelli Arts® Student Gel Printing Plate
• 1 - Gelli Arts® Mini Printing Plates (Square, Triangle, Round set)
• 1 - Gelli Arts® Mini Printing Plates (Rectangle, Hexagon, Oval set)
• 1 - Gelli Arts® Printing Tools (Squared Edge 3 pack set)
• 1 - Gelli Arts® Printing Tools (Rounded Edge 3 pack set)
• 1 - Voyager 15" Riggers Bag - canvas tote decorated by Joan Bess
• 1 - M by Staples ARC Customizable Notebook - 8.5"x5.5" - black leather cover
• 1 - M by Staples ARC Expandable Discs - set of 12
• 1 - Staples ARC Compact Punch
• 1 - Strathmore Mixed Media Art Journal - 5.5"x8" - 64 pages
• 1 - Strathmore Printmaking Paper - Lightweight - 5"x7" - 40 sheet pad
• 1 - Strathmore Ready Cut Watercolor paper - 140b. hot press - 5"x7" - 25 sheets
• 1 - Strathmore Mixed Media - 140lb. vellum surface - 6"x8" -15 sheet pad
• 1 - DecoArt Media Fluid Acrylics - 10 color Assortment - 1 fl. oz. bottles
• 2 - DecoArt Americana Stencils - 6"x8"
• 3 - DecoArt Andy Skinner Mixed Media Stencils - 8"x8"
• 3 - The Crafters Workshop 6"x6" Stencils - Rebekah Meier Designs
• 2 - The Crafters Workshop 4"x4" Balzer Bits Mini Masks
• 2 - The Crafters Workshop 4"x4" Ronda's Fragments
• 1 - The Crafters Workshop 4"x4" Rebekah's Remnants
• 1 - Yasutomo Splash Ink - 4 color set - 1 fl. oz. bottles
• 1 - Yasutomo Niji Waterbrush - 12mm - Medium
• 1 - Yasutomo Pearlescent Watercolors - 21 color set
• 1 - Caran D'Ache Neocolor II - Water-Soluble Wax Pastels - 10 color set
• 1 - Derwent Inktense - 12 Ink Pencil Set
• 1 - Speedball 4" Soft Rubber Pop-in Brayer
• 1 - Inkadinkadoo Clear Block - Large
• 1 - Lesley Riley's Reverse Alphabet Stamps
• 1 - Recollections Alphabet Rubber Stamp set
• 1 - Ranger Archival Ink - Jet Black ink pad
• 1 - Tsukineko Memento Dew Drop Inkpads - 4 color set
• 1 - Faber-Castell - 4 PITT Artist Pens - black
• 1 - Faber-Castell - 6 PITT Artist Pens - Brush - Basic Color Set
• 1 - Tombow Dual Brush Pens - 6 pen set - Secondary Palette
• 1 - Sharpie Metallics - 4 pen set
• 1 - Elmer's Painters - Opaque Paint Markers - 5 pen set - Sherbet Swirl
• 1 - Uni-ball Signo - 3 pen set
• 1 - Sakura Pigma - Professional Brush - 3 pen set
• 1 - Sakura Glaze - 2 pen pack - White Opaque
• 1 - Sakura Quickie Glue - Pinpoint Roller Glue
• 1 - UHU Glue Stic - 40g
• 1 - EK Tools Cutter Bee Scissors with Security Cover
• 1 - Cedar Canyon - 6 Rubbing Plates - Curves set
• 1 - The Color Wheel Company - Color Wheel
• 3 - Tape Works - washi tape
• 1 - Avery Specialty Labels - 8 sheet assortment
• 1 - Tags Pack - 40 assorted tags
• 1 - Just Add Color - Botanicals by Lisa Congdon - 30 illustrations to color
• 1 - North Light Books - Gelli Plate Printing by Joan Bess - autographed by author

To enter the giveaway, click on the red "ENTER GIVEAWAY HERE" button below! (This will ensure that we can contact the winner and that entries are limited to one per person. One winner will be selected from all the entries via a random number generator to receive this very special giveaway!) Entries will be accepted until 12pm noon on 12/22/2015. Our lucky winner will be contacted by email and announced here on the blog and on our Facebook page no later than 12pm noon on 12/23/2015! 

ENTER GIVEAWAY HERE

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED!!!!

Please—share your prints with us on our Facebook page, or on Instagram using the hashtag #gelliprint, #gelliplate or #gelliarts . Tag us with @gelliarts on Instagram and Twitter too! We love to see what you're creating!!

