New Poppies, served on a Gelli Plate

New Poppies, served on a Gelli Plate

Hi there!!
It’s Wednesday, which is ‘Something New’ Blog, so how about a fab, brand new Poppy stencil, served on a small Gelli Plate. Sound delicious? Here’s what you need:
The new Poppy Stencil
Archival Geranium (there’s a special offer this month)
Punchinella
Make-up sponges
I think pictures are good, don’t you agree? So here’s a pretty extensive step-by-step, on how to make a super piece of artwork with just a little Gelli Plate and a stencil.
Ready?
Spread a pea-size amount of Buff Tit onto the Gelli Plate with your brayer.
Pull a basic print, by laying a piece of square white card on the wet paint, rubbing the back, and peeling card off. Line up the card with the piece you put underneath the Gelli Plate. 
Add T at the top.

Spread a pea-size amount of Sap green onto the Gelli Plate with your brayer. Remove quite a lot by continuing to roll across the wet paint with the brayer
Line up the card again, and add the next layer of paint
Spread another pea-size amount of Buff Tit, lay a piece of Punchinella, then copy paper, blot.
Remove punchinella.

Line up the card again, and add the next layer of paint

Same again with the orange,

but get rid of loads, so it’s all patchy.

Line up the card again, and add this final layer of paint.
Now we’ve created our backdrop for the poppies.

Take a look at this Poppy Stencil. It is superb. The flower-heads are immaculate.

Using low-tack tape, attach the stencil to the card. Same size. Coincidence?

Add a layer of Cadmium orange paint to the Gelli Plate.

Just as before, line up the artwork with the card underneath, and place it on the wet paint. Burnish the back.
Most of the paint is on the stencil, but wait!
Aha!! What have we here? 

 Perfect! I LOVE THIS BIT!!! 
Another arty door just opened for you!
Some of the stencil print has stayed on the Gelli Plate. So let’s just put it to one side, and let it dry completely…

Whilst we are waiting for it to dry, let’s go back to the original piece. Archival Ink pads required: Geranium and Fern are superb Poppy and leaf colours. I suppose the clue is in the names!

Using a make-up sponge, start adding depth of colour with the red to the Poppies. Use a Post-It or paper scrap to mask the stalks and leaves.

Think light and shade…

 Add Fern to the stalks and leaves

Let’s get in closer…

Remove the stencil for the big reveal…

Nice.
You can add shade to the flowers by rubbing a die based ink, like Spiced Marmelade to the centres 

So let’s get in closer:

no, closer…

Lovely original print edge, too. Lines up well, despite several layers, because of the card underneath the plate and the T for Top.

Love a gritty corner, don’t you?

Yep. Pleased with that one. But wait! What about the dried pattern on the Gelli Plate?
Add a pea-size amount of Buff Titanium on top of the dry paint.

so that you would never know there was anything underneath.
Lay a clean piece of white square card onto the wet paint.
Burnish the back.
Pull the print.
Perfect! 

Now this is what I call arty!

 

I enjoy this incidental art so much. You know, when something emerges which you hadn’t planned, but it is really, really cool!

 Even the corners are awesome!

So there you have it. A beautiful brand new Poppy Stencil,  yielding not one but two pieces of artwork in the same process.
Can’t be bad.

So you decide. Which one is more your flavour? 
At the office this morning, there were definitely two camps. 
Guess which one I’m in…
As you can see we have been very busy, designing lovely new stencils. 
If you get a chance, you might want to go take a look…
until tomorrow then,
with love from

50 thoughts on “New Poppies, served on a Gelli Plate

  1. Yet two more fabulous pieces of artwork. My favourite is the first one, however I do also like the incidental artwork. So I am afraid I have a foot in each camp. Will have to look at getting the Poppy stencil in the new year.

    I would also like to thank the team at Clarity for getting my order out in a timely manner, just received an email saying that my order has been despatched and should be waiting for me when I get home tomorrow!

  2. Bonjour! love them both, but as you wish us to choose…..I will say the unexpected second print.. Thanks for the tutorial, the idea and the stunning new stencil.
    Laurence x

  3. Firstly.. this is a stencil that is going straight to the top of my wish list… I just adore poppies and these are beautiful. When I saw the first print I was amazed but when I saw the second I genuinely gasped it was so .. I don't know, I guess ethereal is the word. Going to be starting 2014 as I mean to go on … down at Clarity shop xxx

  4. So glad you said it was Wednesday because I wouldn't have known otherwise! Gorgeous prints. I know how much work went into the main print but I love the ghost print the best 🙂

  5. Well for me one is a backing paper or Tag and the other is the centrepiece. From one Arty Farty person to another the good news is you don't have to make a choice because you can have both every time!! The grungier the better and this is just gorgeous! Xx

  6. Beautiful. My sister-in-law is a poppy lover, thinking this could be her next birthday card! Thank you as always for the wonderfully inspirational ideas, Barbara.

