Sarah Jane's Craft Blog

This is my third installment in learning how to use a gel press printing plate. So far I've explored the basics with craft paint and copy paper , then graduated to using card stock and paint stamps , and today I'll try using stencils. I got out a silicone craft mat , my gel press printing plate , a stack of plastic stencils , some 8 1/2 X 11 card stock cut in half (because I have a 5 x 7 gel press), craft paint , and paint brushes and a paper plate. I started by painting my gel press plate with some yellow paint (lighter colors work best to start with when layering) and printing it on a piece of card stock, then I painted the plate with a light blue and applied the stencil. Then I applied the painted card stock to the gel press  It sort of worked, but since the stencil was smaller than the press/paper, it left an outline--no biggie, it can be cut down if you don't like the look, but the part that I didn't like was that there was lots of paint bleed through on the sten...

Last week I started my journey of learning how to use a gel press printing plate . I learned a few things which I then attempted to apply to this week's project while adding in the use of foam paint stamps . I have an extensive collection of foam stamps that I used to use to make homemade wrapping paper . I laid out a silicone craft mat and grabbed my gel press, some paint brushes, craft paint , a brayer , foam paint stamps, and some card stock sheets cut in half. Last week, I learned that regular paper gets wet and becomes easy to tear pretty quickly, so I decided to use some card stock for this week's project. I painted a light coating of craft paint onto my gel plate to start. I learned that lighter coats of paint worked better than heavy coats with the craft paint. Next I grabbed a foam stamp and used it to press across the plate. The stamp lifted some of the paint off of the press and created a pattern. I laid my piece of cardstock onto the painted press. Then I used a b...

A long while back, I saw a gel printing plate being used for a craft online and thought it was the coolest thing ever. So I ordered one online (there are a couple of brands, but  mine's a 5 x 7 inch Gel Press brand printing plate ). Then I forgot I had it for a couple of years and finally decided to bring it out and try it. This is not an expert tutorial, but instead a chance for you to follow along as I learn about how to get the gel printing plate to work.   I laid out a silicone mat to protect my table and gathered up a bunch of supplies. I grabbed my stash of old craft paints , paint brushes, some paint daubers , a paper plate to use as a palette, and a bunch of 24lb copy paper (that I cut in half since the gel press is 5 X 7). I also grabbed a brayer that I had in my linoleum stamping supplies. I chose a few colors of paint that were complementary to start. I used a paint brush to apply the paint onto the gel press. Once the gel press was covered in paint, I used a pain...