Gel Print Floral Card Combos – Video
Posted: October 2, 2023 Filed under: gel press, Tutorial | Tags: gel press, gel printing, Tutorial, video 2 Comments
One of my favourite things to print on a gel plate is flowers. One of my favourite flowers to print is Queen Anne’s Lace. You might think, as I did, that Queen Anne’s Lace would be too fragile to print but it is surprisingly strong and the gel plate picks up all that delightful detail.
I don’t always print an envelope and card front in one go but it is a nice way to get a matching pair. I used a 9″x11″gel plate to easily fit both. I mention in the video that you can print the flowers over and over; the paint that clings to the flower head makes it sturdier rather than pulling it apart. The first few prints might leave some seeds on the gel plate and print but that just adds to the realism in my opinion.
Thank you to those of you who subscribed to my youtube channel last week. I am slowly building my community of subscribers again after losing my first channel. There are some of my early gel printing videos on the new channel marked with a ‘from the archives’ label and there is a gel printing playlist if you want to binge the lot.
If you don’t have a gel plate large enough to pick up a card front and envelope in one print you could always do two prints one after the other keeping your paint colours the same.
Below are a few more card and envelope combos I’ve printed using this same technique with a sticker to mask a space larger enough for the address.
You can see on this card featuring Queen Anne’s Lace and grasses that the print does not reach to the top of the card front. I guess I didn’t press down evenly when taking the print.
Of course you can make co-ordinating card and envelope prints using any pattern; it doesn’t have to be plants but when I have plants, not snow in the yard I like to choose plants. I’ve also used stencils.
I hope you give this technique a try; it makes an eye catching bit of mail to send. Make sure you use removable stickers to mask your address box; you can probably guess why I mention that!
If you are new to gel printing check out my online course Gel Print Journey to learn all the basics and try all sorts of patterns and combos.
A Portland Bridge
Posted: September 29, 2023 Filed under: Echidna Studios, portland bridge | Tags: Echidna Studios, Fabriano Watercolour Paper, sennelier watercolours 13 Comments
You might recognise the style of this image; it’s a new digital landscape stamp called Portland Bridge from Echidna Studios etsy store. My daughter and I both have designs in her store but this style is one of her strengths, drawn from photos she has taken herself. She was thrilled to compete in Oregon earlier this year and while there took beautiful photos of the surrounding scenery. This bridge is called Lake Oswego Railroad Bridge. I know I’ve had a few readers from Oregon over the years; do you know this bridge?
Echidna Studios includes digital images for printing, cutting or both. (read to the end of this post to learn about a giveaway) I printed this one on Fabriano hot pressed watercolour paper manually fed through my laser printer. I painted the scene with Sennelier watercolour paints starting with a diluted blue sky and the same blue but deeper for the river. After that dried I mixed some green in with the same blue to paint the background trees and added more green for the second and third layer of trees. I used a mix of brown and blue for the rocks. When those areas dried I mixed some light greens, yellows and oranges to paint all the trees clustered around the river and houses. I left the bridge and houses until last, using a white gel pen where necessary to bring back white lines to the bridge. I thought this scene would take me much longer to paint but by working in sections as described above it probably took a bit over an hour.
Pop over to the Echidna Studios store and take a look at the wide variety of images and stencil cutting files available. To be entered in a draw for a free digital image head over to Instagram, follow Echidna Studios and comment on one of their posts. We are wanting to spread the word about these fabulous designs. There are now over 50 designs with new ones being added each week.
The screen shot above shows the settings used to print successfully on watercolour paper. I included it in case you haven’t tried. I open the digital image in Inkscape but you could use other apps. When the printer dialog pops up on the screen I go to preferences so I can select paper quality as heavyweight and paper source as manual. I imagine the dialog box is different depending on your printer but this information might be helpful for you. Being able to print on watercolour paper and not have it brush off or smudge has been wonderful for digital images.
Have a wonderful day.
