When learning how to create gelli prints with inks, it can be hard to know which ink to choose. There are so many to choose from. What ink is the most vibrant? What inks will stain your gel plate? Today we will cover 5 popular inks and how they work with the gelli plate on

Gelli plate printing with leaves is a fun and easy technique that lets us get outside to find beautiful textures. Summer in Canada is short. So, I make a point to get outside and incorporate nature in my art journal and gelli plate printing projects. Today I am sharing my favorite techniques for Gelli plate

Gelli plate printing with leaves is a fun and easy technique that lets us get outside to find beautiful textures. Summer in Canada is short. So, I make a point to get outside and incorporate nature in my art journal and gelli plate printing projects. Today I am sharing my favorite techniques for Gelli plate

Alcohol inks are a beautiful and vibrant medium and today I will share several ways to use resist techniques with alcohol inks in your projects. This resist technique will work with a variety of projects, including art journals, cards, and scrapbook pages. If you are new to alcohol inks, this is a beginner friendly technique

Have you ever tried creating your own book? Making a book might feel intimidating, but this easy snake book is a great place to start! I love these snake books because they are simple to make and work perfectly as gifts. I like to use mine for art journaling and for a place to write

Gelli plate printing with leaves is a fun and easy technique that lets us get outside to find beautiful textures. Summer in Canada is short. So, I make a point to get outside and incorporate nature in my art journal and gelli plate printing projects. Today I am sharing my favorite techniques for Gelli plate

Gelli plate printing with leaves is a fun and easy technique that lets us get outside to find beautiful textures. Summer in Canada is short. So, I make a point to get outside and incorporate nature in my art journal and gelli plate printing projects. Today I am sharing my favorite techniques for Gelli plate

Have you ever tried gelli printing on surfaces other than paper? This summer I’ve been playing around with different surfaces with my gel plate to see what interesting results I’ll get. My newest experiment was how to Gelli print on canvas and I’ve been surprised by the results. Hop-A-Long Studio is reader-supported. When you buy

I love creating textures in my art journal and Gelli prints are a great starting point for adding depth in any project. I’ve been experimenting with ways to add textures on my Gelli prints so that they pop on my journal pages. Today’s art journal page covers several easy techniques for altering gel prints with

I love creating textures in my art journal and Gelli prints are a great starting point for adding depth in any project. I’ve been experimenting with ways to add textures on my Gelli prints so that they pop on my journal pages. Today’s art journal page covers several easy techniques for altering gel prints with

Have you ever tried adding napkins to your art journal? Art journaling with napkins is such a fun and easy technique to add pattern and design to your page. Especially if you are new to art journaling, this is an easy technique to get you creating full pages in no time! Today we will be

Have you ever used fluid acrylics in your art journal? If you haven’t heard of these beautiful acrylic paints before, I would highly recommend trying them in your art journal. These acrylic paints are highly pigmented and work so well on their own and with other mediums. Hop-A-Long Studio is reader-supported. When you buy through

