Water Resist on a Gel Plate? Here’s What Worked…
Learn how to use water as a resist on a gel plate to create layered, textured prints. In this tutorial, I share what materials work best, why drying time matters, and how Fluid Acrylics can dramatically improve your results for gel printing and mixed media art.
Spray-Paint Style Metallics—Without Spray Paint
This week in the studio, I’m sharing a simple way to get a soft, sprayed metallic effect without going outside or dealing with harsh fumes. Instead of traditional spray paint—which really belongs outdoors—I use a replacement spray top on Golden High Flow Acrylics to create a fine, controlled metallic mist right through a stencil.
Golden Spirals and Mixed Media Joy
This week in the studio, Barb and I dove into one of our favorite motifs: Gustav Klimt–inspired golden spirals. We loved the design so much that we featured it on a handful of mixed-media journals—and decided to give a few away! The journals came out beautifully, full of shimmer and movement, and we couldn’t resist sharing the fun.
Crayons, Texture, and Color Experiments
This week in the studio, I set the plan aside and gave myself permission to play. I pulled out crayons, explored texture rubbings, and added a little resist—just experimenting and following curiosity, the way we did as kids.
A Little Gel Plate Magic… Using Only Water!
Barb and I stumbled onto something pretty incredible this week — a gel printing technique that uses nothing but waterand produces the most beautiful, soft, colorful prints. The secret? Rice paper. Its absorbency helps lift leftover paint in a way that creates dreamy textures and layered color that you truly have to see to believe.
Blast from the Past! Brayer Texture Technique
Exploring new techniques with one of my all-time favorite stencil designs, Chunky Spirals. This blast from the past design creates a wonderful low relief texture for braying on top of gel prints. Layer, layer, layer….
Ghost Printing with Fine Detail Clear Stamps
These stamps feature fine line detail and, because they’re clear, they’re easy to align exactly where you want them. We wanted to see how they’d perform with pigment-based ink pads directly on the gel plate—could we pull a ghost print with ink instead of paint?
New Foam Stamps Inspired by Klimt’s Female Sketches
I am so very excited to announce my NEW Klimt Women fine-line foam stamps. I think you will love these for card making, gel printing, art journaling, mixed media, paper crafts, and more!
Klimt Scribbles and Doodles II–More Unique Techniques
Exploring complex gel print layering with my newest stencil release—Klimt Scribbles and Doodles II. More unique techniques!
My Favorite Transparent Rice Paper for Layering
Barb and I discovered a stunning new 14 GSM rice paper that’s ultra-thin—like tissue—but strong enough to handle stamping, gel printing, and collage with ease. Watch how it goes completely transparent when we glue it down over gel prints!
Introducing My NEW Vintage Seed Catalog Rice Paper
This week, Barb and I are working with a gorgeous set of rice papers printed in Italy, featuring high-resolution reproductions of vintage illustrations. These images come from antique seed catalogs and are printed on 30 GSM rice paper—lightweight, durable, and perfect for mixed media.
Klimt Inspired Layers on the Gel Plate
This week, Barb and I are layering fine-line photopolymer stamps over bold, Klimt-inspired stencils to create richly textured gel prints. These clear stamps feature handwriting, ink blots, and intricate details that work beautifully with pigment ink pads on top of gel prints.
NEW Klimt Scribbles and Doodles II Stencils and Masks
I’m so excited to finally share my newest stencil release with you—Klimt Scribbles and Doodles II!
Journal Cover Makeover with Bird Foam Stamps
This week, Barb and I are back with a new video to inspire your creativity! I’m showing you how to customize a journal cover using my For the Birds foam stamps—perfect for adding your own flair and personality.
Exploring NEW Posca Brush Tip Pens on the Plate
This week, Barb and I had a great time trying out the NEW Posca Brush Tip pens—and we’re excited to share the results!
Layering Foam Stamps and Gel Plate Magic
This week, Barb and I are having so much fun experimenting with layering techniques using a new set of foam stamp patterns I recently designed. We’re combining them with the gel plate in an indirect printing method—building up the layers and pulling a single, beautifully textured print.
Experimenting with Metal Leaf Flakes on the Gel Plate
This week, Barb and I set out to explore how metal leaf can add a rich, organic, and painterly quality to gel plate prints. Our goal was to create beautifully layered papers perfect for collage and mixed media projects.
Mixed Media Magic with Photopolymer Stamps
This week, Barb and I are having a blast experimenting with my new designs in photopolymer clear stamps—and we’re using them in two totally different ways!
DIY Texture Plates with Molding Paste: A New Way to Print on the Gel Plate
This week in the studio, I tried something new—and it turned out to be a game-changer for gel printing. I experimented with molding paste and stencils to create my own flexible texture plates. These homemade plates are easy to make, surprisingly sturdy, and add beautiful dimension to your prints.
