Gel print cityscapes
Posted: June 16, 2021 Filed under: Darkroom Door, gel press, large stars, Stencils | Tags: gel printing 11 Comments
Yesterday was coast line, today we are back to the city. I hesitated before sharing these as I am still experimenting with the technique but I think these two panels are good representations of what I am aiming for.
These panels are quite large; they are printed on rice paper from a 12″x18″ pad. My gel plate for these is 12″ x 14″ so it was tight on the edges and sometimes I didn’t get it lined up exactly. With gel printing not getting things lined up exactly is part of the charm in my opinion. I initially bought the rice paper for painting but it was the perfect size for large gel prints so I tried it and liked it.
My technique for both these panels was the same. I began with a two or three colour base layer then every time I printed over the top I lay rectangular pieces of thick magazine paper over sections of the panel to mask ‘buildings’. Some of the rectangles had little squares and rectangles cut out; I used the Waffle Flower ‘color combos’ dies for that.
The tall panel has gold stars in the sky created using the Darkroom Door large ‘stars’ stencil but other than that I didn’t add texture to the layers. I plan to do more of that as I keep experimenting.
My plan wasn’t to make one rather dark and the other light but that is what happened. Both feature gold paint but in the lighter one it has showed up as a sheen in the photograph and distracts a bit from the ‘buildings’.
The process is enjoyable but takes some planning and thinking because any surface that I want to preserve has to be masked on the next and subsequent layers. Sometimes I get it right, sometimes not, but I’m still happy with these abstract cityscapes.
Supplies
Heather Telford 
Very well done. This requires a lot of thinking and concentration. Not bad for a gelprint starter.
They are wonderful! I love the dark one! No problems with the rice paper sticking?
Thank you Clelie, the rice paper didn’t stick, but I didn’t leave it for long. It is quite thin but got more sturdy with each layer of paint.
These are so well thought out and a clever idea Heather and love the look on the rice paper. I have done a little gelli printing but am still trying to get my head around the order of doing layers in order to get the look you are after, but it is and will always be rather random. Not being a terribly random person makes it harder for me. x
Oh my gosh. Who would have thought that with rectangular shapes this could happen! I love both but am particularly fond of the darker one. This is amazing! Thanks for sharing and for the reminder to bring out my plate again!
Very extraordinary cards. Definitely different from your regular water colors.
Love this background.
Tish
You should be happy with these prints Heather they are exactly what they claim to be. I love the way the ‘moon’ in the lighter one lights up the left area of the print, just as the moon would; and I love the moody dark sky with the gold stars in the tall one.
Heather what time does the Craft Roulette start on Friday night please? I can’t find it out on line.
Hi Karen,
Thanks so much, I am really enjoying the different process involved in the printing and the unique results. Craft Roulette starts at 7:30pm EDT so I think that is 1am for you, not a very appealing time!!
Thanks Heather. I am usually still up and about then, (it is 2.35 am now) so I will be cheering you on. Enjoy the experience..
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These are amazing and seem so origional I mean I’ve never seen or heard of a process like this. You are rocking the Gel plate!