Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Visual Journal with Gel Plate

I am putting together a little series of visual journals in preparation for Unbinding the Visual Journal, which I'm teaching on:
First I paint, draw, collage, print, or otherwise decorate the unbound folios, or pages.  Then I bind them into a book format, and use the painted pages as starting points for visual exploration.  This is akin to making Scribble Paintings that I cut up and use for collage.  In the following video I use the Gelli Arts gel plate to print on some papers that will end up in my book.

These are a few of the papers on which I used the gel plate.  After printing, I added painting and drawing, leaving room for more painting, drawing, and collage once the book is put together.






There are way more techniques you can use with the gel plate on the Gelli Arts Blog.  For some great tutorials on simple ways to make books, see Sue Bleiweiss's blog, and then buy her book.

Stay tuned for the second part of this post, in which I will show you the book and discuss how I use it.

15 comments:

  1. Wow...this is going to be a fantastic visual journal! Love the colors and marks.

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  2. Hi Jane: Loved your video. Gonna have to get one!
    A question: What type of paper are you using? bristol, watercolor, printer?
    Thanks, Pat

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    1. Hi Trish. I think Ink About It carries the gel plates. For this journal I am using Cheap Drawing Paper. See my Links page for source and description. http://janedaviesstudios.com/links

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  3. This is such an interesting and educational video! Thanks so much for sharing Jane. I'm going to have to get myself one of those plates. Can't wait to see the book!

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  4. You are a never-ending store of inspiration and information. Thanks for the video - seeing someone do a project helps so much more than just reading about it. I'd also like to say that I really appreciate your generous acknowledgements and recommendations of work by other artists and sources for materials. I'm pretty sure I could learn almost everything I need to know by following this blog and checking out the links you provide. Thanks, as always.

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  5. Superb project... you have such great ideas.

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  6. The best gelli plate video I have seen so far - I like that your images are not "cliched" gelli plate imagery ......if that makes any sense.

    I got one of these plates a couple of months back and had a go at using it a couple of weeks back but the ink would'nt "grip" onto the gelli plate ?? I was most disappointed - I was using speedball block print ink. Please will you say what kind of ink you are using AND the name of the "tulip paste " that made those lines on the surface of the plate.

    Also the thick white ink you used - WAS yours an acrylic ink or a water colour ink. I am going to look now at the links page regarding paper. I like that you are using reasonably robust paper. You see I was hoping to use this gelli plate to make backgrounds for combining other printmaking techniques with.

    Very best wishes

    lovely website

    Aine

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  7. I could sit and watch you work for hours. This is fascinating, so liberated.

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  8. way fun! i love your style and i do love gelli plates

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  9. Hi Jane,
    I would love to know the method in which you will be binding these gelli prints/pages into a book. I made an art journal cover, using a technique I learned in your "Collage with Color" book. My intention is to use artful papers I create as the folios in the art journal. Then it occurred to me that if I sew in signatures with several papers, the folios won't be a double wide matching folio (hope that makes sense). So, what's the answer? I suppose a different kind of binding. My husband says to sew in each page but that doesn't make sense to me. Yes, I am a beginner at this so please pardon my naivety. Thank you!
    xo,
    Julie
    P.S. Love the video

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  10. Thanks for the demo I had wondered what the gel plate was all about! now I know :)

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  11. Great video! I have a gelli plate but haven't used it much. I need to get it out and play with it more. Thanks.

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  12. Thanks for sharing this amazing process!
    Love the gel pad!!

    Hugs Giggles

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  13. What an awesome blog! I have been printing too, so addictive and fun!

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