T Stands For Impeccable Taste

Before we begin today,  I want to remind you that we have one more week to prepare our ATCs for the 4th T Stands For Tuesday Anniversary Party.  It would be best if you have yours ready to send to your Pay It Forward (PIF) partner on the 18th, so they can go out that day or the next.  Remember, you only need ONE ATC to play, but you can exchange as many as you like with other T Tuesday participants, or even friends who visit your blog at other times.

Also, before we begin, I have to once again thank my friend Halle.  When she helped me set up my buttons for T Stands For Tuesday and Second on the 2nd, she asked if I had a Photobucket account.  Surely you gest!  I'm a blogger and didn't even know what Photobucket was.  I recently read on Kate Crane's blog that Photobucket is now charging $399.00 (I'm assuming that's USD) a year to third party host your photos.  Thanks to Halle, I didn't need an account with them.  Now all I have to do is stay friends with Halle (something that is VERY EASY to do)! Let's thank Halle and return to our regularly scheduled post.

Because Bleubeard and I are hosting Art Journal Journey this month,

today's T post is all about a cup of summertime coffee.  Of course it doesn't hurt to have a HOT hunk holding it.

Enough said!

Now this is what I call

a good looking cup of coffee.

Can't you just feel all that summertime warmth and love?

I backed the hunk magazine image with heavy card stock so it would stand away from the background.  I tried to get "artsy" with doodles that circled the page.

I thought the hunk didn't need anything else, other than the background, which I created from a gelatin plate using a stencil gifted me by my friend Corrine Gilman.

Materials include white card stock, gelatin printing, a gifted stencil, a paint marker, and computer generated text colored with watercolor crayons (the gift that keeps on giving).

Now it's your turn to share your T entry this week.  The rules are extremely simple.  Your drink related post may be anything from a photo of a glass, cup, or mug, to an actual drink.  You may choose to share a sketch or a digital, hybrid, or traditional page in your scrapbook, art journal, or altered book as I did today.  Maybe you'd prefer to share a tag, or wow us with your photography.  You might choose a postcard or decorated card.  You might even draw an image on a used tea bag.  Or perhaps you prefer to review a place you visited, a movie, or book.  It makes no difference as long as it's drink related.  And don't forget that the more unique and outside the box it is, the better we like it.  Please tie it back here, and please link only to your T post, not your entire blog.  When you link, Bleubeard, the T gang, and I will be by to visit.   Bleubeard would also like to remind you that your photos may be taken any time, even months or years ago, if you choose. Art Journal Journey

Thanks for joining Bleubeard and me for T this Tuesday, and we also hope to see you at Art Journal Journey with your favorite post that is loaded with summertime love.

Second Thursday Tutorial: comparing printing plates

Today is the second Thursday in May, and time for my once monthly tutorial.

Nothing really new or unique this month, but I thought I would compare and contrast different printing plates.  From left, acrylic sheet, Gelli Plate, mouse pad encased in a clear 3-ring sheet protector.

Let's begin with my favorite, which is a sheet of acrylic.  If you don't have acrylic, you can use a piece of glass from an old picture frame.  But be sure to wrap the edges with some type of tape, because glass can cut.    Before I got my sheet of acrylic, I tried to use a piece of glass, but the tape I wrapped around the edges of the glass was just thick enough to cause the glass to bend when I used my brayer, which scared me.  You may have better luck, though, and this is a viable alternative to the expensive Gelli.

I like to put a sheet of grid paper under my acrylic plate, or something the same size as the paper I'll be working on.  That way I know where to spread my paint.  However, be aware, it can slip if it's on a slippery surface, like a craft mat or a garbage bag.

I have all my supplies ready, but couldn't find my good brayer.  I had to use my old one, which challenges me.  Besides cheap craft paint, I also have wet wipes and a bamboo skewer.  You cannot use the skewer on the Gelli plate, but you CAN use it on the acrylic plate.

Most Gelli fanatics will tell you that you can use ANY acrylic paint, but you have to be careful of drying time with these cheaper paints.  When I used the Gelli, I added a glaze, which took the place of the more expensive extenders that are sold in art supply stores.  I got my glazes at my local household hazardous waste swap and shop facility.

