Wednesday, October 22, 2014

Gelli® Blog Hop and Stencil Giveaway!



Hey, Peeps. I'm so excited to be a part of this wonderful Gelli® Print Blog Hop. Thanks to Michelle Reynolds for the thought and execution! You rock!

So, I was trying to think of what I could do that hasn't been done. I actually did a different project- more of a mixed media assemblage- but I wasn't quite sure what I wanted to do. So, being the true artist that I am, I abandoned that project half-way through and started something else. NO JUDGING!!!

And, I did have some forethought, so I started out with a lovely, sturdy mixed media paper. This is probably my fave to work with. 


I wanted to play with something different. This is some inexpensive gouache. 


A little dab'll do ya.


Gouache spreads differently on the plate than acrylic. I used a brayer, just as you use with acrylic paint.


As you can see, it leaves a much different, non-uniform look compared to acrylic paint. I kinda like it.


I also painted some yellow circles with gouache. I forgot to take an after pic of the print, but you'll see it later. 


I also spread some red on with a credit card, just to see how it spread differently.


Here, I used my Sticked Hearts stencil.


You can see the yellow circles layered on the grey here.


I put the wet, red stencil on my waste paper and wiped it through the stencil with a baby wipe.


Here's the result. Like many Gelli® prints, the "waste" or "ghost" prints are often the most interesting.


I decided to re-position my heart stencil, and outline with my Stabilo black pencil, just for a different look. 


I tried to smear the pencil (which is water soluble) with my water brush, but I had forgotten that I hadn't prepared my surface with gesso, which would have made the stabilo pencil mark smear better. Oh, well. I just discovered another technique, aka mistake.


Then I switched to acrylic paint for no particular reason.


Here, I used my Iron Gate stencil.


I stamped through the stencil before I printed. This works more effectively with an "open" stencil (aka not detailed), and with a darker paint than I used. I'M NOT PERFECT, PEEPS!


Here's the ghost leftovers on the plate.


And then I moved on to grey and yellow- my two new fave colors.


I printed using my Crowned Stencil.


And here's the print.


And the ghost print.


Next, I used my Faith Stencil. This is one of my faves since there's so much texture going on.


And, the print.


And, you always need to add a few hand-carved stamps. If you want to know more about making these, you can check my blog post here and my Pinterest board here.




Don't forget that for a different look, you can roll your stamps instead of just pressing them.


And then, there's nothing like a little splattering. I like using my fan brush with some watered down paint.


And, here's a print with some splatters.


And, there's nothing like some good ol' fashioned stenciling. Here, I used my Grunge number tag stencil and some blue paint for a little punch...




...and my Scruffy Crosses tag stencil.


Just some doodling with a NeocolorII crayon (water soluble)


And I think I'm ready to move on to the book.
You know these wonderful little coffee cup thingies? Well, they're going to become a cute little book.


I loved this particular one because of the dimpled texture. I tore it apart at the ends (it was conveniently serrated for me already). Then I applied gesso to the front and back of each piece.


I dried the gesso, watered down some paint, and brushed it on each side.




I wiped off some of the paint with a baby wipe, then I traced one side on the backs of my prints.


I cut out the shapes, slightly smaller than the coffee cozy.


Here are some "pages".



I eyeballed where I wanted my rings to be to bind the book.


Then I punched holes and inserted eyelets with my Cropodile. I did this just to the front and back pieces.


To emphasize the texture, I brushed on a little distress paint.


Since the backs of each page were white, I just applied some distress stain. I didn't want to have both sides of each page Gelli® printed because I wanted to leave room for journal entries or writing.


And, here are some of the spreads.




Of course, I had to junk the cover up a little, so I added a flower, some vintage buttons and beads, some pearl accents, and some burlap.






And, a little ribbon and a few more strung out beads.


And here's the final book.


And, just when you thought you've had all the fun you could have, there's more!
Just for visiting my blog, I am giving away THREE of the following 6" stencils from my Etsy shop







All you need to do is leave a comment about what you like about this tutorial or about the Gelli® Plate. 
On Oct. 26 at 8PM (EST), I will yell into the other room, "HONEY! PICK A NUMBER BETWEEN _ AND _, and he will pick the winner. Yups, that's how I roll.

