Stencil mania continues and gelatin printing is AWESOME!

I had quite the busy weekend making a mess and cutting stuff up. I am apparently on a mission to make a massive stencil/mask library because I did several this weekend. I also ruined a couple by trying to reinforce them with glue thinned with water. Whatever you do, if you make stencils out of paper of whatever thickness, water is not your friend. Just let them degrade as they naturally will over time or reinforce with take. No watered down anything!

My small disaster led me to remake one of the masks using a transparency because it was awesome enough to have a permanent-ish version.  That mask and one other I made today are my own versions of some stencil masks I have seen online that I thought were pretty cool. I also made some garden variety stencils, which I am not including in this post, since it will be so image heavy.

I made a stencil of a mouth, then added to it to make this image. I am so happy with the result! I thought for sure the teeth would come out looking like this person needed braces badly.

Yesterday, I got a wild hair and decided I needed to try gelatin printing. I had a bunch of unflavored gelatin when I fooled myself into thinking I was going to make marshmallows from scratch. That was 2 years ago. I probably will make marshmallows some day, just no time soon, so might as well use what I have, right? I found out you can cut up the gelatin, heat in the microwave until melted, and pour into the tray again. I was fearing it would be a one off, so my reason not to play with my Jell-o was removed. The recipe is this:

2 packets of gelatin per cup of water
a drop of tea tree oil, bleach, vinegar, or other anti-mold agent

You will want to use a container that is rectangular, with deep sides. At least as deep as a cookie sheet. I used a covered rectangular Pyrex baking pan, kind of like a lasagna pan only half the size. It was roughly 8"x10."  When it is in the fridge, you want it to stay covered, so I thought a container with a lid would be better than plastic wrap, since that can leave indentations. You will want to pour water in the vessel of your choice, cup by cup, to check how much gelatin you will need. You want the gelatin plate to be between 1/2" and 3/4." My container used 4 cups, so I needed 8 packets of gelatin.  You want to bloom the gelatin in cold water first. That means you will sprinkle the gelatin in part of the water you will be using, mixing, and letting it absorb water while the rest of the water you need comes to a boil. I kept seeing 1 1/2 cups of cold water in all the recipes I found. I used 2 cups and it didn't seem to affect the outcome. If you add the gelatin to hot water, it will clump and will affect your prints. When the water comes to a boil, add the remaining water to your mixture, along with the optional anti-mold agent of your choice, and stir well until everything is completely dissolved. Carefully pour this into your pan, then skim off bubbles with a piece of paper. A torn sheet of newspaper was what everyone else used, but I don't have any.  I had luck with a section I tore off an unwanted catalog. Carefully, place tray in fridge, or leave on counter if it is cool and you have the space, until gelatin is quite firm. I will wait until the next day next time. It did pretty well after 5-6 hours, but I cracked the plate when taking it out of the pan.  I am hoping that extra time will reduce the chances.

That leads me to the final step, taking the gelatin plate out of the mold. You have to be very careful. You actually don't have to remove it at all, but you should if you plan on ever using the container for food again. Ideally, the pan would be one you will not use again, but I think I am safe with the glass and thoroughly washing the plate before putting it back in the pan.  I will eventually purchase another one and this container will be craft specific.

Rather than trying to explain how to prepare to print, in my long winded, confusing way, I am going to refer you to a great instructional video on YouTube by Linda Germain.  She has a bunch of great videos on gelatin printing on her channel.  As for the printing itself, the best video I have seen is one by the incomparable Christy Sobolewski. Gelatin printing and printing with the Gelli Arts printing plate is exactly the same. A gelatin plate is just more delicate and prone to cracking. It is also not meant to be used long term, although I have read boards where people have been using the same one for several weeks. But compared to the other videos I have seen, Christy had the best results.  

One thing to remember is to never, never, ever dispose of your gelatin in the sink, even if you have a food processor. It can act like cement and cause a world of trouble for your pipes. And now for the fun part, my results. For being my first time, most came out pretty neat. I had long paper, so what you will see is my trying to contain the design to one side, for the most part. I will probably fold many of these sheets in half and make a journal from them. I was amazed at how some of the prints you disliked the most can become your favorites when it is printed over repeatedly.

This was my favorite. It began as the one I liked least.