Thanks for gel printing with me!

Here’s some resources to help you continue on your gel printing journey. And if you have any further questions or would like to play some more, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me!

— Luz

luz@golden.repair

Supplies

Gel Plates

I recommend these brands. There’s not much of a difference in terms of quality. The 5x7 is what we used in the workshop, but you can go with whatever size or shape floats your boat!

If you’d like a custom size or shape, you can make your own! https://comfortableshoesstudio.com/2022/07/make-your-own-gel-plates/

Do not get the Speedball brand unless you’re comfortable working with printing inks which is the only material that’s safe to use with it. It does not play well with acrylic paint and is much harder to clean up.

I’ve bought some from Gelelf and they’re alright, but have had better luck with Gel Press and Gelli Arts.

Brayers

You really only need one. To prevent streaks, get one that’s as close to the width of your plate as you can afford. Smaller ones are nice for doing detailed blending, but not necessary. I’ve found that soft rubber rollers tend to have the nicest coverage, but the only thing I found is that the snap in rollers tend to squeak something awful! The Essdee rollers tend to be my favorite in terms of weight and coverage.

https://www.dickblick.com/products/essdee-standard-rollers/

I don’t clean these in between printing sessions apart from rolling off the excess paint in between prints. When it gets nice and layered up, then I soak it in warm water and the paint peels right off.

Paint

You don’t need to break the bank on this. My favorite brands are Amsterdam and Liquitex Basic, often cheap, on sale, and carried at nearly every art store. They also usually have small tubes if you want to experiment with colors on a small scale. This is what we used in the workshop and what I use for my own projects.

Golden is the preferred brand of many artists, but I haven’t really seen that much of a difference. Unless there’s a specific color you want to use, it’s not worth it to me.

Paint brands that I don’t recommend are Blick Studio, Blick Artists, or craft paint like Plaid or Deco Art. These tend to split on the plate—which can be a cool effect and also frustrating if you’re looking for even coverage.

Paper

This one has the most flexibility. You really can print on just about anything! Personally, I love printing on brown packing paper, which is one of the best free papers around. Copy paper is pretty great for messing around. If you want to make more archival prints, smooth bristol paper is great.

I also love printing on papers that have a bit of transparency when you collage with them and found this list from Sally Hirst to be an excellent resource: https://sallyhirstcourses.com/resources/supplies-links/

As you’ve already experienced, you can generate a TON of prints. Something that I’ve found to be really helpful is to have a dedicated sketchbook or two to print inside of instead of loose papers. The prints dry pretty quickly, so it won’t take long before you can safely turn the page (or put a sheet of wax paper in between if you’re worried about sticking). Spiral-bound is best. My favorite is cheap, especially for experimenting with prints and collages. Canson XL Mixed Media sketchbooks: https://www.dickblick.com/products/canson-xl-mix-media-pads/

Some of my favorite teachers

I’m constantly learning new techniques from these folks and highly recommend watching their videos and taking their courses!

  • Gel Printer’s Summit: It only opens up for a few weeks a year, but you get a lifetime subscription to the content which is excellent!

  • Drew Steinbrecher: He organizes GPS and I loved taking his board book collage class. He also runs a collage summit online, which is a great way of using up all your prints!

  • Sally Hirst: Multidisciplinary printmaker and painter. I really love how she integrates her interests into some incredible art.

  • Jane Faase: Goddess of laser print transfers, which is a tricky technique to master!

  • Mark Yeates: His YouTube channel is bursting with great resources and ideas. He specializes is hand drawn illustration and collage.

  • Froyle: She’s shifted more to fluid art lately, but her gel printing videos are informative and playful. Her attitude and laugh is one of the best things on the internet.

  • Fodder School: This year-long course on making collage papers is where I originally learned to gel print. The projects typically aren’t my style, but the techniques and teachers are really inspiring.