And, if you like my stencil designs, feel free to check out LOTS more in my Etsy shop here.

I hope you enjoyed this picture laden tutorial. Thanks for looking. And, if you haven't checked out all of the other blogs, I have them listed below. Happy printing!


Wednesday 15th Oct Michelle Reynolds http://shellsinthebush.blogspot.com.au/Thursday 16th Oct Joanna Grant http://joannabananadesignoriginals.blogspot.comFriday 17th Oct Jacques Williamos http://theelevatorpress.wordpress.com/Saturday 18th Oct Linda Stokes http://www.lindastokes-textileartist.com/Sunday 19th Oct Phillippa Montier http://pipart71.weebly.comMonday 20th Oct Lauri Crowe http://www.laurijeancrowe.comTuesday 21st Oct Gail Schmidt http://www.shabbycottagestudio.netWednesday 22nd Oct Tami Sturm Howse http://www.thisandthatfromtami.blogspot.com

22 comments:

  1. I love the gelli plate and the results!! Your book was totally unexpected and a great use of the gelli prints!! Thanks for sharing!

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  2. Awesome tutorial, love your book and your stencils! Thanks for joining in on the blog hop!

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  3. Wow I love the freedom with which you use different stencils and materials. Thank you from a novice Gelli-printer

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  4. AHHHHH! I love this! Plus it gives me an excuse to go to Caribou Coffee now. ;) Thanks so much for sharing, I never would have thought to do something like this but I sure will now!

    Nita Waters

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  5. Love the book! Always looking for new ways to use my prints! And who wouldn't love new stencils for their Gelli Plate?! Thanks for the opportunity!

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  6. I have just bought a gellie plate and I can't wait to try your ideas. It's half term next week so going to have fun!
    Alison

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    1. Alison! You won! Please get in touch with me so I can make arrangements to send your stencils! Fondly, Tami

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    2. Hi Tami
      Just making sure you have received my address in your email.
      I can't wait to play with your stencils!
      Thanks again
      Alison

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  7. What a wonderful project! I love your step by step photos! Thank you! I enjoyed a lot your great post!

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  8. It was really interesting to see the effect you get when using gouache instead of acrylic. The book is lovely.

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  9. Great blog post! There are so many things I could comment on, but I love the key stamp and the crowns, oh and the little book! Thanks for being part of the blog hop. It's been great to read about other Gelli printing ideas and everyone is so creative :-)

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  10. This is such a great, informative post - so many good ideas! I've been saving those coffee sleeves for ages and after reading how you made your little book, I think I can do that too. I always wonder what to do with all those gelli prints I've been making. I just got my gelli plate a month ago and already the prints are adding up! I also really like the gray and yellow combination you did. This is my first visit to your blog and I have loved reading some of your posts. I especially loved the one about your craft room :D Thanks for a wonderful post!

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  11. Love your ideas, and the book is gorgeous!

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  12. Hi Tami. Your prints came out really nice using your stencils. I have been hooked on mono printing ever since I took the class with you. :) And, that little album made out of the coffee thingies, well, what a great project for mixed media weekend! I love it! It's absolutely adorable. I'm going to check out the rest of the hop now. Sue

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  13. What I love about the tutorial is the clear concise directions with awesome close-up photos and your generosity in sharing..... love your stencils too! Thank you :)

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  14. So inventive, I love how you're not scared to experiment and look what you ended up with. Such a clever little book. Thanks for sharing.

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  15. Love your creativity and the coffee holder thingies, lol, book is awesome! Would love to try that as I've been collecting those for a long time. Super great project and tutorial! Thanks!

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  16. Great post and love your stencils. Such a fun hop!

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  17. Love your work. Thanks for the explanation of how you use the Gelli plate. The book is great.

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  18. Only just heard about gelli plates so your blog post was a great intro to what you can do with them. Thank you

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  19. well of course I missed the giveaway…but I'm a winner anyway cuz I found your blog and a new source for stencils! WooHoo! I am happy!

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I love hearing what you have to say!