  7. Fantastic I like both pieces of work just great when nothing is wasted, but suppose if I had to choose it would be the first piece. Love poppies there is a field of them not far from us and when in flower it is a sight to behold. Very Monet. Think I am going to have to invest in the gelli plate have resisted so far as trying to improve stamp techniques ,I am still a beginner but hoping to get a decent card done for this months challenge. Thanks Barbara you are a treasure trove of wonderful ideas.xx

  8. Wow, I like them both and do not wish to decide 🙂 but if I had to I would choose the second on. Ich finde auch die vielen Fotos des Arbeitsprozesse super hilfreich!!! xx

  9. Hello Barb!
    I have loved Poppies since I was a little girl…. next to Cowslips, and Primroses..and of course Bluebells.
    Your work shows all my favourites to their best!
    Thank you
    Love Marg

  10. Hi Barb,
    I absolutely love poppies – I have them in different colours in my garden- they look so fragile and almost lace like. This stencil is going to be a must have for me in the New Year. As for your samples, it has got to be the full on artwork. Love the second one too but for me that is more of a background paper.

  11. Absolutely fantastic, love the new stencils and I love the second print best it is so arty. I will be trying that must get some buff ti tho.
    Lorna

  12. stunning love the stencil stamp and what a great tutorial .both are great but i prefer the main one the 'accidental; one is a great bonus I agree Andrea x

  13. Wow and wow! Thank you so much for sharing how and why – these are beautiful and I think I'm going to have to invest into a Gelli plate and paints next year – stunning pieces of art work Barbara, stunning!!!

  14. I cannot decide which one I like best so I am in the uncomfortable position on the top of the fence. It certainly is a beautiful stencil with loads of possibilities. I know someone I need that stencil for to do her birthday card next year, just her style. I have just decided that I am going to spend a little time printing out all your blog tutorials and keep the print with the stencil of stamp involved, so that I can settle down after Christmas and work my way through and have a really good play. Now, there is another idea for you, a Barbara Annual (perhaps for the Clarity Charity of your choice) with the 12 most popular tutorials in …. but then how would you or we choose the best as they are all so clear and inspiring. No sparkly snow today though – I wish I knew how I did it too. xx Maggie

  15. Fantastic stencil Barbara…..Poppies are one of my favourite flowers so it is a must have….a NEED ….and as for choosing…I am surprised at my choice…the bonus print….well I love them both really…x

  16. I love poppies so this stencil has risen to the top of my want list…… Great tutorial thanks Barbara. I like both images, though if I'm forced to pick one it would be the arty one pulled from the geli pate at the end. x

  17. Loved the final artwork and the 'arty' finish, but the colours in the process, especially the orangery one, I didn't really like even though some poppies are quite orangery. The tutorial was so good though.

  18. Great step by step – got me itching to play with my gelli plate! Wonderful stencil too – so detailed. I love the main image and the 2nd print is such a fab extra. The grungy edges are wonderful. I tend towards clean and simple so my New Years resolution will be to try more 'arty' techniques which I find a bit daunting 🙂

  19. Hi Barb, love them both for different reasons. My Gelli plate is still in the packaging – work keeps getting in the way, but will defo have a play over the Christmas break. I have just added the stencil to my wish list. Bx

  20. What an awesome stencil – I love poppies. Both prints are gorgeous but I think if I HAVE to choose it would be the ghost print. And an added bonus is that it cleans the gelli plate beautifully. Thanks for another fab tutorial. Lx

  21. Love this new stencil. In fact all the new stencils are looking great. More to add to my wish list! I am more and more amazed at what can be done with the Gelli Plate. I haven't used mine very much yet, since buying it at the NEC last month. I must get my Christmas cards finished so I can have some spare time to play around with the Gelli Plate.

    Yet another inspiring blog. I am divided as to which print I prefer. They are both beautiful!

  22. Love both of these, Barbara, but if I had to choose one it would be the original stencil print because I love the depth of colour and the contrast. Must say poppies are my favourite so I guess this stencil will just have to find its way into my crafting stash!

  23. This is the first time I have followed a blog and the first time I have left a comment. This comment is not really about anything I have seen on the blog but about post-it notes. I saw a demo you did on telly using large post it notes. About a week later I decided to go to our local cheap stationery shop and look at them and was astounded – £12.99. I then scoured all the even cheaper shops but no-one else had any. When my husband came home I said do you know how much large post-it notes are? Yes he said, £12.99. How do you know that? Because I bought you some for a stocking filler after you'd watched one of Barbara's shows and said you could do with some! How could you spend £12.99 on post-its I said? Because I know your too tight to buy any!! He knows me too well.
    Anyway your blog is lovely and all the things you do are lovely. This is like getting a New Design Newsletter everyday and I don't have to wait a whole month before the next instalment.
    Keep up the good work Barbara and Merry Christmas to you, your family and all your staff. x

  24. This is beautiful Barbara. I love the colours and texture. I've just started playing with a 6 x 6 plate that I got for Christmas. I liked your comment about the rough corners because I was just trying to decide whether I should mat them covering the messy edge or not?? My next quest is square frames – do you ever frame your 6 x 6's?

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