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Color Transference and Gel Printing

How do you get those gel prints with little bits of color here and there that give a print the wow factor and do it in one pull?  By color transference which is a fancy way of saying transferring the color from one area to another on the gel plate.  What fancy tool does this?  Recycled cardboard.

Watch Color Transference on a Gel Plate on YouTube.

The pattern making tool created was just packing material from a picture frame.  I happened to have the triangular shapes but you can use any cardboard to do this. Look around for some scrap pieces you can glue together. You might be surprised by what you find.

How do you get those gel prints with little bits of color here and there that give a print the wow factor and do it in one pull? By color transference - see how in the video by Carolyn Dube

Multiple colors of paint were added to the gel plate.  Here I used 6 colors of Paper Artsy paints. Naturally, you can add as many or few colors as you prefer.

How do you get those gel prints with little bits of color here and there that give a print the wow factor and do it in one pull? By color transference - see how in the video by Carolyn Dube

By pressing the cardboard tool into the paint over and over, the paint begins to transfer from one area to another.  The more you do this, the more color gets transferred.  Every so often, I would turn the tool which allowed for a bit of change for what colors were going where.

How do you get those gel prints with little bits of color here and there that give a print the wow factor and do it in one pull? By color transference - see how in the video by Carolyn Dube

How do you know when to stop? That’s a personal question and there is no exact answer.  Do you love how it looks? Then that’s when you stop.  I love very busy prints so I kept going and going to get this look.

Ready for more gel printing fun? Check out the techniques and tutorials page including the Do’s and Don’ts of Gel Printing.

How do you get those gel prints with little bits of color here and there that give a print the wow factor and do it in one pull? By color transference - see how in the video by Carolyn Dube
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  • Kathy Gledsdale January 26, 2018, 3:46 pm

    OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH so very cool and even the wipe off roller sheet is gorgeous!

  • Victoria January 26, 2018, 3:47 pm

    I love this. I’m new to gel printing and I’m enjoying learning new things.

  • Jean marmo January 26, 2018, 5:21 pm

    I need one of these fancy tools! Love these prints.

  • Patti January 26, 2018, 8:37 pm

    Great video! Love that you used something that would’ve been thrown away!!

  • Denise January 26, 2018, 9:13 pm

    Loved this Carolyn. I collect those end pieces at work cause they are always thrown away. My plan was to use them on small canvases to make little houses. Now I have a new inspiration.

  • Ann in PA January 29, 2018, 12:48 pm

    Love the texture you got with the corners. I just happen to have a new frame waiting to be unwrapped!!

  • Corrine January 29, 2018, 7:18 pm

    Cool technique, fun to make our own tools to use for that individual look. xox

  • Lisa January 29, 2018, 9:09 pm

    I love this. Colors and tools are both amazing. I have tons of ‘recyclables’ waiting to be tried….
    I do have a question on the paper that you are pulling onto; it looks fairly heavy. Can you please tell me what you’re using. Thanks

    • Carolyn Dube January 29, 2018, 9:26 pm

      I tend to like using a sturdy paper (90lb – index card weight), it’s personal preference so any paper you like will work Lisa.

  • Michele Engel February 1, 2018, 4:17 am

    Superb! Thank you for the fantastic ideas and technique how-to!

  • Louise February 4, 2018, 9:06 pm

    I really like watching you create and teach.
    This was really fun ?

  • Marcia February 5, 2018, 9:08 pm

    Love it! Love it! Love it!

  • Rhonda February 6, 2018, 1:58 pm

    Love this project. Just got a gel playe so now I will try. Tfs!,??

  • Paula Devi March 26, 2019, 1:11 pm

    This is a perfect video – just what I needed right now. I’ve been ignoring my jelly plate for ages and last night pulled it off the shelf. Now I’m so motivated. Best part? Clean the Brayer in between shmushing different colors (?duh!). Thank you thank you ?

  • Barb K May 18, 2020, 3:06 am

    Loved your “junk equipment “ hello plate video thanks🦋

  • Barb May 20, 2021, 4:24 am

    You are such a happy , motivational person I love your videos thank you fondness from the UK🦋

  • Diane Lightburn October 13, 2021, 11:16 pm

    I loved everything about this video! The emphasis in your videos is often to use recycled materials… I love that!

  • Lynn November 21, 2021, 6:04 pm

    GAWJUS! I thought MY prints were busy! Love PA paint colors but they dry so fast that I have to add a little regular acrylic paint to keep them fluid; or I make some liquid matte medium and add that. And both those fixes change the color/texture respectively, even though just a bit. I didn’t see you do anything special. Do you use more paint when you use PA? Your paint looked like it stayed open. Thanks 🎈💕🎈

  • Jenny McCrorie May 3, 2022, 4:31 pm

    Spectacular , fantastic technique. Great colour choices and another technique I need to try. I love it. Thank you.