Stenciled Transparent Gel Tutorial - Inspirational Post

Boys and girls, please be seated and let's begin today's lesson.  Mrs. Clark of SewPaperPaint joining you with today's lecture.  Technique school is now in session.

The subject of today's discussion is transparent gels.  Transparent gels can be found in a number of forms.  For this lesson, I've used IndigoBlu Ultra Thick Slap-It-On.  There are many many other forms, such as gel medium, clear crackle paste, clear texture paste, and even clear embossing would work for this experiment.

I have chosen a number of substrates to test how each would show through the clear paste.  I applied the Slap-It-On gel with a palette knife through a variety of stencils.  The papers were coated with clear gesso before stenciling.
Substrate no. 1: Book Pages

Substrate no. 2: Small Repeating Pattern 

Substrate no. 3: Distress Ink Background with Stamping in Archival Ink (Darkroom Door Stamp)

Substrate no. 4: Distress Oxide Background

Substrate no. 5: Distress Ink Background with Distress Oxide Stamping (Darkroom Door Stamp)

Substrate no. 6: Busy Patterned Paper (Could substitute gelli printed paper here.)

Next, I experimented with a variety of tints to test their reaction to the gel and substrate.
Overlay no. 1: DecoArt Fluid Acrylic - (Stencil by Darkroom Door)
Observation:  The Blue Green Light acrylic was dried completely and adhered to the gel.  It could not be wiped with a wet cloth.  Sanding was required to regain transparency.  Raw Umber acrylic was applied and burnished while wet with a more satisfying result.

Overlay no. 2: Distress Oxides (Stencil by Balzer Designs)
Observation: The gel partially resisted the Oxides, but some of the cloudiness from the oxide dried on the gel, particularly with the lighter color.

Overlay no. 3: Distress Inks
Observation: The archival ink stamping remained vibrant.  A darker application of inks was required for contrast.  A complete resist formed.

Overlay no. 4: Infusions (Stencil by Tim Holtz)
Observation: The pigment granules rested on the gel beautifully.  The watered pigment dried in a very matte finish, creating a beautiful contrast.

Overlay no. 5: Lindy's Stamp Gang Magicals (Stencil by Tim Holtz)
Observation: The Distress Oxide Stamping muddled beneath the gel, however it remained in tact beneath the Magicals and the oxidation showed through, with a complete color variation.

Overlay no. 6: Lindy's Stamp Gang Sprays (Stencil by Joggles)
Observation: Green matte spray and blue pearlescent spray were used.  The matte finish sprays created a complete resist, but the pearlescent sprays tinted the gel.

Before and After Shots:

Your homework assignment is to participate in our Technique School challenge.  This month we want you to play teacher and share a favorite process or new experiment.  Document your findings with at least one process photo.  We can't wait to see your technique tutorials and new ideas!  Remember to use stamps or stencils or both!

I've created a pinnable image for you convenience.

Class is dismissed!