Let your kids imagination run wild with this project like we did with our paint solubility activity! There are so many amazing creations that will surface once you give them the techniques and then watch the magic happen.

The gel printing plate is made of a unique plastic that contains mineral oil. The gel plate will leak a small amount of harmless mineral oil when left sitting on an absorbent surface. Ask students to write poetry to go with their prints. Challenge them to add imagery to their print that communicates the meaning of their poem. Keeping the brayer on the plate when rolling it. Remove the brayer from the plate at the end of a stroke so that the paint is better distributed; |Sheets of paper (you can use a wide variety of types of paper, from plain to watercolor, to tracing paper, to old books) Gel printing can be addictive, so once you start you'll see you'll create many prints. Organize a sorting and storage system for them so they'll be accessible for any project you'll want to make.

Gelli Printmaking Supplies

We then used a piece of bubble wrap that we had inked up with red acrylic paint. We used this bubble wrap to stamp onto the plate on top of the pink… Keep away from open flame and other heat sources. The gel printing plate is for art and craft use. It is not a toy. Although you can apply paint to the gel plate with other tools like a plastic card or brush the best tool to use is a brayer. It makes applying paint easier and more even across the plate and gives you more control on the amount of paint you apply. Using acrylic paints to make the prints is just the first part of gel pinting. The next stap is to add texture and pattern to the prints you're making. As educators we know that while working with one medium is great, it’s important to show our students how to effectively combine different techniques. In this way, they can become well-rounded artists.

Always ready to print – When you’re in the mood to print, the Gelli Arts® printing plate is ready for you to use! You may have a paint roller from the last time you painted your house. They are a bit too soft, but then you get an idea of what it will be like. TIP- You can adjust your design as needed (like adding more stamps to your picture), but remember that if you take to long the paint will dry!

More from this maker

We felt he needed a little detail so rolled out a darker brown and used the bear mask and the negative cut out of the bear to print some darker lines.

A: Yes. As your plate is used, it will lose its glass finish and become matte and cloudy. This is perfectly normal and does not affect performance at all. Very lightly press down all over the pad, going out to the corners as well, until it feels nice and smooth and flat. Cotton Muslin: I like how my edges were clear but wasn’t too sure about the texture of the fabric on the image We used a 8″x10″ Gelli Plate, but they’re also available in 6″x6″, 5″x7″, 8″x10″! You can find them all here.The main tools for adding patterns and textures to your prints are stencils and stamps. Any pattern will work, and any brand will work. You can use stencils, masks and stamps that has patterns or an image - experiment with what you have in your stash! Q: I noticed there are bubbles under the plastic sheets that cover the Gelli® plate. Is that a problem?