StencilGirl IG Hop Companion - Alcohol Ink, Derwent Paint and Stencils on a Gel Plate

 

As part of an Instagram Hop, StencilGirl© recently challenged me to create something fabulous from a box of random art supplies that they sent me.  Click here to go to my Instagram Post where you can find out how to enter. (Note that the contest will close on 10/18/21 at 11:59 p.m. Central Time USA.)

My box of goodies included a generous selection of Sparkle and Spectral Spirit Alcohol Inks by Kristie Taylor, a Derwent Inktense Paint Pan Travel Palette, and an Oil Based Sharpie Marker.

Anyone who follows StencilGirl’s Mary Beth Shaw knows that she is the ultimate Mad Scientist.  Following in her footsteps, I challenged myself to use all three of these products together in a single Gel Print.  I’m happy to say that I’m quite pleased with how it turned out and will definitely explore this mixed media combination further.  

Gel plates are fun to use once you twist your head around needing to work your top layer first instead of starting your piece from the bottom up.  I wanted the shimmer of the Sparkle and Spectral Spirit Alcohol Inks to be the top layer of my print, so I worked with those first.  

I laid Rae Missigman’s Botanical Stem Stencil by StencilGirl© on top of my large 8” round Gelli Arts Plate and then randomly squirted the alcohol inks through the openings in the stencil.  I just love watching that alcohol ink action!

I let the alcohol inks thoroughly dry before carefully lifting the stencil up off the plate. Then, using a water brush, I added another layer of color with the Derwent Inktense Paint Pan Travel Set.  

I really didn’t worry at all about going outside of the lines.  It just adds to the character of the print.  

I let the Inktense paint dry and then added the last layer of color in some areas with the Sharpie Oil Based Paint Marker.  I found that lightly tapping the marker on the gel plate as opposed to drawing directly on the plate worked best.

This is a pic of the plate just before I added the final “pick up” layer of paint.  Isn’t all that that shimmer wonderful? 

I used the Sharpie to create a border on this print.

Once I was sure that all of the layers were totally dry, I rolled out a layer of paint on top.  This final layer of wet paint will allow me to “pick up” the print off the plate with the design still intact.  Keeping this layer of paint thin is key for this step.  

I really like to use a neutral color for this. Dina Wakely Media acrylic paint in Elephant is one of my favorites.

Then I quickly laid down my paper, burnished it using my hand for about 30 seconds to ensure good contact, and pulled the print.

Here’s a closer look.

I pulled a few more prints using the same technique.  Here’s a print pulled using Margaret Peot’s Fireflies Stencil. 

And one using Andrew Borlov’s Crazy Quilt Bold and Beautiful stencil.

I love how these prints look on the plate before the pick up layer is added.

Just look at all that yumminess.

And here’s how it printed:

I loved the original print using the Botanical Stem Stencil but decided I wanted to to simplify the design for my collage.

The print that I used as a background in this mixed media collage was actually a  happy accident.  I was experimenting using black paint as the final “pick up” layer on the plate and knocked a pile of stencils off the shelf while I was rolling the paint in. The Echerveria Ballet stencil, designed by Helen Shafer Garcia fell right on top of the plate. Hoping to at least get the start of a cool print, I threw a piece of copy paper over the stencil, blotted, and pulled the print.  I thought that anything else I pulled would be a mess but as I lifted the stencil off the plate, it made a weird soft sucking sound and to my surprise, the Mylar left a trail of wonderful texture behind in the paint.  What else could I do but pull the print?

I’m kicking myself now for not snapping a pic it before I used it in my collage but I hope you can see the detail in the pic of my finished collage below.

I really love the hints of blue from the Inktense Paint Pan Travel Set and the shimmer of the Sparkle Spirits Alcohol Inks.  This technique is a winner.

Be sure to visit these 7 other StencilGirl© Columnist IG pages to see their projects, be inspired, and get more chances to enter the IG Stencil Giveaway.

@debi_adams

@jennitoga

@itsjustjillmcd (that’s me)

@vonpappe2

@adogslife13

@megan_whisner_quinlan

@marshvalk

@ephemerapaducah

(Note: Since all entries need to be made on the IG posts, I’ve turned comments off if this post to avoid any confusion.)  Good luck!