Gelli Plating a Jigsaw Puzzle

 

Fun post for you today! (Isn't every day's post fun? Hahahaha!) Back at the start of lockdown a year ago, I took a plain white jigsaw puzzle and put it through the color works - starting with a gelli plate. I used several different media and ended up with a fun, colorful, bright puzzle to put together when I need a little motivational help. Let me show you what I did. And remember, you can click on any photo to see it larger. 

I began with a 5" x 7" gel printing plate and some acrylic paints. All my gelli plates are Gelli Arts - great product! The rose quartz and lemon zest paints are Dylusions. I used just a small amount because these paints go a long way on a gelli plate. These paints smell weird and you have to remember to shake them up before you start. Something I never seem to remember. Like ever. 

Using a brayer - or roller - I rolled the color back and forth and side to side till my plate was covered. Nothing too technical happening in this post today, just play and fun. Pretty much what I strive towards most days. Hahahaha! I took out a sheet of card stock and made a lift to remove some of the paint. To make that first print. 

Do you remember my Taking Back the Studio project I am/was committed to? The one where I use every stencil I own at least once? Here is a stencil! And it's a fine one. Pristine. Hahahaha! The stencil went down on top of the plate, then I took the fresh lime color of acrylic and rolled out a layer right on top of the stencil. 

At this point I am missing a couple photos, nothing new there. I got busy and lost in the process. I removed the stencil and did a lift with that same sheet of card stock, then the fun began. 

I had this plain, white, blank jigsaw puzzle sitting off to the side and an idea came to me. I wondered if I could make a gelli print using the puzzle instead of paper. My plate needed more color so I added some pink in just a couple areas, rolled it out, then placed the puzzle face down in the color. Smooshed it all around real good and lifted. Not so great for detail but I got lots of color. If you look you can still see some flower shapes with the green paint. At this point I wasn't sure I was going to like my puzzle and didn't know if it was a keeper or a throw in the trasher, so I continued. 

I tried the fresh lime and the stencil again, the same steps as before. When I removed the stencil, I made another lift using the puzzle. And I got more green, but still not much detail. 

I rolled a layer of bubblegum pink all over the plate and made that lift you see in the background. I used it later and made something really cool with it. (I wonder what it was? Hahaha!) And I did another lift with my puzzle. And I got more star shape/ flower shape this time. And I was liking the puzzle better. 

Then I wondered if I could draw on it. If my pens would work over acrylic on paper - why wouldn't they work over acrylic on a puzzle? So I used my heat tool and dried the whole thing really well, then grabbed a technical pen from Zebra Pen and started outlining each piece of the puzzle. A little tricky because the surface was slick. So, not perfect but now I was really liking the potential I was seeing. 

Jane Davenport's Paint Over Pens worked great for adding a border.

And another color for mark making. 

But my puzzle needed more contrast, more dark. That same technical pen added some tangling - some ripped screen and printemps. And my chop is hiding in there, too! Tipple came with a white Uniball Signo pen. 

I felt like my puzzle had lost some of its oomph! and needed some help, so out came the fruit punch Dyestress ink pad. 

I did not ink the edges like I would an ATC or art journal page but in retrospect I probably should have. Hahahaha! But I did use the ink pad to scuff across the puzzle surface and bring some pink to the party. And a green paint pen for more marks. 

I was just opening drawers and pulling supplies out. I hadn't used these chalk inks in a long time. I was surprised this one still worked. Hahahaha! Stamped some ink pad shapes in a few places. And honestly I still wasn't sure if I would keep this or throw it in the trash. 

But it was growing on me. Those blue scuffs are from a Ranger Distress ink pad. Just scuffed right over the surface. 

I brought those paint over pens back out and added more of the pink. It's a great color. I used a green paint pen for mark marking, and I brought out a white Sharpie water based paint pen to make white marks everywhere! Yes! Now I love it!

And I knew it was time to stop before I messed things up. And apparently  I have my chop on this puzzle in at least three places. Hahahahaha! Make that four places. I keep looking. Five places, I'm going to stop now.

This puzzle stuck together very well while I worked. Taking the pieces apart was a little bit of a challenge, but that just means the pieces will hold up better over time.

And yes, I did put the puzzle together again. And again. It was a lot of fun! I think I may buy more of these now that I know I can actually do something fun with them. Here is a link to one that Michaels' carries online. Have fun! I would love to see what you do!