Soft Impressions: Exploring Gel Plate Printing with Curiosity
Gel plate printing is a wonderfully playful way to make art. You roll paint onto a soft plate, add textures or shapes, press paper on top, and pull a one-of-a-kind print. Each pull is a small experiment — sometimes surprising, sometimes imperfect, always unique.
This blog explores gel print techniques and unpacks them through the lens of transpersonal art therapy.
But First, A Brief History of Gel Plate Printing
Gel plate printing, also called monoprinting, has its roots in traditional printmaking, but with a modern twist. The “gel plate” itself is a soft, gelatin-like surface that allows takes on the impression of textures pressed into it. Artists to create one-off prints without the need for complex presses, making it a print making process that doesn’t require a printing press or studio space. Popularised by Mary Beth Shaw and Joan Bess of Gelli Arts in early 2000s gel printing, bringing an accessible method to mixed media, art journaling, and contemporary studios around the world. Unlike traditional methods, gel plate printing encourages experimentation—mistakes are happy accidents, and every print is a new discovery.
Gathering Your Tools
For this practice, you’ll need:
A gel plate
Acrylic paint
A brayer (the roller tool used to spread paint thinly — from the old word bray, meaning “to beat” or “to spread”)
Paper (any kind you’d like to experiment with)
Stencils, stamps, or found objects (like leaves or lace)
Perspex or plate to apply paint ot brayer/rubber roller
Paper towel
Warm soap water and soft cloth for cleaning
Drying space
Preparing Your Space (Inner & Outer)
One of the beautiful aspects of creative practices is the ritual aspect of preparing your space or creating space for unknowns and discoveries. So before we begin printing, we take a moment to prepare our creative space and invite the, with intention, the type of mindset that allows us to explore with out judgement:
Cover your work surface with a drop sheet or scrap paper. I like repurposing paper shopping bags.
Place your gel plate on a flat surface.
Lay out your paints, brayer, texture items, and printing papers so they’re easy to reach.
Keep space nearby for your prints to dry.
Take a moment to invite curiosity over criticism.
“The creative process is a process of surrender, not control.” – Julia Cameron
Exploring Techniques & Metaphor
In transpersonal art therapy, metaphor is a bridge between our inner world and the creative process. How we engage with art — the marks we make, the spaces we leave, the layers we build, the way speak about the process — often reflects how we move through life. Art becomes a way to explore, notice, and hold experiences, offering insight and self-awareness beyond words. Exploring techniques in this way allows us to see ourselves more clearly and in a compassionate, non-judgmental way.
The Rolling: Fresh Starts and New Possibilities
A gel plate is clear, a blank page in our unfolding story. A new chapter perhaps. Rolling paint onto the plate feels like smoothing out a fresh page. There’s a sense of renewal here — a reset. Each layer of colour offers a chance to begin again, just as we do in life when we pause, breathe, and step back into the moment.
“In transpersonal art therapy, the creative process is a mirror — it reflects back aspects of our inner world that words alone may not reveal.”
When you roll, notice the sound, the texture, the way the paint glides or resists. Where does it feel smooth? Where does it pull? What might that mirror about your energy today?
“Creativity takes courage.” – Henri Matisse
Negative Space: The Unseen Perspectives
As you lay down stencils or objects, you create areas where the paint won’t touch — revealing the paper beneath. These negative spaces can be like pauses in conversation, gaps in memory, or unseen perspectives in our lives.
Metaphor: In transpersonal art therapy, we might ask, “What is being revealed when something is left out?” These spaces can feel like doorways to curiosity.
“When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.” – Wayne Dyer
Pulling the Print: The Gift of the Reveal
Peeling the paper back from the plate is a moment of pure wonder — a small act of surrender. The result is rarely exactly what you expected.
Metaphor: Much like moments of insight in therapy, the print reveals what is ready to be seen. You can simply witness, without judgment.
Stencils and Stamps: What We Mask and What We Show
When you press a stencil or stamp into the paint, you’re making choices about what to reveal and what to obscure. The holes or gaps in a stencil can be like windows, offering glimpses into something deeper.
Metaphor: Transpersonal means ‘beyond ego’ or beyond the masks we wear. In art therapy we often explore the masks we wear — the parts of ourselves we hide and the parts we allow others to see and explore why and what the purpose of these masks are. Printing invites us to notice what we are willing to reveal.
Layers: Seeing the bigger picture and Honouring our unique Experience
Gel printing allows you to layer colour over colour, building complexity with each pull. Some layers might resist, others blend.
Metaphor: Our own lives are layered — experiences stack, overlap, and sometimes obscure each other. Printing becomes a way to hold and honour these textures. In art therapy we have the opportunity to see ourselves though our artworks with a birds eye view, taking in our complex landscapes and navigating to places yet to be explored and understood.
“The privilege of a lifetime is to become who you truly are.” – Carl Jung
Journaling Prompts for Reflection
Gel printing is more than a technique — it is a practice of presence, curiosity, and compassion. As Shaun McNiff, a pioneer in expressive arts therapy, reminds us: “The image comes first, not its meaning.” Let the prints speak to you in their own language.
What surprised you about the process of creating prints?
Where did the “mistakes” create something more beautiful than you planned?
What do the gaps or negative spaces remind you of?
What layers feel present in your life right now?
How does it feel to witness your print without trying to fix or change it?
Cleaning the Plate: Containing and Closing the Experience
Once you’ve finished printing, gently wipe your gel plate clean with a soft cloth and warm water. Avoid harsh scrubbing — treat it with care.
Cleaning the plate is more than maintenance; it’s a ritual of closure. As you clear the paint away, you are containing and grounding the experience, letting go of what has passed while making space for what comes next. In a way, it mirrors returning to everyday life after a reflective, immersive experience — carrying the insights, colours, and textures with you, while leaving the process on the plate.
“The soul always knows what to do to heal itself. The challenge is to silence the mind.” – Caroline Myss
Using and Exploring Your Prints Beyond
Your prints can become more than standalone images. Here are a few ideas for further exploration:
Art journaling & scrapbooking: Add depth and interest to pages.
Greeting cards & gift tags: Cut prints into smaller pieces for personal handmade stationery.
Wall art: Frame your favorite prints or create a gallery wall of layered textures. Keep looking into them.
Collage & mixed media: Use prints as backgrounds or layers in larger artworks.
DIY projects: Cover notebooks, make envelopes, or create unique wrapping paper.
The print images are an ongoing conversation — a visual diary of curiosity, experimentation, and reflection.
Where to Find Materials
If you’d like to try gel plate printing at home, you can find gel plates and supplies at:
Officeworks (in-store and online)
Eckersley’s (in-store and online)
Various art stores, both online and in person
Gelli Arts the original creators of gel printing plates
Alongside your plate, you’ll need acrylic paints, brayers, paper, and optional stamps, stencils, or found objects for texture.
Curious about art as a tool for healing? Work 1:1 with Me
If you enjoyed this blog and feel drawn to using art as a tool for emotional regulation, self-discovery, and personal growth, I offer one-on-one sessions via Zoom.
We can explore your creativity, reflect on the marks and layers you create, and use art-making as a way to notice, process, and integrate your experiences. I offer a free 20-minute discovery call to chat about how we might work together and what approach could feel supportive for you.
