Wednesday, July 24, 2013

5 Top Tips for Beginning Gelli Platers

My Top 5 Tips for Newbies!
 
If you have Celebrated the Arrival of your very first Gelli Plate...Congratulations!  And just like any New Arrival...it requires Tender Loving Care and Very Late Nights!  And perhaps Diapers...adult ones...for you, because trust me you're not going to want to Stop!!
 
So lay in a Good Supply of Munchies and Diet Pepsi, Find a place to hide where you don't mind if you cover Every Single Surface with Juicy Gellifulness!  And GO!
 
 
Here is my Delicious First Haul of Gelli-liciousness!
 
Here are some things that I 'Learned by Doing'...actually- let's be honest, they were Gelli Plate Fails...
So be prepared!  Learn from my Boo Boo's and Carry on to Fabulousness!
 
First, Remember that the First few Moments are the Scariest...

As you know, I was actually hyperventilating when I opened the box...how would it look?  Would it break when I opened it? Ooze out?  You've seen my Studio- what if it got poked or 'ungellied'!  It was a HUGE responsibility! 
 
So- the Instructions say "Store your gel printing plate in it's original package, or on a smooth tray or piece of glass.  Always keep your gel printing plate laying flat on a SMOOTH CLEAN surface" 

 
OMG!  There is not a Single SMOOTH CLEAN surface in my ENTIRE STUDIO!!! I Panicked!!

I was running around with an OPEN Gelli Plate in one hand, using my other hand, feet and whatever else I could find to shovel things off onto the floor.  I was terrified I would set it down and have an imprint of 14 of my Used up shriveled Foam thingees on my New Gelli!

And so that leads us to NUMBER 1:

1)  Have an "Official Area" ready for your New Gelli Baby!! 

Go Clear off a good Section of your Studio/Kitchen Table/Car that is Specifically FOR your Gelli plate!  AND, Before you open your package- Assign an Area as "The Holy Resting Place of the Gelli" and VOW never to MOVE it or especially STACK on top of it...VOW IT! 
 
NEXT-  Get yourself something Absolutely Flat and Smooth to set it on.  Don't Panic if you don't have one now, you can use the package itself as a Surface until you can get one. 
 That brings us to our Next Tip...
 
#2  Save ALL the Packaging!

It comes like this in a Hard Plastic Container that you can Snap Back together when you put your Baby to Bed...

 
Since I haven't been able to go out in Search of "The perfect Gelli-pedestal", I just opened up the packaging, took out the Gelli, closed the plastic pack and set that Puppy right on top.  It's Smooth, it's Clean and you can Pop it right inside when you are all done for the day.
 
Here is my Gelli on top of it's original packaging...I'm lifting the thin plastic sheet it came with.
 
It also comes with a thinner sheet of plastic on top of the Gelli plate itself...Keep this!  I use it to set over the plate when it's 'Out' but I'm not using it.  That way, if I'm in a 'Painting Fit' and not paying attention, I won't set anything directly on top of it. 

#3 Have all your Supplies handy and  Be prepared to Move FAST!

I had bought an inexpensive Wire bound pad of paper and had that close by, but I wish I had pulled them out ahead of time.  So... have a stack of Paper, a big one, ready at hand.
 
 On the Tutorials I watched, they warned me it would dry fast...but I didn't think it would, you know....dry FAST... man you have to be Quick!
 
And grab all your Stencils, punchinella and other 'texturey' things so that you won't have to scramble like I did with the brayer dripping on your hair while you're trying to get the Stencils off the top shelf:)
 
While you are at it- grab a stack of "Index" Cards.  They are awesome for picking up the left overs and great for Journalling.  Trust me on this one:)

#4 Less is More!  It doesn't take as much paint as you think!


I was surprised at how Little Paint I needed.  It was great!  Here is how much a put on my first one, and it was too much!

 
It's really wonderful how a bit of paint will spread Deliciously across your Magic Gelli.  Start with less than you think...you can always add more:)
 
  Here's what mine looked like and it was a bit thick... I rolled over that punchinella....Then laid the paper on it and pulled it off...

 
* Gelli "Coolness" Tip Bonus- a "Pull" is the "print" when you pull it off....go ahead and start using the term now and  you'll sound like a Pro!
 
Here's the "Pull" of this one...(Ya, you know I'm cool like that...)
 

 


I was SO Happy that it was a Pretty one...But as I am addicted to "Rioutous" colors...I ended up making many Excellent Pictures of "MUD"...which brings us to our Final Tip for the Day...


#5  Make lots of UGLY Prints!!

There, I said it!  You have permission!  Get Messy and Make Mistakes....or Mud as many of mine turned out!  Give yourself permission to have Really Ugly Prints!  If you are feeling Especially Brave...Post them!  Help beginners everywhere know that you don't have to be Linda Germain in the first few Sessions! 
 
Here are my REALLY uglies...but you know, I'll probably end up either using them in little pieces or just posting them as an 'Encouraging Warning' that not everything will turn out beautiful:)

Yikes!  UUUUuugly!
 

So, Now that you know this Vital information, you can Confidentally know that  you are no longer a 'Total Newb'! 
 
 You can move forward into the Exciting World of "Beginning Gelli Platin'"!
 
Here are some really Fun Websites you can go to to watch some great Tutorials and  "Get the Basics" down.  It will take away some of the Heebie Jeebies of being a 'New Mom'...
 
 
As for me my  Gelli Plate and I, we have Bonded and are moving forward in our Beautiful Relationship:)
 
Do you have any Great Gelli Plate Tutorials or did you make one yourself?  Let me know so I can add them here!
 
Happy Gelli-ing!!!!
 
Love to All!
 




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