I am the Terror that Stamps in the Night!

Did you ever make gelatin  and pour it onto a cookie sheet, then use it as a printing plate? Like it's  a giant stamp to press paint and images onto paper?  I never did, and I think I missed out on a lot of fun.

But recently I purchased a Gelli Arts Gel Printing plate, which is a more permanent version of the same thing. Your home-made gelatin plate breaks apart fairly quickly, while this fancy new version should last for a long, long time and is washable so you can use it over and over.

Supplies
VLVS! Stamps:
Mary Vogel Lozinak's Steampunk Woman's Head 2 1/2 x 3 Item 18365 Plate 1400
I Am The Terror That Stamps (in the night) 3/4 x 2 Item 1987 Plate 385

Two pieces 5.5 x 8.5 in Plike White Cover stock and one 3 inch square piece (You get an unusal tactile feel with Plike Paper, but any cardstock would work)
Tim Holtz Alterations Texture Fades 'Bingo' Sizzix Die (if paint dries in dies, they might not work properly in machines)
Ink Pads-Versamark Watermark, Ranger Archival Black
Acrylic Paints-Claudine Hellmuth Studio 'Dab of Yellow', 'Altered Orange' and 'Sky Blue'
Black Embossing Powder
6x6 inch Gelli Print plate

Scissors
Brayer
3D foam
Painter's tape
Sharpie Ultra Fine Point Marker
Optional: Studio Slow-dry medium (so acrylic won't dry as fast)

I started this project going in one direction and changed my mind mid-stream. But I'm writing the instructions as though I planned everything from the start, so you'll never know I screwed up!  Pretty sneaky, huh?

Process
With the Ranger Archival black, stamp the 'I Am the Terror' text on the 3 inch piece of the Plike paper.

Tear off a piece of painter's tape, big enough to cover text with some room to spare.  Tear edges all around tape to get jagged edges.  Place tape over text.

Using the Gelli Print Plate:
note: if using Slow-dry mix in paint now according to directions
1. Apply about a fingertip's worth of  'Dab of Yellow' acrylic paint to the Gelli plate.
2. Smear the paint wth the brayer until it covers the plate completely.
3. Press the 'Bingo' die firmly onto the plate', then set the die aside.
4. Press the 3 inch piece Plike paper onto the plate, masked tape side down, and lift off some color.
5. Press one of the 5.5 x 8.5 pieces of Plike paper onto the plate.  Don't try to cover the entire piece of paper.

Don't bother cleaning anything at this point, just repeat steps 1 thru 5 using 'Altered Orange'.  When you press the Plike onto the plate this time, reposition it so that another part of the paper is colored, with some overlap of colors.

Repeat the entire process with the 'Sky Blue' paint. Most of the Plike paper should be colored, but don't worry about bits of white--they add to the charm.

Now, quickly, grab the other piece of Plike paper, before the paint dries and press it onto to the plate to pick up as much left-over color as possible.

While the Plike is drying, clean the dies, brayer, and plate with soap and water.  Best not to let the acrylic paint dry on them.

...Intermission entertainment....

Please ignore the stamped images on the left, lol.  They are part of my my original idea.  But I wanted to show you what both pieces of card stock look like.  I cut out the text from the left to use on the right, but in the instructions I'm giving, you'll use the 3 inch piece of Plike.

Process...continued
Using the piece of cardstock you prefer, stamp the Steampunk Women's head with the Versamark ink.  Apply the black embossing powder and heat.

Remove the painter's tape from the 3 inch piece of Plike, and cut it so there are jagged flame-like edges.  Use the foam tape to adhere it where it looks like it is coming from the Steampunk Woman.

And, lastly, take the Sharpie and add some Zentangle®-Inspired Artwork!

You don't have to buy a Gelli Print plate to try this process.  For a video showing how you can make a temporary gelatin plate http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZgBkBv8y5s.

Meanwhile, check out the VLVS! Store for all your stamping needs and the  VLVS! Blog for new projects and news every day. Follow VLVS! as the VLVS! Forum - VLVS! FB - VLVS! Pinterest - VLVS! Twitter.