Hi! Welcome to the Gelli Arts® blog, it’s Birgit here today with a colorful new project.
When you pull a print, it usually is not a final piece of art, and a lot of times we don’t need them to be, as we are using the prints as collage material, backgrounds in our art journals, or as a base for cards.
But what if you want to create a stand-alone piece of art from your prints? Something that is ready to frame? One way is to use paint markers. You can use them to create “Dot-art,” outline shapes, add marks, scribble, doodle, and color. You can even use them with a brush for a more painterly look.
In this video, I will show you three ways I use markers on my gel prints.
Watch the YouTube tutorial here: https://youtu.be/_mHkU4PSJbI
Start with pulling a base/background print to work on.
I create 3 different prints to show different ways of using the paint markers.
The first print is made with a paper tube relief. If you want to learn more about making paper tube reliefs then you can see a video tutorial HERE.
The second print was made using some leaves. Any leaves will work, even artificial leaves.
And the third print was made using a handmade hot glue stamp. If you want to learn more about making hot glue stamps then you can watch a video tutorial HERE.
I used a variety of markers, like Posca, Amsterdam, Liquitex, Molotow and Darwi.
All markers work and it is really a matter of personal preference which you choose based on the nib, opacity, paint flow etc. I really like the Poscas and also the Amsterdam markers.
You can use the markers to accentuate the shapes in your print by following the lines with dots and little dashes and create a dot art feel. I used a bunch of contrasting colors but this also looks awesome in monochromatic colors.
You can also use your markers to make shapes on your print stand out more and do some mark making for extra interest. In this case my print was a bit disappointing as the leaves didn’t really stand out, so it really needed the outlines. But even a good print can get more interesting with some mark making and some splattering to create more liveliness and movement.
You can also use a brush to move the paint from the markers around. This will give a more subtle look than drawing. I used it for instance to color the stem and to enhance the colors of the leaves.
But you can also totally disregard the patterns and the shapes on your print and only use it for the colors and the textures.
The technique shown here also works very well with prints that you are not too happy with. Because in the end result you will only see little bits of the colors and textures of the original print you can basically do this with any print you have in your stash.
I used a permanent black pen (because the nib is finer than the paint markers) to draw very simple flower shapes and leaves. You can draw whatever you want and as intricate as you want, as long as there is room between the shapes to fill to partially cover up the background. This helps the colorful shapes to stand out.
I used black to fill the empty spaces but you can of course also do this in white or any other color you like. It is nice to do the drawing in the same color as the color you use to fill the open areas.
After adding color and details to the print I used a Derwent Inktense Watercolor pencil and a wet brush to add some shadowing.
Now the prints are ready to frame and don’t they look nice?!
I hope you enjoyed this tutorial and we would love to see what you create, so please share and don’t forget to tag @gelliarts and use #gelliarts so we can find your posts!
Happy printing and have a lovely day! Make it colorful 🌈 🩷
Birgit
Materials:
5”x7” Gelli Arts® gel printing plate and/or 8”x10” Gelli Arts® gel printing plate
Gelli Arts Mini Placement Tool (to line up layers and a nice white border)
Speedball soft rubber Brayer
Acrylic paint f.i. Amsterdam, Liquitex or Ara
Paint markers like Posca, Amsterdam, Liquitex, Molotow or Darwi.
Black permanent pen/fine liner
Derwent Inktense watercolor pencil in black or dark blue
Small brush
Heavy paper (360gr/165lbs) for acrylic paint
Leaves
To create texture/patterns: handmade paper tube reliefs -watch video tutorial HERE.
Handmade hot glue stamp – watch a video tutorial HERE.
Other/Optional:
Lino brayer (optional, for easy blending)
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