Gelli plate printing with leaves is a fun and easy technique that lets us get outside to find beautiful textures. Summer in Canada is short. So, I make a point to get outside and incorporate nature in my art journal and gelli plate printing projects. Today I am sharing my favorite techniques for Gelli plate printing with leaves and how to get good results with organic materials. Hop-A-Long Studio is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission at no cost to you. Learn more. Finding Leaves for Your Prints Now that summer is upon us, I’ve been spending a lot of time out in my garden enjoying the beautiful weather. My garden has so many leaf textures, which is perfect for creative play with the Gelli plate! If you don’t have a garden, there are parks and wild areas that you can forage for beautiful leaf shapes and textures. Just make sure not to set the plant back by taking too many leaves. Bring scissors or a knife when collecting your samples to prevent harming the plants. By cutting rather than tearing off leaves prevents disease and stress for the plants. Since most leaves will start withering or drying out within several hours of collection, use them immediately after collection. If you can’t, press them between paper to keep the leaves from curling until you have time to work with your Gelli plate. Be aware that if you do press the leaves, they will lose some of the bumpy texture that we want in the gel prints. Basic Gel Plate Printing with Leaves Basic printing with leaves on the gel plate is very simple. Add acrylic paint with a small brayer to the surface, add your leaves, and leave them there. Press a piece of paper on top to make the print. You might find that the printing surface in uneven from the veins and stems of the leaves. Press down firmly and evenly to make sure you get a good quality print. When you pull the print off the gel plate, it should have a white area that is leaf shaped. By leaving the leaf on the surface, this gives a very bold design to the gel print. If you are having trouble getting a good impression, try using a 6” large brayer to help press down the paper to the surface. I find that I tend to get a better print by using a brayer over just using my hands when the surface is uneven. When Gelli printing I always take a second print. Remove the leaf from the page and you should see a perfect outline of the leaf in the acrylic paint. Take a print and you will notice that it is the positive image of the leaf. If this is your first time Gelli plate printing, check out this article where I go into detail on how to use a gel plate, how to add paint and get a good first print. Adding Leaves to an Existing Print One of my favorite techniques when Gelli plate printing with leaves is to add additional prints on top of an existing gel print. Start by using the same technique as above. But instead of printing on a blank piece of paper, try using a print that already has paint on the surface. The strong outline images that are created by leaving the leaves on the gel plate lets the layers of paint underneath be shown in the print. You can keep adding layers until you have a result that you are happy with. By creating second and even third layers on a print can add texture and interest to the leaves can let the first layers of paint be seen For best results using this technique, make sure that the layers of paint are contrasting colors. Accentuating Texture on Leaf Prints As much as beautiful outlines are fantastic on gel prints, sometimes you may want more detail in your leaf prints. To accentuate texture to the leaves left on the plate, run the brayer still covered in paint over the leaf. The paint will transfer onto any high points on the leaves, such as the veins and stems. Add your paper on top to make a print. You now have a leaf outline but some of the leaf texture from the veins and stems will be on your first print. The second print will also have leaf texture because of the leaf being pushed into the gel plate when taking the first print. Creating Subtle Leaf Textures with the Gel Plate You may want to create subtle leaf textures on the page. This can be accomplished by pressing the leaves into the gel plate, but not leaving them on the surface. To get the best contrast on these prints, apply a thin layer of paint to your surface. Press your leaves and textures into the plate. I like rolling my brayer over top to make sure that it’s creating a strong impression onto the Gelli plate. Your print will have fine lines of texture. Any areas where you pressed your leaves into the paint should have removed some, if not all, of the paint creating a fine textured print. Using Curved Leaves in a Gel Print You may end up using leaves in your prints that don’t like to lay flat, an example of this is Hosta leaves. Usually, one side of the leaf will lay flatter than the other. It may take some experimentation to get a good print with these leaves. Depending on the leaf, you might be able to leave it on the surface. If it won’t stay in place, you can use it for creating subtle leaf textures by pressing it into the surface. You may also need to add paint on the leaves several times before they will start sitting flatter on the Gelli plate. In the example above I left some of the leaves on the page while taking others off for a variety of texture. Mixing Mark Making with Leaf Prints A fun way of mixing up your prints is to add mark making to your leaf prints. For these prints, I added the leaves and then added the mark making before taking my prints. For this technique you could use stamps, stencils, or other mark making tools. Another option is to create multiple layered Gelli prints, some with leaves and others with mark making. The combination of techniques is endless! What Do You Think? What do you think about Gelli plate printing with leaves? Is this something that you would try in your own creative practice? The leaves that I have tested and used in my Gelli prints are Goat’s Beard (Aruncus Dioicus), Lady’s Mantle (Alchemilla Mollis), Hosta, Lemony Lace Elderberry (sambucus racemosa), Silvermound Artemisia, and Coral Bells (Heuchera). You can use almost any leaf that you forage, but these plants are specifically in my garden because of the beauty of their leaves. I hope that you give this technique a try and take time for creative self-care this week! If you have any questions about this technique or Gelli plate printing in general, please leave a comment below! Project Supply List Amsterdam – Sky Blue Light, 120 ml Tubefrom: Blick Art Materials Amsterdam – Azo Yellow Deep, 120 ml Tubefrom: Blick Art Materials Princeton Wedge – Shape 2from: Blick Art Materials Pebeo High Viscosity Acrylics – Turquoise Blue, 100 ml tubefrom: Blick Art Materials Amsterdam – Quinacridone Rose Light, 120 ml Tubefrom: Blick Art Materials Amsterdam – Grayish Blue, 120 ml tubefrom: Blick Art Materials Princeton Wedge – Shape 4from: Blick Art Materials Amsterdam – Prussian Blue, 120 ml Tubefrom: Blick Art Materials Princeton Wedge – Shape 3from: Blick Art Materials Amsterdam – Yellowish Green, 120 ml Tubefrom: Blick Art Materials

