How To Resin A Gelli Print
Transform Your Gelli Prints With Resin!
Hi, I’m Susan McCreevy, a mixed media artist and gel printing expert from Inverness, Scotland. In this tutorial, I'll be showing you how to apply ArtResin epoxy resin to a set of botanical-inspired gelli prints.
There’s so much you can do with epoxy resin and gel printing—whether you’re incorporating your prints into a collage or framing them on their own, a glossy resin coat will make those colours pop!
Materials You’ll Need:
To Prepare The Gelli Prints:
Gel plate:
I use an 16 x 20" Gelli plate in this tutorial, but an 8 x 10" works just as well.
Paint:
Medium body, student-grade acrylic paint works best with gel plates. In this tutorial, I use teals, blues, greens, and beiges, as well as white and gold, but use your favourite colour palette.
Paper:
Mixed media paper, copy paper, and wet strength tissue paper all work well.
Brayer:
A brayer is a rubber roller used to spread the paint.
Print making materials:
Flat leaves and dried, pressed flowers are always a good choice.
Wooden artists' panel:
Either thin balsa or thicker birch panels work well.
Spray or brush-on adhesive:
This will be used to mount your print to the panel.
Gold or white paint markers:
These are optional but are brilliant for embellishing your prints.
Spray fixative:
This seals your print before you resin and prevents the resin from absorbing into the paper.
To Resin The Gelli Prints:
ArtResin:
This resin is a low odour, non-toxic resin designed for artwork.
Disposable Gloves:
Keep a few pairs handy to protect your skin from coming into contact with the resin.
Plastic Tools:
A plastic graduated measuring cup, a stir stick, and a flat edged spreading tool.
Dust cover:
A clean plastic tub or cardboard box does the trick nicely.
Painter's tape:
Use this to mask off the bottom of your wood panel before you resin to prevent unwanted drips.
Heat Gun or Torch:
A quick pass with a torch will eliminate bubbles in the resin.
Paper Towel and Isopropyl Alcohol:
It's useful to have these on hand in case of accidental spills or to clean up tools.
Step 1: Prepare The Gelli Prints
Before you start, make sure to follow my Gelli Print video tutorial, where I walk you through the process of preparing your prints, step by step.
Here's a quick overview:
First, roll out a thin, even layer of light blue paint onto the Gelli plate using your brayer.
Then, arrange leaves in a pattern across the entire surface. I’ve opted for ferns here, but feel free to use any leaves you prefer!
Next, place a clean sheet of copy paper on top of the plate and gently smooth it down with your hand so that the paper makes full contact with the paint.
Remove the leaves to capture a second imprint.
Now, repeat the process, this time using a darker blue paint to add contrast.
With these techniques, you can create a lovely variety of prints!
Below you'll find a sneak peek at some of the prints I demonstrate in my Botanical Gelli Print video.
Step 2: Mount & Embellish The Gelli Print
Take a moment to scan through your prints and pick out your favourite sections. Use a clear-drying adhesive to mount them onto balsa or birch wood panels. Tape off the bottom of the panels with painter's tape to catch resin drips and keep your panel clean.
While it’s optional, I really enjoy adding hand-drawn elements to my Gelli prints. I often use real flowers and leaves for reference or turn to a book of botanical art for inspiration, freehanding a design onto my collage papers. I particularly love the effect of white, gold, and bronze pens for these designs, especially against a darker background.
Before settling on your final design, I recommend testing your ideas on a scrap piece of the print. This allows you to refine your design and determine the best ink colour and line thickness.
I generally achieve the best results using fine or extra-fine paint pens and markers. Here are a few of my favourites:
- Posca acrylic paint markers in white, gold, and orange (0.7 mm and 2.5 mm)
- Uniball Signo UM-153 pens in white, gold, and bronze
- Sakura Pen-Touch gold marker
- Pentel White Hybrid Gel Grip Metallic pen (1 mm)
TIP: You can find links to the exact pens and markers I use in my Essential Paint Pens For Artists video.
Step 3: Resin The Gelli Print
Now for the exciting bit—adding a glossy topcoat of resin to your artwork!
Start by sealing the piece with a clear-drying sealant. While you can opt for a brush-on sealant, I prefer using a spray fixative by Winsor & Newton. Whichever you choose, it’s wise to test it on a scrap piece first to ensure it doesn’t smear the ink or marker.
Once the sealant has dried according to the label instructions, you’re ready to apply the resin. Begin by gathering your tools and preparing a plastic-lined work surface.
Next, get your ArtResin ready.
If you're unsure how much resin to use, you can enter the length and width of your panel into ArtResin's Resin Calculator.
For instance, an 8 x 8" panel needs 66 ml (2 fl oz) of resin for a 3 mm (1/8") layer.
Multiply this amount by the number of panels you have to determine the total amount of resin and hardener you’ll need.
Wearing gloves, measure equal volumes of resin and hardener into a graduated mixing cup. Stir well for 3 minutes, making sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the container for thorough blending.
TIP: Since resin and hardener have different densities, the 1:1 ratio is accurate for volume but not for weight. If measuring by weight, use 100 parts resin to 84 parts hardener. This will ensure you maintain the correct 50/50 volume ratio.
Mount the panels off the work surface using plastic stands—plastic shot glasses, like the ones I use, work very well for this purpose.
Be sure to check that the pieces are perfectly horizontal with a bubble level.
Now, working one at a time, pour a small amount of resin into the centre of each piece and spread it to the edges with a plastic spreading tool.
You can either spread the resin so it flows over the side or gently nudge it right up to the edge without going over.
TIP: To catch drips, I suggest masking off the back of the panel with painter's tape before you resin. Just remember to remove the tape after 24 hours!
Next, quickly torch out any bubbles using a butane or propane torch.
TIP: To avoid over-torching the resin, keep the torch moving and be careful not to hold it too close or in one spot for too long. The flame should just kiss the surface of the resin. Move the torch continuously, much like you would when ironing clothes, and make a quick pass or two to eliminate bubbles.
Once you've done that, take a moment to inspect the piece for any final touch-ups—look for areas that might need a bit more resin, any missed bubbles, or dust that can be gently removed with a toothpick. When you’re happy with how it looks, cover the piece with a plastic tub or a clean cardboard box (with the flaps cut out) to keep it protected.
After 24 hours, the resin should be dry to the touch. You can handle the panels at this point, but do keep in mind that the resin won’t be fully cured until the 72-hour mark.
Below, I’ve compared one of my collage pieces without resin to another with a glossy resin topcoat. You can really see how the resin enhances the artwork, adding depth and dimension that brings the piece to life!
You can choose to leave the panels as they are or frame them for an added touch, with either a box frame or a floating frame.
I think any of these options look fantastic.
I hope you enjoyed this look into how to give your gelli prints a glossy resin finish!
There’s so much more you can do to experiment with resin—whether it’s adding a topcoat to collages, highlighting specific areas of your print, or pouring multiple layers for extra depth. You can even add hand-drawn details between resin layers using acrylic or gold leaf markers. Have fun and see where your creativity takes you!
If you're interested in learning more, be sure to watch the full How To Add ArtResin To Your Gelli Prints video tutorial. And don't miss my FREE course The Essence of Landscape, where I guide you through turning prints into finished paintings.
Happy printing!
