How to Improve Your Gelli Prints with Stencils & Hand Drawn Details

Here’s the collage I started in the first video.  It’s nearly there, but it just needs something more.

The gold leaf stencil at the bottom isn’t quite working for me, so I’m going to start by going over it with another stencil in a lighter colour and a bolder shape to help anchor the page and bring it all together.

I start by placing the stencil down, then I take a small sponge and gently dab it into the white paint.

Tip: Don’t go straight in with a big blob of paint from the middle of your palette— you’ll end up with a mess under the stencil.  Instead, pick up a tiny bit of paint from the edge of the palette, and dab it off first. Less is definitely more here.

Next, I turn the sponge round and pick up a bit of turquoise and gold.  I start dabbing it over the stencil, blending it into the white to get a kind of ombré effect. It’s really just trial and error, but I like how this one’s turned out—it’s got a bit more pop, and you can still see wee hints of the gold leaf stencil peeking through underneath.

Now I flip the book upside down and repeat the steps in the corner of the page, dabbing the colour through the stencil again.

I’m really happy with how that’s looking! Underneath, there’s already a stencil of a tree, so the leaves and the tree are all working together nicely.

When you’re adding stencils to your designs, try to choose something that feels harmonious with the rest of your page. For example, I wouldn’t pop a bold, graphic element on top of a soft, botanical background - they’d clash. But because everything here is from the same sort of botanical family, it feels like it all belongs.

Then I add a little bit more of the same stencil design in the other corner, just to balance it out. I usually like to have things in threes across a piece - it helps your eye move around the page in a nice, natural way.

You’ll notice I’m turning the page as I go, flipping it upside down and looking at it from different angles. That’s because I want the design to feel balanced no matter which way you’re looking at it.

Another reason I wasn’t too keen on the earlier design is that the black and white leaf pattern on the edge is done on Chinese rice paper, and the paint just doesn’t take that well on it. It behaves almost more like a fabric - it soaks the paint right in, so you don’t get that nice, crisp line you’re after.

I’ve done a wee comparison here on two scraps of paper. On the left is the Chinese rice paper with a bit of white acrylic paint marker—it absorbs and just gets lost. But on the cartridge paper, you can see that the line is lovely and strong.

So that’s a good lesson for me: next time I’m planning to do line work on top, I’ll avoid of that paper. It really does pay to experiment on a few little test pieces first, so you can see what works and what doesn’t.

Now I take a different leaf-shaped stencil to cover up that rice paper.  I dab my sponge into the white paint again, then flip it over to use the bit of teal that’s left on the other side.

I’m going over it a little more than I normally would, just because of the rice paper—it tends to soak everything up, so I want to make sure the design doesn’t get lost.

It gives a lovely, soft blended effect—nice and subtle, but it helps pull everything together. 

Next, I turn the book around and start stencilling on the other side, using the same leaf stencil I just used.

I dab on some Titanium White, followed by a little teal blended in for that same soft, subtle look.  It also helps to tie both sides together.

I take a moment to decide my next move, looking at what I’ve got in front of me. 

Although I quite liked the black lines at first—and I do quite like a graphic element—I’m not sure they’re adding much to the piece now.  I think I’ll try covering that line up, maybe by bringing in some of the darker blues I’ve used elsewhere.

I flip the book round, then reach for my larger leaf stencil. I add a leaf pattern over top using the same whites and teals to keep it harmonious.

I’m always keeping an eye on the lights and dark areas in my collages, and trying to build a bit of contrast as I go.  I start filling in some of the spaces between the leaves with a dark blue pencil.  By putting the dark blue colour in behind, it helps the lighter coloured leaves to pop out a bit more.  Because it’s pencil, I’m not completely covering up the layer underneath so you still get that lovely sense of depth.

As you can see, I’m moving around the page, just sort of mirroring it as I go, filling out these wee shapes that perhaps aren't as well defined and need a little help.

Now I’m using a lighter teal pencil to gently blend the dark blue.  It softens everything up a bit and helps tie the whole section together without losing the contrast.

These pencils are water soluble, so you can blend them with just a bit of water and a brush.  I go in with the brush, dabbing off the excess water on a bit of tissue so it’s not too wet, and blend out the colour, adding in a touch more teal pencil as I go.

Then I dab over the lines with my damp tissue to soften them and pull them back just a little.

Now I’m going in with my dark blue pencils.  I do like to have some nice deep areas of colour, so I’m just building up the blue a bit.

There’s a black line running down the centre that’s been bothering me, so I’m using my dark blue and a bit of olive pencil to soften it. Then I’ll go in with the brush and blend the line out.

I'm really happy with the result - it’s helped to take the edge off that harsh line.

I’d like to try and pull those letters on the spine out a wee bit more.  I’m going in with my teal pencil to define the shape here and help the gold pop.

I always say—just work with what you’ve got, and keep an eye out for opportunities to embellish.

Once I’m done working around the letters, I look around the rest of the piece with my coloured pencil and find some other spots that need a little something extra.

I’m just adding a few final touches now, using a gold pen.  I’m drawing freehand here, just doodling lines and leaves, filling in those wee spaces that needed a bit of something.  I’m also defining some of the little details, like the white flower shapes, to help them stand out a bit more.

I'm very happy that it's working well on top of that Chinese rice paper. I suspect it's because there’s a few layers of paint on it that's preventing it from absorbing. 

Now I’m doing the same with my white acrylic paint marker, just doodling simple leaf and vine shapes, followed by some dot work.

TIP: If you find the edges of the page are a bit rough, you can take a nail file and gently smooth those bits down.

I’m so pleased with this! It's gone from something that was quite meh to something I’m really happy with.

That’s just how it goes — you’ve got to give yourself a chance to get into the flow and connect with the piece again, even if it's just 10 minutes at a time. And sometimes, the pieces with the layers and backgrounds that aren’t as pleasing at first end up being the best ones in the end!

I hope that’s helped give you some ideas on what to do with your gelli prints once you’ve made them — to create a finished design in a little book, and to spend a couple of hours just relaxing, switching off from the world and all the noise around us — and just focusing on creating. 


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Thanks so much for following along, everyone!