Have you ever tried gelli printing on surfaces other than paper? This summer I’ve been playing around with different surfaces with my gel plate to see what interesting results I’ll get. My newest experiment was how to Gelli print on canvas and I’ve been surprised by the results. Hop-A-Long Studio is reader-supported. When you buy

Looking for unique collage textures for your art journal? Try using collage techniques with tissue paper gel prints. This is an easy and beautiful way to add layers and textures to your projects. If you’ve been following along for the last few weeks, I’ve shared some of my favorite gel print techniques. Today we will

Looking for unique collage textures for your art journal? Try using collage techniques with tissue paper gel prints. This is an easy and beautiful way to add layers and textures to your projects. If you’ve been following along for the last few weeks, I’ve shared some of my favorite gel print techniques. Today we will

This week I want to share with you one of my favorite easy alcohol ink Christmas card designs. I love using alcohol inks and Yupo as these mediums work so well together. I find the process of using alcohol inks to be very relaxing. It is an opportunity to create is a less structured manner

Have you ever tried gelli printing on surfaces other than paper? This summer I’ve been playing around with different surfaces with my gel plate to see what interesting results I’ll get. My newest experiment was how to Gelli print on canvas and I’ve been surprised by the results. Hop-A-Long Studio is reader-supported. When you buy

Have you ever used fluid acrylics in your art journal? If you haven’t heard of these beautiful acrylic paints before, I would highly recommend trying them in your art journal. These acrylic paints are highly pigmented and work so well on their own and with other mediums. Hop-A-Long Studio is reader-supported. When you buy through

If you are looking to personalize your art journal projects, creating mixed media tissue paper is a fun way to get unique colors and textures. Creating mixed media tissue paper is easy and only requires a few materials. In this tutorial I will share with you three different techniques for getting a variety of different

Have you ever tried creating your own book? Making a book might feel intimidating, but this easy snake book is a great place to start! I love these snake books because they are simple to make and work perfectly as gifts. I like to use mine for art journaling and for a place to write

I love adding interest to my projects with art journal textured background techniques. These beautiful techniques work for both my art journal projects and canvas projects. Adding texture as part of the initial layer before adding color lends to unique and beautiful results. Textures enhance the final look of your project and can help with

