4 Ideas for Using Gelli Printing in Your Projects

Today I want to share with you 4 ideas for using Gelli printing in your projects. Last week I wrote an article and provided tutorials about how to make Gelli prints. As a follow up to those tutorials, I want to give you some practical ideas for using Gelli printing in your projects.

Creative Ways to use Gelli Prints

It is not always easy finding creative ways to use Gelli prints in your projects. When I first started Gelli printing, I would end up with a stack of great prints that I had no idea how to use in other projects. I generally just pasted them onto journal pages and used them as backgrounds on cards but I didn’t really explore other ways these prints could be used.

I happened to take a class with Mary-Leigh Doyle and she opened my eyes to the potential of these prints. It showed me how Gelli prints could add so much more variety and texture to my mixed media art.

https://youtu.be/XBzUQ8ZRVpU

Die Cutting Gelli Prints

Gelli Prints work well for making interesting shapes. By die cutting Gelli prints you can get fantastic results on your projects. As the paper has a layer of acrylic paint on it the print is quite strong. This makes it a great candidate for running through a die cut or electronic cutting machine.  

When making shapes to add to projects, use Gelli prints that already have patterns and shading. As they have a lot of presence on their own. Instead of cutting out individual shapes, painting, stamping and shading them, by using a Gelli print all the hard work is already completed. Gelli prints give you a randomness of pattern that leads to unique pieces even for multiples of a similar piece.   

In the poinsettia card shown above, I added a little bit of ink shading and assembled the pieces. This could have been a very time-consuming project.  But with the help of my Gelli prints, it became a project that was easy to complete.

Creating Backgrounds from Gelli Prints

Gelli prints are amazing for creating backgrounds. You can create simple backgrounds for cards or art journal projects with one print. It is also possible to create more complex backgrounds using grids or shapes to be used as a base for an acrylic painting or a mixed media piece.

For many of my canvases, I will cut up my Gelli prints into squares. I use multiple patterns and create a grid system with them to be adhered with gel medium. This makes it easier to manage the proportions on my artwork as well as allowing the different colors and patterns to show up through the paint. I also create randomized paper patterns on my canvases. I incorporate these pieces into the overall artwork and layout as I work on the piece.  

Collages of Gelli Prints

Collages are one of my favorite ways to use Gelli prints. By tearing the prints into small pieces to be adhered with matte medium or gel medium, you can get some great texture and patterns in your artwork. With these collage projects I usually start with a rough outline of my shape and composition. Then I layer different Gelli print pieces to create color and shading to the piece.

As in the piece in progress that I have shown above, there are some great opportunities to add detail with tiny pieces of paper. An example of this is creating a catch light in the eye of the bird.

The great thing about collage is if you want to make changes to your piece, just add more paper over the spot that you are unhappy with. There are so many ways you can use collage in your work to add pattern, texture and color.

Underpainting for Acrylic Painting

Recently I have started using a lot of Gelli printing in my artwork by using it as an underpainting. An underpainting is a layer of paint or media used as a base for subsequent layers of paint or media to be added on top of it. I like having sections of my underpainting show through in my final product. They bring surprises, add brightness or mood to your painting depending on how you apply your underpainting.

I usually use acrylic paint as an underpainting, but I have recently been adding more Gelli prints to that initial layer. In some cases I will cover up most of the underpainting and just leave hints of the prints through the acrylic paint. The purpose of the Gelli print underpainting is that it gives more pattern, color and randomness to work with as a refine my art piece. How I work the underpainting into the final product often dictates the mood of the piece.

In paintings such as the rabbit pictured above, I left part of the Gelli printing as the background for the piece. I wanted the brightness and pattern to come through and I find it adds to the overall painting.

What Do You Think?

There are so many ways to use these prints in art and in projects. The more I work towards loosening up my painting style, the more I appreciate the looseness that Gelli printing brings to my work.  

I would love to hear what you think of these 4 ideas for using Gelli printing in your projects. How do you as an artist use Gelli printing in your own work? I would love to hear how Gelli printing brings inspiration in your projects.

If you have any questions, please feel free to leave them in the comments below or to contact me directly. I hope that you have a great week and are making some time for creative self-care.