Oops; I forgot your birthday
Posted: September 28, 2023 Filed under: Classes, gel press | Tags: Classes, gel press, gel printing, online class 2 Comments
My family and friends know I have issues with remembering birthdays in a timely manner. I combined a vintage sewing pattern image with a partial gel print to send an apologetic belated birthday greeting.
Combining vintage pictures or photos with gel prints on a card is an idea I got from my friend Betty. She has made many clever cards using the same combo. Now that I have made one of my own I’m going to have to do it again, hopefully not due to a missed birthday!
I’ve been prepping for my next Art Journal Adventure class which features images from vintage sewing patterns so that is how I happened to have this fashionista backed and cut out. The bright orange print is one from my online Gel Print Journey class and the contrast turned out to be a winner. Since I am talking about classes please check out my Classes page and if any of the online courses capture your interest use the code ENDOFSUMMERSALE at checkout for a 20% discount during September.
To be notified about future classes join my mailing list CLICK HERE.
Artsy Alcohol Ink on the Gel Plate
Posted: September 26, 2023 Filed under: Alcohol Ink, artsy stems, Darkroom Door, gel press, Tim Holtz | Tags: Alcohol Ink, Darkroom Door stamps, gel press, gel printing, Ranger Alcohol Ink 4 Comments
I have a couple of cards made from alcohol prints on the gel plate which is the technique feature in my last two youtube videos. I love the colours in this one and the funky patterns made using die-cut artsy stems, which are Tim Holtz dies.
The technique used in the recent youtube videos involves stencils not die-cuts but the effect is the same when the die-cuts are cut from stencil film or similar thin non-porous material. I use films from Grafix, either matte duralar or craft plastic.
I can’t remember the exact inks I used for the panel above but my guess is a deep blue such as glacier as well as some gold mixative or alloy ink. I pulled the print with the transparent gold paint used in this video so the panel has a subtle shimmer to it in real life. I loved the pattern so much I decided to add the narrow strip of gold but no sentiment.
The second card was also made using alcohol inks on the gel plate but is a more grungy print due to the mix of green and cream paint used to pull the print and the mix of yellow, green and blue alcohol inks used to make the pattern on the gel plate.
Rather than use the whole panel I added a simple blue gel printed piece to the top of the card front and once again a gold strip of cardstock. The sentiment is from the Darkroom Door happy birthday set.
I hope you enjoy these two examples of what can be made from alcohol ink gel prints. Let me know if you try the technique.
This post features affiliate links to the Scrap’n’Stamp. If you buy through these links I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.
More Alcohol Inks on the Gel Plate
Posted: September 25, 2023 Filed under: Alcohol Ink, Dies, Flutters, gel press, Lavinia, Penny Black, pods stencil, Taylored Expressions | Tags: Alcohol Ink, gel press, gel printing, Lavinia, Penny Black creative dies, Taylored Expressions 1 Comment
Using alcohol inks and stencils on the gel plate is a bit of an addiction for me right now so I filmed another one to show you. A friend let me know that if you receive my blog posts by email the video doesn’t show up in the email. To see the video just click on the title of the blog post and it will take you to my blog. If you would like to subscribe to my youtube channel too that would be delightful.
I started this print with the Lavinia pods stencil already covered in ink and then added more ink and isopropyl alcohol when it was on the gel plate. Take a look at the video below to see the process.
I would love to hear if you try this technique. As I mentioned last week I like pulling the prints with paper or cardstock because they are surfaces that I wouldn’t normally use with alcohol inks.
The finished card does include most of the print; it is a larger size than my usual A2 cards. I decided to add the Penny Black dragonflies in the wine colour which matches the alcohol ink I added very sparingly. In retrospect you will probably agree I could have added more. The sentiment is from Taylored Expressions ‘In and Out Birthday’ stamped in Chianti versafine clair ink.