Do you know that you can create beautiful works of art with napkins? These aren’t just beautiful napkins to be used at parties or around the house but are the start of a beautiful art or craft project! If you’ve never tried napkin decoupage, join me as I share everything you need to know to get your first napkin project completed! Hop-A-Long Studio is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission at no cost to you. Learn more. The Napkins The one question I constantly get asked is “what napkins can you use?” Any paper napkin with an image printed on it will work for these techniques. These can be small cocktail napkins, regular and large napkins as well as skinny napkins. Any of these will work for creating napkin art. Where to Get Napkins? Once you start into napkin art, you’ll start acquiring napkins everywhere. I get many of mine from napkin exchanges and my friends know that if that have any leftover napkins from parties, to send them my way! You can also get them from online stores. I’ve purchased napkins from Ninny’s Napkins before. This isn’t the cheapest way to go, but you’ll find a selection of beautiful, curated napkins and you only need to purchase a couple instead of trying to get through an entire set of 25 or 30 napkins. Prepping the Napkins for Your Project Before we can start adding these beautiful images to our projects, we need to take off the extra layers of paper from the napkin. Once these layers are removed this will give you a clear and vibrant image to use on your projects. Most napkins are either 2 ply or 3 ply. So you’ll either need to remove 1 or 2 layers from your napkin. Some napkins are easier to separate than others. You may be able to separate the layers with your fingernails. If you struggle with this, use washi or painter’s tape to carefully peel the layers apart. When you get them started, be very gentle when you pull them apart as the napkin is delicate and can rip. Ghost Images You’ll notice that the first layer of napkin that you remove is fully white. But the second layer, depending on how dark the pigment of the printed image, may have a ghost image. I don’t throw these away but use these in my art journal with decoupage to create interesting subtle colors and textures. Tearing the Napkin If you don’t want to use the full image, add water with a paintbrush and carefully tear the image. Without the water you’ll end up with an uneven tear. The water simply gives you more control over the way the napkin tears. I have a few more tricks about how to cut out images from napkins, make sure to come back next week as I share more about ways to get the best results cutting and tearing napkins! Choosing the Right Decoupage Glue My favorite medium for napkin decoupage is Matte Medium. The brand that I highly recommend is the Liquitex matte medium. You can also use Modge Podge or another collage medium to apply the napkins. I the artist brands, like Golden and Liquitex, because they don’t yellow over time. Plus, they don’t smell strong the way Modge Podge does. The key is to make sure that whatever decoupage medium you use, that it has a liquid consistency like maple syrup or thinner. Any heavier mediums (like a gel medium) are much harder to apply and could rip your napkin. How to Decoupage a Napkin The larger the napkin, the more challenging it will be to apply, especially if you don’t want wrinkles. There are 2 different techniques that I’ve found to be most effective that I want to share today. The first is for those who have never tried napkin decoupage before. This will be easiest way to do it. Lay out the napkin as evenly and smoothly as possible onto your surface. Using a soft brush and your favorite collage medium, add it gently to the surface. Because the napkin is so thin, the matte medium will absorb into the napkin sealing it to the surface. The other option is to add matte medium to the surface, then add the napkin on top. When using a large napkin, I work in sections. This way I tend to get less wrinkles and have more control over the image. The key for both napkin decoupage techniques is to not overwork the image. If you feel like you didn’t have enough collage medium on in the first layer, don’t add more. Let the surface dry completely and then add in more collage medium to areas that you may have missed. If you go over the wet napkin, you’ll tear it with your brush. Let it dry and you can always add more on top. When it’s dry, you’ll notice the stippling on the napkin in the area around the edge. This is normal as this is what keeps the layers of napkins together. Your Background Matters When working with napkins, the background color matters. When you add your napkin to a white background, you will get fantastic contrast. But what if you want to add a napkin to a background that already has color on it? This is where you need to be careful. If you add it to a very dark background, it’ll disappear onto the page like this. Part of your page planning will be deciding how dark you want your background and how this will affect the napkin that you will add on top. I like choosing light colors for my background, usually applied with paints, inks or watercolors. This creates a beautiful background for your napkins, but you’ll still be able to see the images clearly on top. But what if you add a napkin and it’s too dark? Then make sure to check out the article in the image below. I create this project showing different ways you can revive a muted napkin image on your project. There’s lots of ways that you can use images on dark or colored backgrounds, you just need to understand a few techniques to get the best results. Layering Napkins When you use napkins, you can use multiple designs on one project. By layering them this can create a beautiful and unique background. Like a good lasagna, the napkins become more than the sum of their parts. The key is to make sure that the layer below is fully dry before adding another napkin on top. Here are a few examples of pieces I’ve done with layers of napkins. They can make beautiful and complex art pieces. This piece I created for a friend of mine for her wedding. I had taken some of the napkins from her bridal shower and included them in the background of this painting. She loved that I added them to the painting, it made it so much more meaningful to her. You can use them on decorative pieces like pumpkins. In this project I was decoupaging dried leaves and napkins to make a Thanksgiving pumpkin. But my favorite way to use napkins is to use them in my art journal. This is a way to make quick backgrounds or beautiful focal images for an art journal page. I tend to add extra layers of paint and other mediums on top to bring out the beautiful colors. Check out the other videos in the playlist for more inspiration on how to use napkins! Next Steps for Napkin Decoupage Napkins are a lot of fun, are easy to use and you can create so many beautiful project from them! I hope that this has given you the confidence you need to try these out for yourself. Come back next week when I’ll share with you how to get the best and most precise images out of your napkins! In the meantime, check out these projects on how to use napkins in your art journal and on 3D objects. My Favorite Napkin Projects Project Supply List Napkins Decoupage Medium Mixed Media Brushes Art Journals

