How to Gel Plate Print: Feather and Leaf Monoprints

Set your gel plate on a flat, protected surface. Squeeze a short line of acrylic paint along one edge of the plate. For a rainbow gradient like Josie's, lay two or three colors side by side in a row, pink, orange and yellow here. Use less paint than you think. A thin bead goes a long way once it is rolled out.

Roll the brayer through the paint and across the plate, then lift it and roll again in the same direction. Keep going until the colors blend where they meet and the whole plate is evenly covered. A long brayer makes gradients easier. You want a thin layer with a fine, velvety texture, not thick ridges.

Place a flat feather onto the wet paint. Work quickly here, because acrylic paint dries fast and a dry layer will not transfer. Leaves, string or a stencil all work the same way. Whatever you lay down blocks the paint, so it will show as a silhouette in the background color.

Lay a sheet of paper over the plate and press it down with both hands. Rub firmly all over, from the middle out to the edges, so the paper picks up the paint everywhere. Josie uses a sheet of watercolor paper that already has a gradient printed on it, so the feather shape will show that color underneath.

Peel the paper up from one corner in a slow, steady motion. This reveal is the best part. The paint from the plate now covers the paper, and the feather has left a crisp silhouette showing the color underneath. Every print is a little different, which is why it is called a monoprint.

Clean or wipe the plate, then add a little magenta paint and roll it out with the brayer. Keep this layer very thin. Too much paint is the most common mistake, and it fills in the fine detail you want from the leaves. Cover the whole plate evenly and move on straight away.

Lay fresh leaves on the wet paint with the vein side down. Feathery sprigs like the ones here give lots of detail. Arrange them with some space between each one so every shape reads clearly in the finished print. Work fast, since you only have a short window before the paint starts to dry.

Press paper over the plate and rub firmly everywhere. Peel it off to reveal the first pull: white leaf silhouettes on magenta. Keep it, it is a good print. But leave the leaves on the plate for a moment, then lift them off. The plate now holds a detailed impression of every vein, ready for the ghost print.

Let the leaf impression on the plate dry completely, about 5 to 10 minutes. Then roll a thin layer of cream or off-white paint over the whole plate. This time you want the new layer wet. It covers the dried leaf image and will lift it up when you print.

Press a fresh sheet of paper over the plate and rub firmly all over. Then let it sit until the paint is fully dry, around 15 minutes. Peel it away and the wet cream layer brings the dry leaf print with it. You get crisp pink leaves with every vein on a soft cream background.