My blog features affiliate links to the following companies. If you buy through these links I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Ecstasy Crafts (Ecstasy Crafts offers a discount code heathertecs10 you can use for a 10% discount at checkout)
Autumn Entrance
Posted: September 21, 2023 Filed under: autumn entrance, Penny Black | Tags: Fabriano Watercolour Paper, Penny Black stamps, Ranger Distress inks 9 Comments
Days are getting shorter, nights are getting cooler and autumn is officially a few days away. I created this welcoming little scene with the Penny Black set ‘autumn entrance‘. The largest stamps are the door, the window and the bricks but then there are four different pumpkin stamps, the basket of wood, a wreath and a potted plant. Looks like I will be making a winter version too.
I stamped the door, window, pumpkins and basket on post-it notes, then cut them out so I could arrange them on a hot pressed watercolour paper panel. With the post-it masks in place I stamped the brick background over the top in ground espresso and barn door distress inks. I removed the door and window masks then stamped both images with faded jeans, weathered wood and black soot distress inks. Next the basket and tall pumpkin masks came off so I could stamp with mowed lawn, spiced marmalade, wild honey and carved pumpkin inks. Finally I removed the small pumpkin mask and completed the scene.
With the masks off and the stamping complete I used a brush and water, along with extra ink smooshed on my glass mat, to paint all the elements. I added a sentiment from the PB ‘ever thanks‘ set to complete the card. I do enjoy creating scenes or vignettes with stamps and this is a great set for doing just that. Do you have any sets that help you create little landscapes or scenes?
My blog features affiliate links to the following companies. If you buy through these links I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Ecstasy Crafts (Ecstasy Crafts offers a discount code heathertecs10 you can use for a 10% discount at checkout)
Alcohol Inks + Stencil on the Gel Plate
Posted: September 18, 2023 Filed under: Alcohol Ink, Dies, gel press, Lavinia, Penny Black, Tutorial | Tags: Alcohol Ink, gel press, Lavinia, Tutorial, video 5 Comments
Recently I posted a card featuring a gel print made with alcohol inks and a stencil. You can check out that card here. There was quite a lot of interest in seeing a video of my process so that is what I have for you today. One of the bonuses of this technique is the way I can make more than one print from the same initial application of alcohol ink. I worked with T-Rex alcohol inks on a 5″x7″ gel plate.
As you will see in the video the first card (shown above) is made from the first print pulled from the gel plate.
The second print pulled from the gel plate features the same inks but they are more muted because I diluted them to move them from the stencil to the plate. I quite like the softness of the second print.
If a print works for me and honestly, they don’t all work, I often don’t want to cover them up with extra decoration or die cuts. That’s why I kept these card designs very simple with just a die cut ‘hello’ added to the first card. The second print which I made into the card below features an even smaller birthday sentiment and one thin strip of the same cardstock.
One of the reasons I like to work with alcohol inks on the gel plate is the fact that I can pull the prints with a piece of paper, in the case of these prints I used printer paper. When I work with alcohol inks apart from the gel plate I generally use a thicker plastic surface such as yupo or craft plastic. The inks move beautifully on those surfaces but the plastics are bulkier and a bit more expensive so it is nice to have the gel plate + paper option. The featured prints from today’s video were done on a 5″ x 7″ gel plate which meant I could get a 5.5″ x 4.25″ card front as well as a left over strip to add to the envelope.
If you are new to gel printing in general and would like to know more about creating a range of patterned prints please consider my online class, Gel Print Journey, where I cover all the basics with acrylic paint and all sorts of patterned and textured items. If you purchase any of my online classes before the end of September use the code: ENDOFSUMMERSALE for a 20% discount.
Tori’s Trees
Posted: September 14, 2023 Filed under: Tori's Trees | Tags: Echidna Studios, Fabriano Watercolour Paper, Penny Black stamps, sennelier watercolours 4 Comments
These lovely trees are so much fun to watercolour! If you scroll down you can see I’ve printed them in different sizes which probably tells you it’s a new digital stamp from Echidna Studios. My daughter created this design featuring a trio of trees on a property just out of Ottawa where friends of hers were married recently. She created a suite of wedding stationery for her friends and now I am playing with the designs myself.
