Botanical Gel Printing

Botanical Gel Printing  –  a fun workshop to learn a foundation textile art skill.

Botanical Gel Printing is a fun workshop to learn some easy textile art skills. Celebrate the beauty of nature without being able to draw by making prints from leaves or feathers. The prints can be framed, or as book covers, or used in a sketchbook or artists book.

Watch my promotional video for a sneak peak.

Course description

Gel plate printing is a quick and easy way to create decorated paper or fabrics. It’s used by textile artists, quilters and for general crafts such as cardmaking, or art journals and sketchbooks. It’s a whole heap of fun and it’s much easier than it looks. The amazing gel plates (gelli plates) create highly-detailed prints showing every vein of leaves and flowers. It will inspire designs for embroidery and collage. You can print your own paper and fabric for use in other crafts, or for use to make an Art Quilt. So if you like any form of craft, quilting, or patchwork then you need to give it a go.

Firstly, I’ll show you how to make your own mark-making tools and printing blocks using everyday items.  Then I’ll demonstrate various gelli-printing techniques using the amazing gelatin plates to create colour and pattern on paper or fabric (gelli printing). Gelli plates pick up subtle textures and marks of anything imprinted on them. Because of that, I love to use ‘found’ objects from nature, such as feathers, flowers and leaves. These unique one-of-a kind-prints will enable you to totally personalize your work.

You will create your own collection of printed papers. Then I’ll demonstrate various ways to use your beautiful artwork.  The prints can be used to decorate covers of books, framed as a stand-alone wall art, collaged, or made into a folded concertina book.

This class will free you from having to buy commercial printed papers for your art and the same techniques can be applied to fabrics in your own time. It will add a whole new dimension to your work. It’s the easiest way to learn how to design your own unique artworks.

Level: All

Who is this aimed at?

Anyone who enjoys crafting, not just textile art.  But Contemporary Quilters will love being able to create their own unique fabrics; Cardmakers and Art Journallers can create personalised papers. Printed materials can be used to make book covers, cards, gift labels, wrapping paper and for use in sketchbooks and mixed media art.  You don’t need any art or drawing experience.

What will I learn?

• how to make your own print blocks
• what papers and fabrics can be printed on
• what you can use as a print plate (other than a gel plate)
• how to assemble your prints into a folding book (artists book) that you can add machine and/or hand embroidery.

Course arrangements

All the printing equipment is provided but I’ll advise the paper/fabric requirements when you book.

For inspiration, why not take a look at this website of one of my favourite textile artists.  Hilary Beattie often uses gelli printing techniques in her work.