We're all #Cre8time Mad Here... Designer Crafts Connection Gel Press® Bloghop

Hello everyone! Today the Designer Crafts Connection takes on a new challenge featuring monoprinted creations using the Gel Press® reusable gel printing plate. These are easy to use and so much fun for art enthusiasts of all ages.

For this challenge, Gel Press® provided each of the Designer Craft Connection designers with one of the Gel Press reusable gel printing plates. I have tried other variations at workshops, though I haven't tried out the Gel Press. I really love the 5" x 7" size as it's perfect for my smaller size art journal pages.

Along with the Gel Press® plate, I gathered some old book pages, letter and pattern stencils, punchinella, some texture plates made from Amazing Mold Rubber, a prepared cast resin embroidery hoop, Speedball brayer, Mod Podge, a few Ranger Distress Paints and Golden Green Gold fluid acrylic paint. I also need a pencil, scissors, Diamond Glaze, and a couple markers. The resin pumpkins are a separate project, though I need to paint up enough papers for collaging them in the same color scheme.

I set out the Gel Press® plate onto a cutting mat from the Dollar Tree {these work great for a protective work surface}. The Gel Press® plate sticks itself to the surface and stays put while you are moving your paint around with a brayer. I apply some Cracked Pistachio Distress Paint to the plate. I like using the Distress Paints for monoprinting as they are a little bit wetter than regular acrylics which allows me a little more time to work with while creating patterns in the wet paint.

I spread out the color evenly with my brayer then pressed my mold rubber texture plate into the wet paint. I pressed evenly across the plate then peeled back to reveal this beautiful circular pattern taken from a vintage decorative plate. I pressed the paper onto the Gel Plate® to transfer my first painted layer. I repeated this several times to make five sheets of paper that will all be similar when I'm done.

The second layer from the Gel Press® will be Mermaid Lagoon Distress Paint with this awesome punchinella design that I got from Gauche Alchemy. It gives a pattern that is a cross between a floral and an animal print. I am really loving how easy this is and how this is coming along! 

Of course you know I have to have purple... the third layer is Wilted Violet Distress Paint combined with a Tim Holtz mini Damask Stencil {THMST004 mini stencil set 4}. 

With the smaller size of this stencil, I needed to work quickly. I pressed the stencil onto the painted Gel Press® then rubbed a scrap section of paper to remove paint in the negative areas. I removed the stencil, then repeated two more times to completely cover the plate with the damask pattern.

This is the result of the third pull. The colors and variations of layers and texture are so interesting... and my recycled book pages are totally transformed into beautiful art. In about a half an hour, I have 5 finished matching patterns and a whole bunch of starters as a result of cleaning off brayer and leftover paint on the plate and stencils.

I select one of the finished Gel Press® printed papers and prepared my resin frame for mounting to this custom word art. FIRST I need to add some stenciled and hand written words... it's much easier to do this before mounting the frame.

I place the frame over the section of paper I want to use and I trace around the inside and outside edges of the frame with a pencil. This is so I can see where I need to center the lettering going forward.

Since I'm combining my hand writing with stencils - I go ahead and plan it out in pencil on a scrap of paper first. This is just for my piece of mind. For "embrace" I used a Tim Holtz ths011 Schoolhouse layering stencil and for "your" a generic lettering stencil from the art supply aisle at Michaels.

I traced the letters with a Black Sakura Pigma™ FB pen. The nib is a small size brush tip and it fit perfectly through the voids of the stencils. I added my freehand "crazy" then went back building up and filling in the letters with the pen. I also added a little doodling and flourishes. I blended out a bit of Seedless Preserves Distress marker in from the edges to add interest. I cut the circle out following the traced line of the outer edge of the frame.

I wouldn't have normally painted the backside of this resin piece - though I had a bit of a paint craftastrophe with the purple dauber top and had paint all over my hands so I rubbed some off on the frame, some paper and to my resin pumpkins. I ran a line of Diamond Glaze around the edge to adhere to my lovely word art.

I press down gently to adhere edges and let dry for a few minutes. Then I go and back trim any excess with scissors. I think I will add a sheet of self-adhesive magnet to the backside to finish this off so I can also hang it on my fridge.

I tied off a section of hand-dyed sari ribbon. BEA-U-TIFUL!!!

I love how the Amazing Mold Rubber picked up every tiny detail of woodgrain from the vintage embroidery hoop casting.

Embrace Your Crazy!

CLICK HERE to jump over to the beginning of the Gel Press® Bloghop at the Designer Crafts Connection blog and find more ideas of what to do with a gel printing plate!

To learn more about Gel Press®

visit http://www.gelpress.com/

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Thanks so much for visiting! For more +++++ inspiration visit the Designer Crafts Connection "Gel Press®" bloghop HERE. Sb :)

** This is a sponsored post. Gel Press® has provided a Gel Press® reusable gel printing plate in exchange for my creative ideas, views and opinions. My ideas and opinions are my own.