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

Join the Workshop

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

When does the workshop begin?

As soon as you’re registered! This is a self paced workshop.

What is a self paced workshop?

This is a self-paced workshop which means the videos are available for you to watch at your own pace as soon as you’re registered.

How long do I have access to the workshop?

As long as you need since you have lifetime access and all the videos are downloadable.

Can I do this workshop if I am new to gel printing?

Absolutely! Your gel plate can still be in the original packaging because no experience is needed! Every technique is explained step-by-step.

What if I’m already an experienced gel printer? Is this workshop for me?

Absolutely! Working with PanPastels is different than working with paint on a gel plate. That opens up a whole world of techniques that you can’t do with paint alone. Understanding how PanPastels work on a gel plate can take your prints up to the next level.

Do I need to know how to use PanPastels?

Nope. This is a completely different way of using PanPastels so no experience needed.

What if I’m new to understanding color?

There’s a Mud Makers Cheat Sheet for you to print out so I’ve got your back!

What supplies do I 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).

How long is each video?

On average, the videos are approx. 10-20 minutes long. Each video is carefully edited so you can see the technique step-by-step and have time to play!

Is there a guarantee?

Yes! 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.

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.

Are the videos downloadable?

Yes! You can watch them on your computer or mobile devices.

Do the videos have closed captions?

Yes!

Is there lifetime access?

Yes! Since this is a self paced workshop, you can watch it on whatever timetable fits your needs best!

Am I able to ask questions about or get help with my prints?

Absolutely! I am here to answer all of your PanPastel gel printing questions.That’s one of the perks of taking a workshop! You can upload a photo of your prints, post your questions and share your prints inside the classroom.

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

$99

Join the Workshop

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!

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Using a Spark of Art-spiration

Play. It isn’t just for kids, it’s for grown-ups too. Kids jump right in to play – no warm-up needed. Adults sometimes need a little help getting to that playful place. That’s where my free Sparks of Art-spiration can help.

See how to use a Spark as a springboard for your play in the video and you can get the Spark that goes with this video here. Then each week, you’ll get a brand new Spark as well as creative encouragement in your inbox.

When I looked in the Spark I saw a flower. The cool thing about Sparks is that it’s like looking at clouds, everyone can see something different. I’ve even found that on different days, I’ll see different things in the same Spark.

Since Sparks are downloadable, when you see another shape in it, you can print another and play again. That also takes away any pressure that it might be “ruined”. If it is, you just print another!

Is that grass shark fins or mountains? It certainly didn’t look like blades of grass to me.

To get a bit of color that was translucent for the center of the flower, a bit of water was added to the acrylic gouache. Acrylic gouache will act like watercolor when you add water but when it dries it is permanent, meaning it won’t reactivate any more the way a traditional gouache or watercolor does.

Did you notice that oddball flower petal when the white background was added? Well, that was an O.O.P.S., an Outstanding Opportunity Presenting Suddenly. Not a mistake, but an opportunity.

That horrifying petal had to be covered up. Okay, that might be a bit overdramatic, but I really didn’t like it. So I used a word to hide it.

My Open Ended stencil from StencilGirl let me trace the letters to fill in with paint. I designed this stencil to help people like me who are impatient, hate to measure and struggle to make even titles. Without the guide of the pencil lines, my letters would have been 4 different heights!

This is a do as I say not as I do kind of a thing. Pens write really nicely on the acrylic gouache, but you do have to let the paint fully dry before you write on them. That required more patience than I had, so I wrote on there before I “should have”.

That’s why I was wiping the pen tip off in the video. In case you’re wondering, the pen did survive!

Now you know how to use a Spark of Art-spiration as a starting place for your play. Download it from the email, print it out and then use any supplies you have on hand, after all the best ones are the ones within arm’s reach!

What’s a Spark of Art-spiration? It is a springboard for your creative play that comes weekly in the newsletter.

How do you use a Spark? Print out the Spark on a printer, any printer- ink jet or laser, in whatever size you want and then play. You have complete freedom to experiment, play, explore.

What if one gets “ruined”? Simply print another. That means you can never run out of them so there is no pressure whatsoever as you play. Of course, any time there is a “mistake” it is really just an O.O.P.S., an Outstanding Opportunity Presenting Suddenly.

How you can get a new Spark each week? Just click here to get signed up for the newsletter. When you get signed up, you’ll get this Spark right now and you’ll get a new one each week in the newsletter along with creative encouragement.

Here are the supplies used. Some of these links are affiliate links which means I get a small percentage. It doesn’t cost you anything extra and it helps keep the free tutorials coming!

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How to Use Gel Printed Tissue Paper

Ever get an idea and then halfway through then realize what you’ve gotten yourself into? That was what happened with the journaling on this page. It takes a lot of writing to fill a page lol! But it did create the look I

Start with some gel printed some tissue paper. You can see how I used my Figments of Imagination stencil and mask set to make this paper in this gel printing video.

When you’re doing the journaling, you can use any pen or pencil you want. I chose a fine tipped fountain pen because it is waterproof. Why? Because wet stuff is going to be put on this on the next layer.

In case you weren’t sure, this was a lot of journaling. My hand let me know that this was more handwriting than I usually do but I did get a whole lot of thoughts out!

To glue the tissue paper down, use a runny glue. It is important that it is a runny glue if you want the tissue paper to disappear once it’s glued down.

You’ll need to be generous with the glue. If you use too little glue, the tissue paper won’t disappear as much.

But using all that runny glue on paper means it is at great risk of buckling. To prevent that, put a piece of wax paper or other non-stick surface on it.

Then weight it down with anything you have nearby so that the pressure of the objects on it will keep it very flat while it dries. It usually takes overnight to dry, but that varies depending on how much glue you used and how dry or humid it is.

Just a quick title glued on, and this art journal was done! Want more gel printing fun? I’ve got a page of gel printing resources for you here including the Dos and Don’ts of Gel Printing.