What’s the play today? Having fun with shower curtain rings. Not a sentence I ever expected to say…but it’s true! After all, just about anything can be fun when you’re gel printing with it!

These are hideously cheap, and not in the good way. But that’s fair since they came free with the bargain shower curtain I bought. As shower curtain rings go, these are terrible for putting the rod. But they are fantastic for making a gel printing tool!

Since these are plastic, I used E600 to attach them so that it would really grab the plastic and hold it in place. The drawback to this was I had to wait for it to dry. Hot glue goes a lot faster so if you don’t want to wait, go for that!

I’m using a large gel plate, with about half of it for rolling out paint like an ink pad and then the other half for taking the prints.

I thought I’d love the single prints but it’s the multiples that I loved. Once again, the gel plate surprised me! The twisted and turned patterns, not so much! But the grunge from twisting and turning did lead to a print that I did love!

Why am I using a gel plate to do this instead of just printing directly with the shower curtain rings on to my paper? When I do it directly onto paper, very little of paint transfers compared to the gel plate.

Don’t have cheap shower curtain rings laying around? You can glue anything to cardboard! Take a look around your home or recycle bin and then see what kind of prints it makes!

This is just one way to start a gel print. I’ve got 600 more ideas for you and how to create layers ON the gel plate. Plus everything you need to know to get started making gel prints along with a printable reference guide! And it’s completely free. Get signed up here.

Here are the supplies used. Some of these links may be affiliate links which means I may get a small percentage and it doesn’t cost you anything extra! And you get a really good feeling knowing that you are helping keep the free tutorials coming!

One stencil can create more than one look! In this video, I’m sharing how to create a scalloped look using my Rows of Reflecting Rainbows stencil. Once you know how to build the pattern, you can make it any size you want. Just a couple of rows makes a great border or edging. Fill an entire page to create your own patterned paper.

Add color to the scalloped pattern. Customize it to any color scheme you want. Add one color, two, or the entire rainbow. I used watercolors and you can also use things like colored pencils and pens or anything else you have on hand.

This just one way to use a stencil, the tip of the iceberg. If you’re looking to get more out of your stencils, then check out my online workshop, The Joy of Stenciling.

Here are the supplies used. Some of these links may be affiliate links which means I may get a small percentage and it doesn’t cost you anything extra! And you get a really good feeling knowing that you are helping keep the free tutorials coming!