Tag: gelli printing

More Gelli Fun, and a Rolloff Page

August 16, 2025

Dear Liza,

Every now and then, I go back into the Art Closet and try another few Gelli prints. I am trying to be more methodical so I can photograph the steps as I go and learn what works for me.

Friday, I started with a bright red plate and made this cool pattern with a cardboard vegetable tray from the market.

Then, because I always forget that yellow is transparent, I tried to lay some down. I added some orange, to try and make my point.

Once everything was good and dry, I put some black on and rolled it out. I like the print, but wish the yellow and orange were more visible.

While I was Gelli printing, I used a page in my Art Journal as the rolloff page.

And while you and I were chatting in Saturday, I cut some black paper into a simple sunset landscape. I think it’s done, but I’ll have a look tomorrow.

More printing and snipping tomorrow!

Love,

Grandma Judy

Trying Something New

Dear Liza,

You knew I wouldn’t stay down forever, right? Once an Adventure Grandma, always an Adventure Grandma.

So while I am getting up to speed after the Shingles knocked me flat, I am learning something that I’ve been wanting to try for a while:

Gelli Printing.

Ruthie Inman sent me the basic equipment years ago (because she knows I’m cheap and really wanted me to try it), a squishy gelli plate and a brayer. I pulled them out last week and I’ve been itching to feel well enough to jump in.

I watched several videos enough to feel that I had the hang of it….

And, as so often happens, only got the first steps right.

Sometimes I tried to roll paint over the masks, or got my left and my right mixed up, or this one, where I tried one too many layers and covered the whole thing up,

Finally, after watching Carolyn Hassard‘s beginning video all the way through, I tried a simple, two layer print. First, the background layer.

Then the second layer, green paint overlaid with some masks cut from watercolor paper scraps.

And finally, my finished print!

It is embarrassing how many tries it took me to get one simple print right.

But now that I’m feeling better, I realize that even if a print is not what you were after, or even ‘pretty’, it’s usually going to be interesting!

Love,

Grandma Judy