I printed all three panels on hot pressed watercolour paper and painted them with Sennelier watercolour paints. The tree image above is 3.25″ wide, popped up on a card base with a Penny Black sentiment added in black ink. I printed the trees larger, 4.75″ wide, on the landscape oriented card below, painted them again with Sennelier watercolours then added a pale sky background with diluted speckled egg distress ink.
It was so much fun to blend the green, yellow and red on the trees then drop colour into a diluted green patch under the trees.
I’ve said before you can never have too many tree stamps and of course the beauty of this one is I can print them any size and even combine or flip them. You will definitely be seeing these trees again!
This last card is an one layer card, one 11″x 4.25″ piece of watercolour paper folded in half. I overlapped the tree image in different sizes to give me a wide display to paint in reds. Once again I finished it with a PB sentiment.
The trees are all still green around here but I have a hunch it won’t be long…
Leaf Background Stamp
Posted: September 12, 2023 Filed under: Echidna Studios, leaf background | Tags: Echidna Studios, Fabriano Watercolour Paper, Kuretake Zig clean color real brush markers, Ranger Distress inks 3 Comments
Just because I’m posting an autumn leaf card doesn’t mean I have given up on summer. If you know me you know I hold on until the end. But just in case you would like to be prepared here is a simple but eye-catching card to use during fall or especially for thanksgiving. The leaf background is a single digital stamp from Echidna Studios printed on watercolour paper then foiled with gold foil.
It is always hard to photograph a foiled card but somehow I managed to get quite a bit of the foiled shine in this photo. I watercoloured with fired brick, spiced marmalade and scattered straw distress inks and added some extra depth with zig real brush markers.
The little tag is from the Penny Black ‘gift card pocket die set’ paired with both a gold sentiment and cord to add even more shine. As I’ve mentioned before you can print the digital stamps any size you want so you could have larger leaves to colour or teeny tiny ones!
(Compensated affiliate links from Foiled Fox & Scrap n Stamp)
Late summer flowers
Posted: September 11, 2023 Filed under: Penny Black, sun kissed | Tags: Fabriano Watercolour Paper, Penny Black stamps 4 Comments
As you know I am often inspired by the season outside my window. My garden has been blooming for most of the summer but after the regular rainfall dried up I’m afraid I didn’t step in and keep it watered so the late summer display is not very impressive. I also stopped deadheading the flowers because the mosquitos have been vicious. Excuses, I know but one cosmos has been quietly growing all summer and is now tall and blooming so it is the inspiration for today’s card. The stamp featured in this card is Penny Black’s ‘sun kissed‘ which I used with a different colour scheme a few months ago.
I worked in a stamp positioner so I could add second layers or ink or water where necessary. The cosmos in my garden is close to the colour of seedless preserves ink so that is what I used to ink the flower heads and peeled paint distress ink for the stems and leaves. After inking the stamp I spritzed lightly with water before stamping on hot pressed watercolour paper. If I wanted more ink I would wipe the stamp and reapply but if I wanted more blending I would spritz the stamp again and restamp. Before cleaning the diluted ink off the stamp completely I stamped it in another spot to get the soft background flowers.
While the ink was still drying on the flowers I added some drops of wild honey ink to the centres of a few flowers. When everything was dry I using a blending brush to add peeled paint in to the base of the design. I splattered some green ink around the flowers and some water drops over the blending. To finish the card I stamped the sentiment from PB ‘birthday humor‘ in black and drew some black stamen with a fine tip pen.
Here is the inspiration flower from my garden.
My blog features affiliate links to the following companies. If you buy through these links I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.
The Foiled Fox, Scrap’n’Stamp and Ecstasy Crafts (Ecstasy Crafts offers a discount code heathertecs10 you can use for a 10% discount at checkout)
Heather Telford 