Remember, we now have Gelli partners all over the world, so it's easier than ever to find a Gelli retailer near you!

A special thanks to our fabulous friends at DecoArt, Strathmore Paper, The Crafters Workshop, Yasutomo and Lesley Riley for their generous contributions to our special Ginormous Giveaway!

Good Luck and Happy Printing! 

Best Wishes for a Wonderful Holiday Season from all of us at Gelli Arts to all of you!

Gelli Printing: DIY Gift Wrap... and More!

We at Gelli Arts® often hear about the great time people are having when they break out the Gelli plates for a printing session with their kids and grandchildren. What a thrill for us knowing that a Gelli plate, some acrylic paint, a brayer, a few texture materials, and some paper can generate hours of enthusiastic family fun! We thank you for sharing your pictures and prints with us!

Printing your own unique wrapping paper is one of those projects that everyone (all ages!) can enjoy. It's that time of the year! If you're looking for a creative activity to share with your family—this is a good one! And the results add a personal and charming touch to your wrapped gifts.

You can find rolls of unprinted gift wrap paper and assorted plain shopping bags, as well as blank tags and cards, at craft stores—ready for printing. Or maybe you prefer to cut open some brown paper bags and print on the back side. This is a wonderful opportunity for repurposing paper bags!

Stamping with Gelli plates is especially well-suited for making decorated gift wrap. The new Mini plates are an endless source for creating all sorts of designs. On some of my papers, I started by stamping areas of color with a 6"x6" square, or 6" round and 4" round plates—then stamped over that layer with Mini shapes. Totally no-stress printing!

I used Blick Matte Acrylic paints—which work perfectly for this project. The colors are highly opaque and layer beautifully. The range of colors is wonderful, drying to a matte finish—and the printed matte paint surface accepts all sorts of pens and pencils for further embellishing. I used Sharpie Metallics and Uni-ball Signo pens on some of my papers and love how it looks!

Use any of your favorite monoprinting techniques—stencils, masks, combs, texture tools, etc.—to create images on your wrapping paper.

And how about adding words! If you've ever written or rubber-stamped a word directly on a Gelli plate—you know it prints in reverse. With printmaking in mind, Lesley Riley created a set of 'Reverse Alphabet Stamps™'—and you can use them to stamp words directly on your Gelli plate. The stamp set features backwards letters for stamping directly into wet paint or stamp pad ink on a Gelli plate to pull a right-reading print. Gotta love that!

The click-together Pegz stamps make forming words so easy.

 

To start, snap the letters together to create your word stamp. Here's the process I used to print with my word stamp:

Tap StazOn solvent ink directly onto the Mini plate. Next, ink the word stamp with a different, contrasting StazOn color—and stamp an impression on the inked Mini plate. The Mini gel plate is ready now to stamp on a desired substrate—in this case, blank tags.

Try these convenient reverse stamps for personalizing gift wrap, tags, cards, journal pages—or any print!

Dress up your packages with Gelli-printed fabric strips instead of ribbon! Simply tear fabric strips to the width you want—and print on them with the same acrylic paints you use on your wrapping paper. Muslin and other tight weave cottons are good fabric choices for this. Such an easy way to make any package look extra special!

When it comes time to wrap your gifts with the fabulous papers you've created—why not add some Gelli-printed stickers, as shown in the previous blog post. It's a fast and easy way to put your hand-printed touch on any package, tag or card!

Artfully Gelli-printed gift wrap and tags show the love you put into wrapping your gifts!!

We love to see what you create, so please share your prints with us on our Facebook
page and Instagram! Be sure to use the hashtag(s) #gelliprint, #gelliplate or #gelliarts — we will be sure to find you! Tag us on Instagram and Twitter too with @gelliarts. We love to see what you are creating!

Remember, we now have Gelli partners all over the world, so it's easier than ever to find a Gelli retailer near you!

Have Fun and Happy Printing!

Gelli® 8x10 Plate

Gelli Mini Plates - Circle, Square, Tirangle

Gelli® Mini Plates - Rectangle, Oval, Hexagon

Gelli® 6X6 Plate

Blick Matte Acrylic Paint

Avery Specialty Labels

Speedball 4" Soft Rubber Brayer

White, Gold, Silver Uniball Signo Pens

Lesley Riley Reverse Alphabet Stamps

Tsukineko StazOn Ink Pads

Plain Paper Bags

Plain Paper Rolls

Gelli Round Printing Tools

Elli Square Printing Tools

4", 6" & 8" Round Gelli Plates

Unbleached Muslin