This all started with 2 gel prints. Then the ripping. The tearing. And that’s when I realized the plan I had wasn’t going to work. And that was a good thing because where it ended up was far better than what I had planned!

These 2 gel prints sparked the idea for this art journal page. They’re made with PanPastels on a gel plate using 2 stencils, Venetian Buildings and Uplifting Words.

How do you use PanPastels on a gel plate to get grungy layers in one pull? My process is broken down step-by-step in Gel Printing with PanPastels online workshop. Plus, there’s a bonus video in there of how the techniques were combined to create these exact pages.

The “plan” was to use the entire print and a couple of the words. But I didn’t want to cover up a thing on the print and no matter what I did, the words just didn’t feel right.

Then it finally dawned on me that maybe the plan I had needed to change. So I went through a box of leftovers and scraps to see where that took the play.

What was found in that box pointed me in a new direction and the plan I had was abandoned and the words set aside.

This background is colorful junk mail. Anything can be arted on, and junk mail is a great way to have fun with color.

The new plan created a new challenge, how to use all of the gel print and have the colorful Rembrandt on the page looking down. Spoiler alert, something had to be sacrificed.

Torn edges are great for adding extra pops of color, especially with Marabu’s Art Crayons. They’re creamy like my mom’s lipstick (and yes, she did get mad every time I used it like a crayon as a kid) and blend easily.

For a bit of scribble journaling, I wanted a gray colored pencil because they write so nicely on a PanPastel gel print. But I didn’t have a gray one. Then it hit me, a regular pencil is gray and I have plenty of those!

There were little bits of paper all around from the ripping and tearing of edges early in the process. Those scraps were colored, torn, and glued all around page.

Public Service Announcement- keep the scraps, leftovers, remnants of other play around you instead of cleaning everything off perfectly, because you never know when those will call to you!

Ready to make layered prints with your PanPastels to use in your art journal? Then check out Gel Printing with PanPastels!

Can you use PanPastel on a gel plate? Absolutely! There are things that PanPastel can only do when using it on a gel plate that it could never ever do with paper alone. Understanding how these two supplies interact opens up a whole world of printing possibilities all while sealing in the PanPastels!

The superpower of PanPastel is blending and a gel plate’s superpower is layering. When you understand how these characteristics play and interact with each other, you hold the key to intentionally creating mysterious layers, bold layers, playful layers or any combination of them. Knowledge is power.

I’ve taken everything I’ve figured out playing with PanPastels on the gel plate and put them into a self paced online workshop, Gel Printing with PanPastels. You’ll see each technique step-by-step but this workshop is about more than the how, it’s also about the why.

If you don’t have the how and the why, gel printing can feel extremely random!

When you understand the nuances of blending on a gel plate, you have the ability to create subtle effects within your layers. But that’s not all!

When creating the look of shading, a dark color can very easily overtake an image. To keep that from happening, and create artistic shading, there’s a simple trick for applying the PanPastel to plate.

You Have Options

The versatility of PanPastels and a gel plate gives you options. You can go bold with a technique or you can be more monochromatic. The prints below were created with the same reverse stenciling technique, but one has been rainbowed while the other stayed with black PanPastel.

“Stuff”

As well as using traditional supplies, like gel plates, stencils, stamps and acrylic paint, we’re also using “stuff”. This is a very technical term that applies to things from your kitchen, from the trash, from around the house or garage. Everything used to make the print below is “stuff”. Wait till you see how to use the patterns and textures you have all around you with PanPastels!

Until I started gel printing with them, my PanPastels didn’t get used very often for one big reason. Pastels need to be sealed. But gel printing with them seals in all that color! That means as soon as you take the pull, they are sealed and good to go for art journaling, card making, scrapbooking, collage, or ready for framing! 

Who is this workshop for?

Anyone who wants to have fun making gel prints! Your gel plate can still be in the original packaging because no experience is needed! Every technique is explained step-by-step. No experience needed with PanPastels either!

If you’re an experienced gel printer, working with PanPastels is different than working with paint on a gel plate and that opens up a whole new world of techniques! Understanding how and why these two supplies work together lets you take your prints up to the next level.

What’s Included in the Workshop:

• 19 lessons
• Downloadable videos
• Self-paced – content immediately available
• Lifetime access
• 14 day money back guarantee
• 5 Bonuses! Color Explosions, Printing on Fabric, Grungy Layers, Aged Layers and the video of newbie Dave making PanPastel prints!

$99

My Guarantee

A lot of art workshops don’t offer guarantees. But I do! Why? Because I want you to have the workshop that is right for you and sometimes the only way you can tell that is by watching the workshop.

Try the workshop for 14 days. After watching the videos, you will know how to use PanPastels on a gel plate to make prints. I 100% guarantee it. If you don’t, send me an email, and I’ll gladly give you a full refund. 

Your Bonuses!

Dave, the husband, was talked into doing a live video using PanPastels for the very first time, ever! The recording of these shenanigans and his rainbow pizzas print is just one of your five bonuses! Also included in your bonuses:

• Colorful Explosions– make the colors of the rainbow pop with incredible vibrancy with this technique! And NO MUD!
• Aged layers-Creating the look of aged layers using a combination of techniques from the workshop.
• Soft and Mysterious Layers-See how a ho-hum background in an art journal becomes one filled with mysterious layers!
• Gel printing on fabric with PanPastel. The fabric is not washable, so that means it is great for art quilts to be hung on a wall, mixed media fabric art, home decor items – basically, any fabric use that won’t involve putting it in a washing machine.

What supplies do you need? The basic supplies used in all the techniques are PanPastel in any colors you like, cosmetic sponges from the drug store, gel plates (the techniques work on any size) and the basic supplies for making a gel print (brayer, acrylic paint, paper). 

We’ll also be using common art supplies such as stencils, rubbers stamps, plus some “stuff” like some trash, and other household goodies to build pattern on the plate. I encourage you to use what you have on hand! In the classroom, I have a detailed video that walks you through your supply options in depth. I strongly encourage you to substitute with any supplies you prefer or have on hand.

Lessons in this Workshop:

• How PanPastels Work on Gel Plate
• Cleaning the Gel Plate and Sponges
• Blending Colors On the Plate
• The Pounce and Grab
• How to Avoid Smeared Layers
• Using White
• Taking Grunge to the Next Level
• To Blend or Not to Blend
• 2 Very Different Looks from the Same Supplies
• Combining Techniques
• Removing Color
• Rainbow Clouds and a Silver Lining
• Changing the Shape of the Sponge
• Reverse Stenciling
• Colorful Reverse Stenciling
• Creating Vibrant Layers of Color

FAQ

Have a question about the workshop? Just send me an email and I’ll get you an answer!

$99

What’s Included in the Workshop:

• 19 lessons
• Downloadable videos
• Self-paced – content immediately available
• Lifetime access
• 14 day money back guarantee
• 5 Bonuses! Color Explosions, Printing on Fabric, Grungy Layers, Aged Layers and the video of newbie Dave making PanPastel prints!