Wednesday, October 9, 2013

The Evolution of a Gel Print

This story begins here, with a few solid colors printed on a piece of watercolor paper.


There were so many things I liked about this original print. The colors are soothing and the overall composition is quite nice. I could have stopped here and been happy. In fact, it may be fair to say I should have stopped here, or at least been a bit more cautious as I proceeded. But as you can see, I forged madly ahead with handmade stencils and more passes on the plate until I ended up here:






Yikes! This definitely falls into the it-seemed-like-a-good-idea-at-the-time category. Even so, I really love how the bottom half came out. As I looked more at this print, I decided it had a split personality and I wasn't sure what to do to make everything work together. So, I cropped my favorite parts, ending up with three smaller pieces.





The beauty of printing on watercolor paper, is that it's sturdy enough for collage. I ended up doing a lot of collage on this part of the print.

 


There was a lot I liked in this section, but I wasn't so happy with the red and gold, so again collage came to the rescue!




And finally, my favorite part of the original print:




For a very process-oriented artist, as I tend to be, this is such a satisfying and enjoyable way to work. 


I'm linking this to Carolyn Dube's Colorful Gelli Print Party and to Paint Party Friday. Check them both out to see all of the wonderfully creative things people are doing with paint! Thank you so much for visiting my blog!  I always appreciate your comments.








23 comments:

  1. I love that you showed your process and could relate to the evolving feelings and how much you loved the last piece.....all beautifully done...thank you for sharing!

    Hug Giggles

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  2. oh wow.. as I am a big fan of abstract I am totally in love with this posts pieces!
    great to see the progress!
    FROEBELSTERNCHEN
    ART-JOURNAL-JOURNEY-CHALLENGE

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  3. Love what you have made, and watching it evolve! Valerie

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  4. thank you for sharing your process Debbie and with grand results. Happy PPF, Annette x
    http://nettysartadventures.blogspot.co.uk/

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  5. wow, you really made three entirely different pieces from one paper. Very beautiful, all. I am partial to the top one with the musical score and buttons. Thank you for your comment about my post today.

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  6. Love all the layers of color, fabulous! HPPF!

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  7. This is what I so love about gelli printing-you never know what the outcome will be and there are so many ways to play with a print you might not like as a whole. Lots of fun, creative play here!

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  8. Wow, love the final effect of the collage and gelli printing. Looks great!

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  9. Love this abstract look! Very cool! HPPF!

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  10. These are all so gorgeous! I love abstract with lots of layers and colours :)

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  11. Just stopping by from Conny's blog over at Piaroms Art blog!!

    I see you are in Seattle!! I'm in North Bend!!

    Love your abstract gelli print, very cool.

    Have a fun weekend.

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    1. Thanks, Joan! I'm on the Eastside -- I just visited your blog, too. 'Glad to connect with you here. Your art is great!

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  12. P.S. Love your header art, too.... great vases and flowers!!

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  13. fantastic, playful, inspiring and very creative works. Thank you for sharing Debbie.

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  14. Wow what a journey Debbie, I love all of these, I really love that split personality one, it's a great piece!

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  15. Oh it's wonderful! I love the addition of the collage elements - there's so much goodness to look at, xo

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  16. I love seeing the progression...
    The addition of the collage elements is wonderful :)
    xo
    Kristin

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  17. Wonderful! I love that you pushed on and created more beauty when you changed your mind.

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  18. So great to follow you along...and I had to smile at the part, where you went too busy...thats what allways happend to me the last times ;) But I have to say, the endresult piece is absolutely stunning! ♥ Conny
    Piaroms Art Journaling

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  19. I love how it started and I love how it turned out! Thanks for sharing your process with the party!

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  20. I found your blog thru Carolyn's sharing of your print and I have to say, I love your sharing. I'm fairly new to gelli printing and struggle with how best to layer and make it look like anything other than a hot mess. Like you, I like to cut out my fave pieces and use them in other pieces of art.....I'm a new follower and love to see what you're up to!

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