Looking for new ways to use stencils and masks? Learn how to use one stencil in 3 unique ways in this art journal tutorial.

I love adding interest to my projects with art journal textured background techniques. These beautiful techniques work for both my art journal projects and canvas projects. Adding texture as part of the initial layer before adding color lends to unique and beautiful results. Textures enhance the final look of your project and can help with

Gelli printing with stencils is an easy way to create beautiful and unique textures for your art journal and creative projects. If you are new to the gel plate, gelli printing with stencils is an easy way to get comfortable with the medium. I discovered gel printing many years ago, but my first experience with

When learning how to create gelli prints with inks, it can be hard to know which ink to choose. There are so many to choose from. What ink is the most vibrant? What inks will stain your gel plate? Today we will cover 5 popular inks and how they work with the gelli plate on

I love creating textures in my art journal and Gelli prints are a great starting point for adding depth in any project. I’ve been experimenting with ways to add textures on my Gelli prints so that they pop on my journal pages. Today’s art journal page covers several easy techniques for altering gel prints with

Gelli plate printing with leaves is a fun and easy technique that lets us get outside to find beautiful textures. Summer in Canada is short. So, I make a point to get outside and incorporate nature in my art journal and gelli plate printing projects. Today I am sharing my favorite techniques for Gelli plate

