Book Review: Gelli Plate Printing

I received this book from the publisher right before we left for vacation. After a quick scan that day, I looked forward to reading and reviewing it.

Gelli Plate Printing

Gelli Plate Printing (mixed media monoprinting without a press) is written by Joan Bess, co-founder of Gelli® Gel Printing Plate.

Here is the description from North Light Books:

You’ll love this Gelli® Plate Printing book if:

  • You are new to Gelli® printing
  • You are an experienced printmaker looking for new techniques to send your art into a new directions
  • You love incorporating printed patterns into your mixed-media art

This is the first book ever to hit the market completely dedicated to Gelli® Plate printing! Author Joan Bess, co-founder of Gelli® Gel Printing Plate, fills the book with excellent Gelli® printing techniques that beginners and experienced printmakers will be sure to have a blast while pushing themselves to explore and experiment.

In this premier guide you’ll discover 50 step-by-step monoprinting techniques to use in your mixed-media art.  Discover how to create captivating patterns with homemade tools, and household items like sponges and corrugated cardboard. Become a texture hunter and explore the fun texture you can achieve with metal tape, lace, embossed papers, natural objects, stencils, stamps and more. Anything goes in Gelli® printing! Explore different mediums and the interesting affects you can achieve with metallic paint, gel medium, dimensional paint and more. Along the way you’ll experiment with printing on a variety of surfaces included glass, wood, fabric and metal.

Well, I’ve played quite a bit with my Gelli® printing plate. I usually play on fabric, but have also spent time with it on paper. I wanted to read this book to see if there really was anything new.  I was pleasantly surprised!

The author starts out with the basics: tools, paints, brayer care, and even a glimpse into her studio.

gelliplate1

She then moves into techniques that include step-by-step instructions, great process color pictures, and the finished prints. Of the 50 techniques, she includes eight different texture plates. Below she creates the plate out of corrugated cardboard. Lovely!

Gelli Plate techniques

This technique uses masking fluid. Interesting!

masking fluid as a resist

The last section in the book is the gallery of beautiful pieces from a variety of different artists. Many of these artists I am familiar with. I love when I “meet” someone new. Quinn McDonald’s piece is absolutely beautiful.

Gelli Plate galleryAs I mentioned earlier, I’ve played a bunch with my Gelli® plate. However, there are so many techniques in here that I’ve never even thought about. Most of these are demonstrated on paper, but many of them can be used on cloth.

I highly recommend this book for anyone who loves using their Gelli® or a homemade gelatin plate. For beginners, this book is a wealth of techniques. For those seasoned plate artists, you still will learn some new stuff. Also, seeing what other artists are creating is so inspiring.

Gelli Plate Printing contains 144 pages, retails for $24.99, and available through your favorite bookseller or online from Interweave right now for $18.87.

Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher for review purposes. The opinions expressed here are 100% my own. I was under no obligation to offer a positive review and received no monetary compensation.