I seem to have better luck with the acrylic plate, because drying time doesn't seem to be a problem.

Although brayer challenged, I was able to draw some hearts in the three colors of paint.  I would never try this on the gelli, because no matter how careful you are, the bamboo skewer can gouge the plate.  Not the case with the acrylic plate.

Not the best piece I've made, but not the worst, either.  This is 8.5 X 11 inch 110 lb. card stock.

I used a bigger piece of 12 X 12 inch 90 lb card stock to mop up the remains where I went over the edges of the paper.

Even though I was definitely brayer challenged, I continued to make more art.  Clean up is quite easy.  All I had to do was remove the excess paint with a wet wipe.  Be aware, the acrylic plate will eventually get a few bits of paint on it that you won't be able to remove, no matter what you do.  When I completely finish a session, I soak the plate in hotish soapy water for a few minutes, use a soft cloth to wash it, then dry and put it away.

I decided to put myself and my acrylic plate out of our misery and quit while I was ahead.  This way,

I'll have a good base for if and when I find my good brayer.  At least I know where it wasn't when I looked for it.

AHHH!  Found it.  It was hiding upstairs in my craft room where I was originally going to photograph this tutorial.

More cheap acrylic craft paint and I was ready to resume where I left off last time we visited.

After spreading the paint around,

I think I'm equally brayer challenged with this brayer, too.

The big difference between the acrylic plate and the Gelli is the "squishyness" factor.  More similar to the gelatin I cooked for my first time gel plate, the Gelli has a squash factor, where the acrylic plate is hard.

I admit it's harder to get a good print on deli paper with the acrylic plate, but you can use any and all dyes, inks, or paint (even made for fabric), which, according to the Gelli instructions, is a no-no.

Let's plow forward and try the next technique.  My friend Susi told me about this technique months ago, and I was anxious to try it.  From what Susi explained, you place any mouse pad inside a clear Polypropylene three ring binder sheet protector.  Mine loads the piece from the top, but I've seen ones that load from the side, too.

Similar to the acrylic sheet, you can use any craft paint, ink, or dye on the binder sheet. 

It was harder to control the start and stop action of my brayer, but that only means I will need to cut these painted papers to size.

Clean-up was easy.  All I needed was a wet wipe.  Of course, I have a TON of these protector sheets, so if it gets too grungy, I'll simply pitch the protector.

I also wasn't afraid to use the bamboo skewer to draw words and images on the protector.  If you like the squish factor the Gelli gives, then this set-up is probably for you.

I admit these are just the start as backgrounds, but I like them for their uniqueness.

Let's compare:

Cost: 

Gelli is EXPENSIVE. Mine was $40.00 USD.  They are hard to find unless you go online and order them or have access to a craft show where they are being featured.

Acrylic plate was free.  It was given to me when a friend was going to throw it away.

Mouse pad and protective binder sheet were also free.  I was given a bunch of the protector sheets and the mouse pad was a freebie I picked up at some trade show.

Squish factor:

Gelli has the best.

Mouse pad and binder sheet were good.

Acrylic plate is hard. 

These can change the way your brayer behaves on each plate.

Ease of use:

Gelli plate scares me.  I'm always afraid I'll leave a permanent mark or gouge the plate with my fingernails.  Do not use watercolor paints as they are very thin and watery which causes beading on the plate.  Do not use some oil based inks and paints, since they can soften the Gelli.

Mouse pad and binder sheet were easy to use, but hard to control because the mouse pad was much smaller than the binder sheet.  Any ink, paint, or dye can be used on the binder sheet.

Acrylic plate is practically indestructible, which makes it the easiest in my world.  Any ink, paint, or dye can be used on the acrylic plate.

Clean-up:

Gelli plate suggests you clean it with dish soap and water after each session, or simply clean with a wet paper towel.  You can also use hand sanitizer.   Wipe the plate with baby oil to remove any stains, then remove the baby oil with dish soap and water.  Sometimes your hands can leave oil on the Gelli, at which time clean with dish soap and water.

