printing Archives - CLEVERcreating

Gelli-Printing Magazine Pictures for Beautiful Results

June 13, 2024June 13, 2024 by Hannie Mommers

When I started making Gelli prints, I used lots of stencils and all kinds of objects to make textures. I also printed some photos which worked quite well.

This was definitely a matter of beginner’s luck because they all failed when I tried to print pictures a few months after that. 😉

So when this year’s 100-Day Project came along, I sunk my teeth into making loads of prints and discovering how I could make sure the results were more consistent.

Read my tips for Gelli-printing magazine pictures in this article.

What is Gelli Printing and What Makes it so Amazingly Easy?

August 25, 2023August 25, 2023 by Hannie Mommers

Gelli printing is a form of monoprinting. Each piece of work is unique and usually depends largely on chance.

A Gelli print can be created in different ways. In this article, I describe a number of pure Gelli printing methods and combinations with other techniques.

It is great fun to experiment with this technique. For me, that is the biggest charm of Gelli printing. For starting hobbyists, the advantage is that the learning curve is really low.

Simple Printing Techniques for the Best Relaxing Hobby

July 31, 2023July 31, 2023 by Hannie Mommers

Printing is to multiply images and/or texts by making several identical prints of a master form.

Printing had everything to do with my past profession as a graphic designer and still is a joy as a relaxing activity in my present life.

In this article, I will list an overview of several techniques emphasising simple printing techniques that can easily be practised at home.

For the sake of completeness, I will also mention professional printing techniques.

How to Improve the Colour Quality of your Printed Pictures

June 12, 2023June 12, 2023 by Hannie Mommers

The quality of the printers is improving fast. Nowadays a lot of colour printers have more than four cartridges, making sure all the tones are printed.

Yet, the extra cartridges are grey or black, never a colour, which means there are still colours you see on the screen that can’t be printed on paper.

Taking pictures and printing them on your colour printer can be disappointing. Sometimes the result is NOT what you expected. I’ll give you the reasons for that disappointing result and whether you can improve the colour quality of your precious photographs.

Using a Theme when Expressing Yourself is Truly Inspiring

June 9, 2023June 9, 2023 by Hannie Mommers

My inspiration often comes from working on a theme. In photography, drawing, painting, and making collages it’s a great way to keep getting ideas and expressing yourself.

You might know that my personal challenge at this moment is making a daily collage for a year. I didn’t start on January 1 but at a moment when the idea came to me. And I am not too rigid that it really has to be each day because, as we all know, life sometimes comes in between.

At the start, I just made collages. Yet, to make 365 collages without any underlying thought doesn’t keep being interesting. After a couple of months, I developed a subtheme dedicated to one month. Like art journaling, printing pictures, or making stencils.

Gelli Plate and Stencils Make Interesting Combinations

June 7, 2023April 7, 2023 by Hannie Mommers

Stencils are a marvellous addition to your Gelli printing. The possibilities are endless. You can use them as a background or repeat shapes such as silhouettes or letters.

Of course, you can combine a Gelli plate and stencils, yet stencils can also be used on paper, walls or textiles.

Especially if you have several stencils, you can use them repeatedly and still have a different result every time. So stencils are a great addition to your creativity toolbox.

How to Get Started with Cyanotype to Create Splendid Blue Prints?

June 20, 2023March 23, 2023 by Hannie Mommers

Some years ago a Dutch friend, Jenny van Diggelen, Blauwwerk, gave me a workshop on Cyanotype Printing. I wasn’t sold right away because I was in the middle of emigrating.

Once in order in my new house, I was again inspired by the blue colour and the possibilities of cyanotype.

It took some getting used to the Spanish sun and sometimes the sun really shines too bright to make nuanced tests. Which makes experimenting all the more interesting.

How to Transfer Photos and Texts to a Gelli Print? 2 Methods

March 2, 2023March 2, 2023 by Hannie Mommers

In my personal challenge, an assignment to make a collage daily for 365 days, I am focusing on one aspect a month. More or less. It’s not written in stone, of course.

The month before, I primarily worked on art journaling, using illustrations and text. February 2023 was dedicated to transferring pictures to the Gelli prints.

I used several methods. The main difference was either Gelli printing or using the copy machine on tissue paper.