Gelli plate printing with leaves is a fun and easy technique that lets us get outside to find beautiful textures. Summer in Canada is short. So, I make a point to get outside and incorporate nature in my art journal and gelli plate printing projects. Today I am sharing my favorite techniques for Gelli plate printing with leaves and how to get good results with organic materials. Hop-A-Long Studio is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission at no cost to you. Learn more. Finding Leaves for Your Prints Now that summer is upon us, I’ve been spending a lot of time out in my garden enjoying the beautiful weather. My garden has so many leaf textures, which is perfect for creative play with the Gelli plate! If you don’t have a garden, there are parks and wild areas that you can forage for beautiful leaf shapes and textures. Just make sure not to set the plant back by taking too many leaves. Bring scissors or a knife when collecting your samples to prevent harming the plants. By cutting rather than tearing off leaves prevents disease and stress for the plants. Since most leaves will start withering or drying out within several hours of collection, use them immediately after collection. If you can’t, press them between paper to keep the leaves from curling until you have time to work with your Gelli plate. Be aware that if you do press the leaves, they will lose some of the bumpy texture that we want in the gel prints. Basic Gel Plate Printing with Leaves Basic printing with leaves on the gel plate is very simple. Add acrylic paint with a small brayer to the surface, add your leaves, and leave them there. Press a piece of paper on top to make the print. You might find that the printing surface in uneven from the veins and stems of the leaves. Press down firmly and evenly to make sure you get a good quality print. When you pull the print off the gel plate, it should have a white area that is leaf shaped. By leaving the leaf on the surface, this gives a very bold design to the gel print. If you are having trouble getting a good impression, try using a 6” large brayer to help press down the paper to the surface. I find that I tend to get a better print by using a brayer over just using my hands when the surface is uneven. When Gelli printing I always take a second print. Remove the leaf from the page and you should see a perfect outline of the leaf in the acrylic paint. Take a print and you will notice that it is the positive image of the leaf. If this is your first time Gelli plate printing, check out this article where I go into detail on how to use a gel plate, how to add paint and get a good first print. Adding Leaves to an Existing Print One of my favorite techniques when Gelli plate printing with leaves is to add additional prints on top of an existing gel print. Start by using the same technique as above. But instead of printing on a blank piece of paper, try using a print that already has paint on the surface. The strong outline images that are created by leaving the leaves on the gel plate lets the layers of paint underneath be shown in the print. You can keep adding layers until you have a result that you are happy with. By creating second and even third layers on a print can add texture and interest to the leaves can let the first layers of paint be seen For best results using this technique, make sure that the layers of paint are contrasting colors. Accentuating Texture on Leaf Prints As much as beautiful outlines are fantastic on gel prints, sometimes you may want more detail in your leaf prints. To accentuate texture to the leaves left on the plate, run the brayer still covered in paint over the leaf. The paint will transfer onto any high points on the leaves, such as the veins and stems. Add your paper on top to make a print. You now have a leaf outline but some of the leaf texture from the veins and stems will be on your first print. The second print will also have leaf texture because of the leaf being pushed into the gel plate when taking the first print. Creating Subtle Leaf Textures with the Gel Plate You may want to create subtle leaf textures on the page. This can be accomplished by pressing the leaves into the gel plate, but not leaving them on the surface. To get the best contrast on these prints, apply a thin layer of paint to your surface. Press your leaves and textures into the plate. I like rolling my brayer over top to make sure that it’s creating a strong impression onto the Gelli plate. Your print will have fine lines of texture. Any areas where you pressed your leaves into the paint should have removed some, if not all, of the paint creating a fine textured print. Using Curved Leaves in a Gel Print You may end up using leaves in your prints that don’t like to lay flat, an example of this is Hosta leaves. Usually, one side of the leaf will lay flatter than the other. It may take some experimentation to get a good print with these leaves. Depending on the leaf, you might be able to leave it on the surface. If it won’t stay in place, you can use it for creating subtle leaf textures by pressing it into the surface. You may also need to add paint on the leaves several times before they will start sitting flatter on the Gelli plate. In the example above I left some of the leaves on the page while taking others off for a variety of texture. Mixing Mark Making with Leaf Prints A fun way of mixing up your prints is to add mark making to your leaf prints. For these prints, I added the leaves and then added the mark making before taking my prints. For this technique you could use stamps, stencils, or other mark making tools. Another option is to create multiple layered Gelli prints, some with leaves and others with mark making. The combination of techniques is endless! What Do You Think? What do you think about Gelli plate printing with leaves? Is this something that you would try in your own creative practice? The leaves that I have tested and used in my Gelli prints are Goat’s Beard (Aruncus Dioicus), Lady’s Mantle (Alchemilla Mollis), Hosta, Lemony Lace Elderberry (sambucus racemosa), Silvermound Artemisia, and Coral Bells (Heuchera). You can use almost any leaf that you forage, but these plants are specifically in my garden because of the beauty of their leaves. I hope that you give this technique a try and take time for creative self-care this week! If you have any questions about this technique or Gelli plate printing in general, please leave a comment below! Project Supply List Amsterdam – Sky Blue Light, 120 ml Tubefrom: Blick Art Materials Amsterdam – Azo Yellow Deep, 120 ml Tubefrom: Blick Art Materials Princeton Wedge – Shape 2from: Blick Art Materials Pebeo High Viscosity Acrylics – Turquoise Blue, 100 ml tubefrom: Blick Art Materials Amsterdam – Quinacridone Rose Light, 120 ml Tubefrom: Blick Art Materials Amsterdam – Grayish Blue, 120 ml tubefrom: Blick Art Materials Princeton Wedge – Shape 4from: Blick Art Materials Amsterdam – Prussian Blue, 120 ml Tubefrom: Blick Art Materials Princeton Wedge – Shape 3from: Blick Art Materials Amsterdam – Yellowish Green, 120 ml Tubefrom: Blick Art Materials