Mouse pad and binder sheet are easily cleaned with a wet wipe, paper towel and water, or the binder sheet can be tossed after a heavy printing session.

Acrylic plate is easily washed by soaking a few minutes in dish soap, then washing with a soft cloth.  Rinse and dry before putting it away.

Overall likeness factor:

It's no secret I prefer the acrylic plate, but I may not really know how to use the gelli to its fullest potential. 

I hope this comparison of gelatin printing has been useful to those of you who don't own a Gelli, those of you who are thinking of getting one, and those of you who already own a Gelli, but might want to explore other alternatives.

Thanks for visiting today, and as soon as this goes live, it will be stored forever on my Tutorials page under "Comparing gelatin printing plates."

Gelli "PLAY?" (the end)

So glad you were able to join me for three previous days of play with my Gelli.  I decided to try something a bit different for Day 4.

After cleaning the plate a bit the day before, I decided to use some of the pearl glaze for my first layer.

I also brought out some yellow and crimson acrylic paint, but I'm getting a bit ahead of myself.

I've always said I was brayer challenged, and this confirms it.  I even bought this new brayer a year ago, but it doesn't work any better than the first one I bought.  You can see that even after lots of rolling the glaze back and fourth, fourth and back, I still can't make it even.  The evidence is on the brayer itself, seen on the right side of the photo.

So I gave up and made some squiggle marks on the plate using a soft tool I had been given years ago.  Don't confuse these marks with Squiggles, who is not allowed in the basement, but is sleeping at my feet in the office as I type this post.

The crimson came out OK, after all, I had used it the day before.  But the yellow was too dry to use. It made sense since I've had that particular tube since the late 1980s.  So, I went with the newer yellow, instead.

About 30 minutes later, this was all I had to show for this very disappointing technique I thought would produce some favorable results.  Not to worry, though.  You'll see these either in my Journal 52 or 7 Continents spreads.  It hasn't been a waste of time, at least.

The next thing I did was brayer yellow on the Gelli and pulled one print.  Then, before the yellow was totally gone, added some maroon and more pearl glaze to the Gelli.

When I was as satisfied as I could be with the coverage, I laid down this gifted piece of wood in the middle of the plate.

I removed the wooden piece

and was basically satisfied with what I saw.  I apologize for the glare, but I'm in a basement and the light is not the best.

After aligning the plate with the yellow pull as best I could, I pulled this print.  I was over the moon with happiness, because I knew I could work with this!  It was wonderful, and reminded me of a wood cut.

One decent print and a bunch of rejects meant I was finished.  Done.  Through.  Ready to quit.

It was now time to clean and put everything away.  Contrary to the Gelli web site, water doesn't remove everything, and neither do wipes.  The Gelli site must not be as anal precise as I am.  After all, this plate cost an arm and a leg (exactly 2/3) of my yearly art budget, so I want to make sure I put it away clean.

I had purchased the baby oil specifically for cleaning the plate, so that's what I did.  You might be able to see how much more residual paint I got off the plate with the baby oil.

Next it was time to put everything away, sorting items that would return to the craft room on the main floor of the house and the ones that would stay in the basement.  All this paper, as well as the plastic doily would go upstairs.  The paper on the bottom is 12 X 12 inch scrapbook paper that is cardstock weight.  Since it's white, I  can turn it into anything I want to make.  The paper above it is old printer paper that has been around since daisy wheel and dot matrix printers were in vogue.  It's also white, so I'll be doing a few things with it, too.  But for now, I'll be concentrating on cleaning this basement studio, since this is where I've brought most of the items Sally gave my after I cleaned her garage.

In yesterday's post I mentioned there was a big difference in baby wipes and wet wipes.  I decided to show them side by side, but you may not be able to see the difference even though they look so much different through my camera's lens.

The wet wipes on the left have texture and are thin.  I could even see the green mat through the wet wipe.  The baby wipes on the right are much thicker, have no raised texture, and feel like cloth.  I have other wipes that I used to get free at the grocery store (seems they stopped having them at the front of the store lately) that feel like they have polyester in them.

