Splashing Through Life - Art by Patricia Henderson

Browsing through Pinterest the other day, I saw how a lady had made her own stencils for use on a Gelli® printing plate. I am always on the lookout for things that are fun, easy, and cheap (or free!) to use on my Gelli plate, and this fit the bill! Here's how I made one: I bought some of these plastic Index Dividers from the Dollar Store: Then I drew a pattern on to a piece of computer paper. I shaded in the parts that are to be cut out, so I don't get "lost". I taped down the paper and then taped the divider over top and traced the pattern. I filled in the places that I want to cut out with the marker. I then placed the divider on a cutting mat and using a craft knife, started cutting away the coloured-in pieces. I trimmed off the divider tab: Lets try it out! Using a brayer, spread a thin even coat of acrylic paint to the Gelli® plate. Place the stencil on top of the plate and then place a cle...

This colourful little fellow is feeling just ducky today! The colours in this small collage are even richer in person. During these dull days it is hard to get the camera to pick up the colours accurately. I will be popping him into my Etsy shop shortly, or if you'd like this little fellow to brighten up your house, feel free to contact me directly!  Now on to my next project, I wonder what that will be? "Just Ducky" 8" X 10" X 1.5" Paper Collage on Canvas Reference photo by Shawn Parker  @ Artist Reference Photos

We've had more Blue Jays around our feeder than we ever have, and even though they can be a bit loud mouthed and bossy, I just love seeing that flash of blue! And I swear they can see me putting out peanuts from miles away! This collage is a bit different from most of the others I've done.  I created monoprints of backyard leaves by using my Gelli® Printing plate and embellished them at the end with some watercolours. The bird was done with my regular method of applying all sorts of coloured bits of paper. I'm still not sure I like it, but it is growing on me! A Flash of Blue 12" X 12"

Today I'm veering away from my watercolour sketches and sharing three prints I created with my  Gelli Arts®  Printing Plate . I had recently purchased some new paint, Golden Open Acrylics . They stay wet longer than regular acrylic paints and I wanted to see how they work with the  Gelli®  Plate. So,  I went out into my yard to find something interesting to use. Well, something that I have an overabundance of is Dandelions! A couple of these are combined with some fronds of a fern that I have in the house. I have to say, that I had to force myself to stop after a while! This is way too much fun and ADDICTING!  I really liked using the Golden Opens for these prints. I think I will try to put together a bit of a step by step demo one of these days here on my blog. Although there are tons of info out there on the net about  Gelli®  Printing! Click on photo to see larger