Do you ever struggle with staring at a blank page? One of the hardest parts of art journaling can be knowing where to start. Today I will be sharing 5 acrylic background techniques to break up those blank pages and help you create with confidence. Hop-A-Long Studio is reader-supported. When you buy through links on

Alcohol inks are a beautiful and vibrant medium and today I will share several ways to use resist techniques with alcohol inks in your projects. This resist technique will work with a variety of projects, including art journals, cards, and scrapbook pages. If you are new to alcohol inks, this is a beginner friendly technique

Looking for unique collage textures for your art journal? Try using collage techniques with tissue paper gel prints. This is an easy and beautiful way to add layers and textures to your projects. If you’ve been following along for the last few weeks, I’ve shared some of my favorite gel print techniques. Today we will

Circles can be challenging to draw, but there are a variety of circle tools for drawing available to make the process so much easier. Whether you are drawing mandalas or creating circular shapes, choosing the right circle tool can make or break your project. I have recently discovered some inexpensive but super useful tools for

Do you ever struggle with staring at a blank page? One of the hardest parts of art journaling can be knowing where to start. Today I will be sharing 5 acrylic background techniques to break up those blank pages and help you create with confidence. Hop-A-Long Studio is reader-supported. When you buy through links on

I love adding interest to my projects with art journal textured background techniques. These beautiful techniques work for both my art journal projects and canvas projects. Adding texture as part of the initial layer before adding color lends to unique and beautiful results. Textures enhance the final look of your project and can help with

Using watercolors with stencils may seem like two things that don’t go together in your art journal. The loose nature of watercolor appears incompatible with stencils. But with a bit of experimentation and imagination, you can get some amazing and unexpected results using watercolors with stencils. Hop-A-Long Studio is reader-supported. When you buy through links

Using watercolors with stencils may seem like two things that don’t go together in your art journal. The loose nature of watercolor appears incompatible with stencils. But with a bit of experimentation and imagination, you can get some amazing and unexpected results using watercolors with stencils. Hop-A-Long Studio is reader-supported. When you buy through links

Have you ever tried adding napkins to your art journal? Art journaling with napkins is such a fun and easy technique to add pattern and design to your page. Especially if you are new to art journaling, this is an easy technique to get you creating full pages in no time! Today we will be

I love adding interest to my projects with art journal textured background techniques. These beautiful techniques work for both my art journal projects and canvas projects. Adding texture as part of the initial layer before adding color lends to unique and beautiful results. Textures enhance the final look of your project and can help with

Do you know that you can create beautiful works of art with napkins? These aren’t just beautiful napkins to be used at parties or around the house but are the start of a beautiful art or craft project! If you’ve never tried napkin decoupage, join me as I share everything you need to know to

Gelli plate printing with leaves is a fun and easy technique that lets us get outside to find beautiful textures. Summer in Canada is short. So, I make a point to get outside and incorporate nature in my art journal and gelli plate printing projects. Today I am sharing my favorite techniques for Gelli plate

