Light the way - A Gel Press tutorial

 Hi everyone, MEL PILLING here this week highlighting the marvellous  GEL PRESS and the fabulous LAVINIA ELEMENTS INK PADS .  I consider the gel press to be an essential part of my art tools. It is so versatile. This tool will do perfect mirror images, ink smooshing, negative stamp imaging, splattering, acrylic paint layering, textured backgrounds and more. This is one tool, I would never be without. And the Lavinia Stamps Elements ink pads will surprise you with their stunning vibrancy. 

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I began this project by using a 6 inch round Gel Press  .  I stamped with my stamp pads directly onto the press using Elements Inks in Sundance , Pine,  Emperor red , Mermaid and Violet Chalk .   I just stamped around the plate filling the circle.  I misted the gel plate gently with water. Not too much. Just to activate the ink. Then. I used my finger to very gently move the colours at the edges, so there were. no harsh lines. Be careful not to mix the colours together too much here.  I pressed clean mixed media paper down and took a quick print from the gel press. Then I let that dry.  At this point I usually play the ink test game and look for what I can see in the ink print.  This time I saw a yellow sky and blue water with a pink and purple garden.  I masked off the horizon with Washi tape and strengthened the colour at the horizon with the mermaid, staying away from the pink garden area.  I added some white dots and squiggles with a white gel pen.  I stamped directly onto the project using

Versafine Claire Nocturne. 

 I masked off outside the circle first so that no stamps went outside the circle except for those that I wanted to appear outside the circle.  I also stamped the white flower heads on clean mixed media card, water-coloured., fussy cut them and glued them on top of the stamps that I had previously stamped on to the project. This makes the white flowers stand out better. Later, I used grey watercolour markers  to shade the rocks and a black pen to draw the boulders below and put some cracks on them. Then I highlighted them with white gel pen.

The trees were done with the repeat, watercolour ink stamp process.  Just keep stamping in different colours of watercolour ink, over top of each other. Then you can move the ink a little  with a lightly damp paint brush to add dimension if needed.

 I just drew the birds, as I wanted them flying in a specific way off the circle, but you can use any stamps to do this.   In the garden. I chose Versafine Clair Inks that went nicely with the pink part of the ink colours.  For the Lavinia bluebells,  I used Blue Belle  and Glamorous. 

LAVINIA STAMPS USED

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MAE

Fairy Bridge

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Woodland Fern

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Fairy Fir Tree 2

Fairy Fir Tree

Small Lily Flourish

This GEL PRESS never ceases to amaze me!!  I am never disappointed.  I love this Ink spot method, where you have no idea where you are going until the background is finished. To me, it’s like free-falling.  It feels satisfyingly creative. And these Elements inks by Lavinia are so very vibrant and juicy.  Just bursting with vibrant colour.  I hope you give it a try.

Thanks for joining us today.  Bye for now.