“What do you do with your gel prints?”

“What do you do with your gel prints?”

Or some iteration of that is the most common question I am asked in workshops or on social media.

People who already work with other art media are probably less likely to inquire, but gel printing is a very accessible art technique. You only need a plate, brayer, paper, and paints, so many students in my classes do not consider themselves “artists.”

I feel like this question and answer has two sides. On one side is a practical list of everything I could think of making with gel-printed papers (which I did if you keep scrolling down).

But often what I hear in this question is a bit of frustration or confusion from people who have recently started gel printing. Maybe they saw some cool videos online of gel printing, decided to buy a plate, and now have a pile of papers from some printing play sessions. There are some prints they like and plenty they don’t, but they aren’t quite sure what they’re supposed to do with all of them. Sound familiar?

Let's go back to when I started gel printing 12 years ago. I've always loved learning new art or craft techniques, but most of my creative projects were related to sewing. I had minimal experience with painting or printmaking.

I took my first gel printing workshop from a mixed media artist named Celeste Douville. Her approach in this class continues to frame how I use my plate today. In the class, we used different found objects for texture and cut simple stencils/masks to create monoprints. Yes, I made plenty of ugly prints that day, but I also made a few winners, and I was hooked.

For the first few years, I pulled out my plate when I could find some time and space. (I didn’t have a studio then.) My goal was always to make interesting, abstract monoprints, mostly on old Thomas Guide maps or sheet music. I was always aiming for prints that could stand on their own because that was the approach that pulled me in during my first workshop.

Of course, I still had prints that didn’t work. I often used these papers to make cards, like these Christmas cards from 2015. (I was a little obsessed with bubble wrap as a texture back then.) Or I turned the really ugly prints into new stencils/masks or clean-up papers.

Today, at least half of what I make are still monoprints or monotypes designed to stand on their own, often with a little machine or hand stitching. I also create many collages with my prints, sometimes with papers intended for collage and plenty with papers not originally meant for collage.

Because I also teach workshops, I end up with a lot of extra prints, so from time to time I’ll go through my stash and create packets of collage papers to sell. (Something I am currently working on!)

Okay, so where am I going with this answer? I guess the question of what to do with your gel prints comes down to how you see gel printing fitting into your current art practice, hobbies, or creative time.

Are you pulling your plate out a couple of times a year for a few hours of creative play? Or are you like me and rarely put your plates down?

As you ponder your answer just remember, the more you use your plate…
- The better you get, and your prints will get.
- The more likely you are to find techniques you love.
- And yes, the more gel prints you’ll have lying around.

Along that line, I encourage you to take classes from many instructors. Everyone has a slightly different approach to gel printing. You may need to find the right instructor to help answer the question of purpose for your gel prints.

Okay, enough of my musings on gel printing…here is my list of ideas for what you could do with your prints. Hope this helps!

1. You don’t have to do anything with them! You could hang the ones you love on your wall. Or just put them in a box or binder and pull them out from time to time for enjoyment and inspiration.
2. Use them for collage or mixed media work.
3. Cut prints into a new stencil or mask. Remember it’s just paper, they aren’t precious.
4. Put it in the pile of clean-up papers for your brayer or for cleaning extra paint off the plate. You never know it may improve the print!
5. Create cards by cutting out chucks you like to a standard card size or using a card blank as your collage surface.
6. Turn them into custom envelopes
7. Cut them into bookmarks. This is easier if printed on heavy paper, but you could reuse chipboard boxes as a sturdy backing surface.
8. Turn them into paper beads for jewelry
9. Cut them into strips and turn them into a paper-weaving
10. Use them as a background for a block print or illustration
11. Pretend you are back in school and create book covers. At the very least it would make for an interesting decorative bookshelf.
12. Doctor paper bags from various stores by collaging over the logos to create new gift bags.
13. Cut strips and sew/tape them together to create a gel-printed ribbon for packaging
14. Punch/cut gift tags for presents
15. Have a fancy party and use your gel prints to create napkin rings, place cards, or cupcake toppers.
16. Create custom journal covers
17. Turn them into a cool accordion book
18. Cover small boxes or create paper boxes like this with your prints.
19. Cut out circles (or any shape) and attach them to ribbon to make a garland.
20. If you have too many, give them away to creative friends/family to use or sell collage paper packs
21. If you feel like you are creating too many “ugly prints”…keep practicing! But also try adding another media. You don’t have to finish it on the gel plate. Draw patterns with acrylic markers, paint over the top, sew on them, cut a few up then reassemble them with different pieces from each, or just collage other papers over the “ugly” parts.

I’m sure I missed a few good ideas, so feel free to leave them in the comments, and thanks for reading!