Have you ever wondered how to make those lovely Gelli print backgrounds and how to incorporate them into your projects? This week I was playing with combining Gelli printing with die cuts and Pan Pastels and had some fantastic results! Gelli Printing with Die Cuts Gelli printing with die cuts is a great way to combine and duplicate images in your art pieces, cards, and journal pages. I love using die cuts in my prints and then cutting these same images for use as focal images on my page. I find that using a repetitive pattern in my pieces bring cohesion to my art. What to do with Gelli Prints? I find it fun and relaxing to make Gelli prints. Sometimes it is challenging to know what to do with the Gelli prints once you have made them. I have shared a few ideas on a previous post about how to use these Gelli prints in your art journals, cards, or canvas pieces. In today’s project we will talk about how to use these pieces on an art panel that can be framed and displayed. The Mixed Media Project In this mixed media project, I am sharing some new techniques for Gelli printing and how to incorporate them in an art panel with die cuts and Pan Pastels. Make Gelli Prints The first step for this project was to use an 8″ x 10″ Gelli plate for making prints. My main image for the printing is the floral SVG from Wild Whisper Designs. Using my Brother ScanNCut I resized and cut several different sizes of these floral images keeping them in scale with the size of my Gelli plate. For these prints I chose 3 colors to use: Turquoise Blue, Cerulean Blue and Iridescent Gold. I varied the colors, images and paint application to have variation in the texture, design and color for these prints. For every application of paint, I made 2 prints to give me a greater variety of images to work with. If you don’t have a electronic die cutting machine, you can also use the Wild Whisper Designs Floral Stamp Set to get a similar result. To see the details of these prints, please see the video above. Choosing your Surface For this project, I am using an 8” by 10” art panel. I purposely chose this size because it is the same dimensions as my Gelli Plate. If you find using a canvas intimidating, I suggest trying art panels. Art panels are inexpensive. They are made of canvas wrapped around a board and usually double primed. This is an easy way to gain confidence working on a piece without feeling intimidated by a larger canvas. These art panels can be framed, left as is, or used as a book cover. Adhering the Print to the Panel Using Golden semi-gel soft gloss or another gel medium, apply gel liberally to the panel with a brush. Place the Gelli print on top and smooth down with your hands. There may be bubbles between the print and the panel. Use your fingers to try to smooth out these bubbles. Add a layer of gel medium on top of the Gelli print to seal in the print. Sometimes the edges might lift. If this happens, gently life the print, add more medium between the print and the board. Press down to seal. You should end up with a print that is completely covered with a thin layer of gel medium. Set the panel aside to dry and clean your brush thoroughly. Cleaning Up Panel Edges Once the panel is dry, cut or tear the excess paper away from the panel edges. If you have small bits of paper along the edges that you would like to smooth down, use gel medium to adhere them to the edges of the panel. Adding Die Cut Images Using a Brother ScanNCut or another electronic cutting machine cut additional images of the Floral cut file from black cardstock. Using gel medium, add these die cuts to the art panel. Try overlapping the images and use one image that is larger than the others. This will add a focal element to the piece. Add gel medium to the Gelli print on the art panel, then place the floral image on the panel. Cover the top of the die cut with gel medium to seal it to the panel. Set aside to dry completely. Adding Pan Pastels to the Flowers To add color to the flowers we’re going to use Pan Pastels. Using Sofft tools, apply Magenta and Violet Pan Pastels onto the flower images. By adding layers of pastel to the surface, this will give soft, translucent color to the images. To color the leaves, start with Bright Yellow Green and add in some Phtalo Green Extra Dark to add in some darker tones. For a more detailed tutorial on Pan Pastels, what they are and how to use them, visit this link. Sealing Your Artwork Make sure to seal your artwork before displaying your piece. You can either use a Workable Fixative to set the pastel or an Archival varnish that seals and protects your piece from UV fading. What Do You Think? What do you think about using Gelli Printing with die cuts? Do you like the idea of having one image repeated through the piece? I would love to hear what you think about this project, what you have learned and if you have any questions. Please comment below or contact me directly, I would love to hear from you! I would also love to see your work! Please use hashtag #hopalongstudio on Instagram if you try any of my projects. I would love to see your work and connect with you! I hope that you have a great week and take time for restorative self care. Project Supply List Gelli Arts Gel Printing Plate 8” x 10” Wild Whisper Design Floral Stamp Set Wild Whisper Design Floral Cut File Surfaces: Staples Black 90lb Cardstock, 8.5 by 11” Copy Paper, 8” x 10” Canvas Board Pebeo Studio Acrylics: Turquoise Blue, Cerulean Blue and Iridescent Gold Golden Soft Gel Medium Semi-Gloss Pan Pastels: Magenta, Violet, Bright Yellow Green, Phthalo Green Extra Dark, Turquiose, Turquoise Shade, Ultramarine Blue Shade Tools: Brother ScanNCut, Sofft Tools, 1” Paintbrush, Brayer, Stamping Block Krylon Workable Fixative Other materials: Gloves, Scissors, Baby Wipes