Gelli Plate - Painted Prints

This was fun and challenging.  I was going for a pop art effect thinking I could do a neat Warhol project with my students.  I found a simple dog line drawing image and printed it out to fit underneath my 5"x 7" gelli plate.  I made 6 different color variations and I just used a soft paint brush and acrylic paints.  Once they were dry I mounted them all together onto one larger sheet.  If I try this with my students I will probably have to go with 3 or 4 variations so they don't get overwhelmed.

Collograph - Big Flowers

 I created three large flowers using self adhesive foam on a corrugated cardboard base.  Each flower was about 9"x 12".  I decided to use a different color ink for each flower and stamped them randomly onto two sheet of 18"x 24" paper.

For this one I added some smaller flowers using purchased flower foam stamps that I already had. 

I prefer the first one over the one with the smaller stamps added, it seems like a stronger design to me as I look at it now.

Coming back to this post to add that I did do this project with my junior high students, I had then each create one large flower and then they could share between themselves for variety.  Their flowers were 6"x 9" and I had them stamp on two sheets of 12"x 18". The small foam stamps that I had were also available to them if they so chose.  Here is the link to the Artsonia gallery if you would like to see how they did.

Student Flower Collographs

Gelli Plates - using masks

 I used my 8" circle gelli plate and I freehand cut 4 different bird on a branch shaped masks, I used acrylic paints and plastic rubbing plates to achieve the patterns.

Art Cats Pocket Letter

For this PL we were required to choose cat artwork, choice of artist was up to us.  I chose the work of Heather Mattoon and just could not resist her "Cats in Clothes" series.  Her brush work is beautiful and each cat has a personality - so fun and whimsical. I used colored cardstock, washi tape, and bling to accent each image.

It's an Adorable World Pocket Letter

For this swap we were to create pockets decorated with tiny houses.  I decided to go out of my comfort zone and I chose gingerbread house. I printed out images of 9 different gingerbread houses and then using a black Sharpie pen I drew the background, sidewalks, candy cane and lollipop trees, gumdrop bushes, etc.  I colored all my sweets with marker and I used colored pencil to the ground and sky.  When I got done the skies looking a bit empty so I added some washi tape.

One of the options for the backs of the pockets was pretty paper, showing the inside rooms of the house, or showing who lived in the house.  I chose 9 different gingerbread people to be my proud homeowners.

Tape Transfer - Bird 5

For this one I used some of my mini gelli plates to stamp added colors, patterns, and shapes.  I used distress inks to ink up the gelli plates, then I used texture rubbing plates to press a texture pattern into the ink and then I stamped the gelli onto the bird background.

Each of these 5 birds tape tranfers were just experimenting with the process and I would go a lot farther if I were to try this again and/or have my students do this for a project. I think I would definitely have them use calendar pages in the hopes that the paper would slide off easily for them too.

Tape Transfer - Bird 4

Cut this transfer into several pieces, tried overlapping two pieces of transfer, really like that effect.

Tape Transfer - Bird 3

On this transfer I cut a chunck off and separated it from the bird and added it back to the background.

Tape Transfer - Bird 2

Again, scrapbook paper and scraps.

Tape Transfer - Bird 1

I used scrapbook paper for the background and then went through my scraps to break things up a bit.  I do like how the paper patterns show through the transfer.

Printmaking Class - Tape Transfers

 I decided to use some of the gorgeous calendar pictures that I have been saving up and chose birds for this project.

I was so lucky that after soaking them in water the entire paper backing slid right off. I have never had this happen so easily for me before.  Usually it takes a lot of rubbing to get all the paper off the back.  I guess I have only even tried this with magazine pictures before.

There was this film left on the back, I noticed after I let everything dry, so I did have to go back and rub that off, but even so, it came off easily and it was more like adhesive residue than paper.