Today I made a slab of gelatin (actually I made that yesterday) in a cookie pan and used it to make mono prints of bamboo leaves and crochet doilies!

I was reading Courtney Cerruti’s book ‘Playing with Surface Design’ and she was talking about how a handmade gelatin plate behaves slightly differently to a commercial gelli plate.  I have been using and loving my gelli plate for a few years now, so I was keen to try!

Making the ‘plate’ was super easy, I used 4 envelopes of unflavored gelatin according to the instructions on the packet (they suggested apple juice but I went for water!) and I left it in the fridge over night to set.  I forgot to remove any surface bubbles so I had immediate access to some extra texture (oops!). There are lots of videos and recipes for gelatin plates on the inter webs but I was happy with this one as it lasted for an afternoon of printing and I can make another one when I need it.

This picture was taken once I had finished printing and you can see how the plate gets nicked and pot holey.  I left it in the cookie pan to help keep it sturdy.

By the end of my printing play session, my gelatin slab was pretty well used and starting to distribute blobs of gelatin hither and thither, but I had some lovely prints and it was well worth making the plate and giving it a go.

It is much ‘wetter’ than a commercial gelli plate and the prints come off a little more softly, there is still plenty of definition but the paint is a bit more washy in the final effect.  I usually am a single print kinda gal but in the name of research I used some sheets for two prints and I am pleased with them.  I like my prints simple but I like the extra texture from re-printing the same sheet.

The gelatin really keeps the detail of whatever you are printing with so that the ‘ghost’ prints are still full of texture and detail.  The veins in the leaves I printed were all nice and clear and the doilies left a very detailed and clear print.

I would absolutely recommend making your own gelatin printing plate especially as gelatin is cheap as chips which is a good thing because this is a one time use item.  I still liked to print with the plate even when it was getting a bit worn because it is all extra texture.

Have you made a gelatin plate to print with or do you like the commercial plates?  I enjoy them both, of course I can pull out my Gelli Plate whenever I want to but I enjoyed the process of making and using my own.

Happy Thursday x