Although wipes all work the same, the way you treat them when you recycle them is important.  For example, you can't iron wet wipes and the ones that feel like polyester melt under your iron.  Baby wipes can be ironed.

Reasons I don't like the Gelli:

1.  You have to be too careful with it.  It costs way too much and it scares me.

2.  It's hard to clean, regardless what other sites believe.

3.  My brayer doesn't work well with it.

4.  It's squishy.  Most sites tell you that's a plus, but I find it hard to pull prints from it.

I'll be back at some point next week with two alternatives to the Gelli that don't scare me.  One is an alternative I have used forever to make monoprints, and one Susi told me about in yesterday's comments about how she makes prints.

For now, thanks for visiting, and thanks for looking.  In between taking care of Sally who just had emergency surgery to have a new pacemaker installed, I'll be making quick art. I appreciate your comments, even when I'm slow in responding.

Gelli "PLAY?"

By now, I'm sure many of you who follow my blog know how much I dislike my Gelli Plate, a gift I asked for three years in a row, and finally bought for my Christmas present two Christmas' ago.  The first time I used it, I took it to my friend Kathy's to play with it.  It wasn't fun then, and we were both disappointed with it.


The second time I played with it, there was a circle that went through to both sides, so no matter which side I used, the circle was imprinted on the plate and still there.  You can see it, because it's dark in the photo, and it left marks on anything I made.  When I ran my hand over the Gelli, I could feel how it was raised, too.

This is how I originally set up my Gelli back in June, and it still looks
 
pretty much the same today.

Although I added a few things I wanted to work on, 

and changed where the paint was, I was simply tired of walking around this mess every time I wanted to make an assemblage or something else in my basement studio.  You would think I would have spent the summer down here, but this table spread out like it was, kept me from enjoying the cool of the basement.

The bad news was that I had completely forgotten how to use the Gelli plate.  The good news was, after sitting all summer, the Gelli healed itself and the circle that went completely through the Gelli is no longer there.  I can't explain it any more than I can explain how the raised circle got there in the first place.

Moving on, I decided to combine some pearl glaze with turquoise paint.  But the paint was so incredibly old and nearly hard, I had trouble with it. 

After about two hours of fighting with the paint and glaze, this is what I got.  I have NO idea why the color is so horribly wrong here, but no amount of adjusting in PS helped.  Not much to show for all that work I did.

On Day 2, the paint was finally dry on the bags, and I was ready to try again.  This time I remembered I needed water to clean my brayer, a spritzer of water to clean the Gelli, and the last of my baby wipes.  I have other WIPES, but they are not the same as baby wipes, which are much thicker and have a cloth feel to them.

A favorite color combination is red and purple.  I've loved this color combination since I was in high school and found fabric that my grandmother turned into a blouse I wore forever.  I didn't realize the red was going to separate, though.  I actually started out with a mess on my hands.

These were the only two colors I used and it took me about three hours

to create these.  Somehow, I don't think I have the concept of the Gelli down very well, even though I watched a couple of videos after the disastrous effects of Day 1.

Day 3 gave me these.  Thankfully, I won't be printing on any more of the paper bags, which were actually something I drew on from two of my internet friends.  Quite some time ago, Corrine used paper bags with her Gelli.  Although I couldn't find the link on her blog (she has a LOT of Gelli and Stencil Girl posts), I remembered the concept and even commented that I might have to try that some day.  Also, some of you might remember the lovely bag I got from Patty when she sent me a gift in the bag earlier this summer.  Since I thought it was such a great idea, I tried to create some of these bags using stencils Corrine sent me, and a plastic doily from the thrift store.

I hope to make a few things using the Gelli and some of my bed sheets before I put this plate and the other goodies attached to it, away.  After all, it took nearly a day to get everything originally set up, so tearing it down will be like pulling teeth.  However, I want to make some Christmas gifts, so I need the space for assemblages, and the Gelli takes up a lot of dedicated space.

Thanks for looking.  No, I don't like the Gelli much better than before, but at least I'm glad it healed itself.  Again, I appreciate all your wonderful comments, too.