Surface Design

I am going to lead into a few blog posts about different surface design techniques.  I have enjoyed Gelliplate printing for a few years now.  It really lends itself to have quite a lot of fun while getting some amazing prints on your fabric!  Yes I said fabric!  I know a lot of people might think that this type of printing lends itself to paper only.....well I will prove you wrong!
Here are the steps that will get us started.

1. PFD fabric – prepared for dyeing (Fabric is prewashed or purchased as “PFD”). 

2. Gelli Plates – gel printing plate, new paints and why some paints are used over others.

3. Texture plates – you can see the images these plates leave on the fabric in the picture below.

4. The Jacquard Textile paints work very well with this mono printing technique. These paints are transparent and otherwise show the fabric from behind.

5. Lumiere paints -  they are opaque, mostly metallic, and pearlescent. They can be used on top of the transparent paints for bolder accents or to cover the area with a certain texture which would not show through the fabric. They can also be used alone for an all over coverage.

Several Gelliprinted Fabrics turned into a
day planner cover

The paint is poured sparingly onto the Gelli plate and then spread by a roller.  You then can make your masterpiece with texture plates or you can even use stamps, combs, or your fingers to make the design you desire.  You then put your fabric down on the Gelli plate and press it down evenly.  Peel your fabric off the Gelli plate after a few seconds, Voila!  Textured Prints!

As you can see from the pictures below I have used several different techniques on the gelliplate.
I also used the fabrics to make a cover for my day planner.

Gelliplate printing with Leaves, Shrubs, Flowers
Love getting the ghost images after the first pulled print.

Layered Stencils - Fabric Paints

Gear Stencil with Metallic
Fabric Paint

Stencils made from a hot glue gun
Peace sign screen print

Several different layers with Popsicle sticks, clothes pins and
wooden skewers

            

Coffee stencil on top of layered
stencil