My String Wreath Project...and "Clean" Printing

I thought I'd spend a little time talking about each of the projects for my workshop, Gel Printed Christmas, available for purchase through December 25th. 

There are three unique projects in this self-paced, online workshop and the first one I want to highlight is my "String Wreath". 

This project uses yarn, thread, and string to create layered Christmas wreath prints. I put my wreaths on gift bags in the video, but you could print the wreaths on cards, or create them for wrapping paper. 

While I love sharing ways to work with found textures, I think the registration method demonstrated to line up multiple layers may be the most important part of the lesson.

One of the compliments/comments I often receive about my work from other people familiar with gel printing, is how "clean" my prints look. I suspect they are surprised or curious about this, because gel printing tends to be thought of as "messy". 

Here's the thing. I fully believe the messy, experimental, playful side of gel printing is very important. More often than not, I'm not thinking about registration, or what I'm going to do with my prints. I do a lot experimenting with colors and textures, which isn't very neat and tidy. It's all a part of my process. But, I don't think it's the ONLY way to use a gel plate.

I am also a big believer in the thoughtful, slow, planned side of gel printing. Spending time in the playful, messy stage, working on techniques or ideas is important for figuring out how I can execute the clean prints I envision. 

And, that brings me back to my String Wreaths projects. The first part of the lesson is all about setting up my printing station so I can get my printing surfaces and stencil to line up precisely with each layer. This allows me to print multiple layers for my wreath directly on the surface of a gift bag, without worrying about "messing" it up. 

No, I don't need every gel print I make to be executed with precision, but it's nice to know I can achieve that "clean" look when I want to. 

If you'd like to try this project please sign up for Gel Printed Christmas today.