Harvest Gelli Printing - From Spirit Walk to Spellwork by Silver RavenWolf
Every year I normally hold an Herbfest, inviting family and magickal friends for a feast and a share of the harvest from our garden. This year, due to health issues, I couldn’t plant or maintain the garden as I normally would. I realized our usual Herbfest wasn’t possible. I decided to create a WildFest and combine it with our Fall Equinox celebration. We wouldn’t rely on a neatly tended garden as in years past. We would investigate the wild, fenced edges of the garden and low-maintenance areas of the property, gathering what the land has chosen to produce on its own. We could tromp in the woods and gather cool stuff there. For example, across the road in those woods? Jewelweed and morning glories. After some contemplation and talking to the universe, I decided that Botanical Gelli printing would be an interesting way to bring a wild harvest into our coven work. What follows is a portion of what we’ll be doing together this holiday season, adapted so you can use the idea in your own circle, coven, or solitary practice. I will include links below to the supplies I purchased for our event, starting with the beginner’s kit I found economical for group work—adults and children.
What is Gelli Printing? Gelli printing is a form of monoprinting made by rolling acrylic paint onto a flexible plate (that looks and feels like stiff gelatin). Once covered with a thin layer of paint, objects are placed on top of the paint, and the paper is quickly pressed against the surface to lift a one-of-a-kind image. You can use plants, leaves, grasses, seed heads, string, fabric, and other textured objects on the plate to block paint, add detail, and create layered patterns. Each time you print, the process is called a “pull,” and you decide how many pulls, colors, or objects to use on any given print. A design can be simple (one pull) or as detailed (many pulls) as you desire. Because each pull records the shapes, marks, and textures of the materials, botanical printing works especially well for earth-centered celebrations such as the Fall Equinox. It lets you preserve a visual impression of the season’s harvest and use the finished print in a ritual, spell, altar display, or seasonal keepsake. Please understand that there are many (keep echoing) techniques in gelli printing — I’ve selected easy methods to get you started and embrace that marvelous autumn energy!
Part I — The Harvest Spirit Walk
Before you begin, state your intent. You could concentrate on gratitude, abundance, balance, protection, release, or honoring the harvest. If working with friends, set the intention together around a bonfire before beginning.
Walk the property or visit a park or nature setting, and notice what catches your attention. Gather leaves, grasses, flowers, seed heads, stems, and other plant material that will lie fairly flat on the gelli plate. You can turn this into an urban walk, looking specifically for found objects if you live in the city.
For plant items — ask the plant’s permission before harvesting. Plants with strong texture make great selections. Before cutting, hold a piece of the plant in your hand. Wait a moment to sense the plant’s response to your presence. If it is negative, move on. If you feel at peace, it is okay to take a portion.
Look for interesting found objects, too. An acorn cap, piece of string, bark, flattened can, twig, mesh, etc., can create unusual impressions. At harvest time, even ordinary remnants of the season can become part of the work. This Spirit Walk concentrates on texture, which gives the experience a very different feel. Rather than reaching for the “mystical” you are looking for interesting ways that nature will render itself on the paper. Don’t try to create what it will look like by letting your mind race ahead. Instead, let your choices simply unfold. The delight and surprise will come during the printing process.
Dried vs. Fresh Botanicals. I recommend using fresh plants for your first experiment rather than dried because once the plant loses moisture, it can become brittle and, if too thin, won't make it through your first pull. Even if it does, there may be too much debris left behind to manage quickly. Some plants do dry well and are thick/sturdy enough to stand the pull. Once they have a layer of paint from the first pull, you can usually use them repeatedly. You’ll learn which local plants work the best as you have fun gathering and identifying the plants around you.
Magickal Correspondences. To ensure you haven’t harvested poison (like oak or sumac — don’t laugh, when I was a kid our scout leader had us collect sumac for a fall project by mistake), verify your marvelous finds using either a plant app or simply opening Google and searching with a photo you take with your camera. From there, you can check the many resources available to learn the energetic correspondences of your super finds! If you can’t locate anything on the enchantment end, read about how the plant grows, where it came from, and what it needs to survive. That information will tell you what you need to know about how it behaves energetically and how you can use it in your work. The country/area of the world origin gives you the plant's base identity.
Part II — Make the Print(s)
Supplies
This list made my life easier, but if you are doing gelli printing as a one-time thing and want to do your own harvest spellwork on the equinox, all you need is the gelli plate, paper, brayer, ink, and your botanicals or impression items. The rest of my inventory is a “what came in handy”.
Gelli plate (I purchased a kit that included several sizes, plus a brayer, paint, and paper. See my comments on this offering at the end of the article. Also, if your gelli plate is new, you need to season it by washing it in slightly warm water with a bit of dish soap, then dry it. Your first ten prints may not look so hot — that is to be expected.)
Brayer - soft or hard - both are okay
Acrylic paint
Inexpensive paper (I used copy paper for the event.)
Gathered plants
Found textured objects
Cleaning cloth in case you get the paint on your fingers.
Baby Wipes to clean the plate or pick up dried paint with Sticky Tape (like packing tape)
Junk paper (to clean off your brayer if you load too much paint)
Trash can
Pen or pencil to mark information such as date, time, items used, type of botanical — on corners or back of print. Honestly? I think this is super important.
Masking tape (to hold paper in place like a hinge if you want to make a second print with the same paper to pick up botanical details)
Preparation
Let’s start with the practical and then move into the magickal!
Your Work Space. First, clear the area where you will be working so that you have plenty of space. Set up your paints, gelli plate, herbals (and stuff), paper, wipes, etc., so you can access everything quickly and smoothly. BE SURE TO PUT THE TRASH CAN CLOSE BY. There is nothing more irritating than being in the middle of a pull and no place to put that inky stuff! And while we are at it — when was the last time you spiritually cleansed your work area? Let’s put that on the agenda, too!
When I started this type of art, I set up on a lovely, large table brimming with my other projects. I had the resin de-bubbler, the UV resin light, the current quilt I was working on, a sewing box, my alcohol ink pads, and I don’t know what else! During the pulling process, I found myself frantically trying to work around all the junk on my table. Finally, I stopped the printmaking process, cleaned up, and rearranged the workspace, removing everything in my way so I could begin again tomorrow (because by now I was super pissed at myself). I made sure to place that trash can where I could get to it. And, being a newbie at this, I had too many tools on the table that I didn’t need, and not enough room for what really mattered. So! Don’t be me. Clear your space.
Make sure junk paper is right by the hand holding the brayer. That way, removing too much ink quickly is no problem. The first time? I panicked, flitting back and forth trying to find my junk paper, and the paint dried on the brayer. The acrylics (of course) hardened on the gelli plate before I made the pull. Argh.
Cut your paper beforehand. There are loads of different papers you can use. A good choice is copy paper. It is inexpensive and easy to obtain. You can also use cardstock, rice paper, tissue paper, medical exam paper, deli paper, etc. The last two are great for cleaning paint off your brayer while you are working. Tissue paper and medical paper are perfect to put under your gel plate and keep the working surface right around the plate clean. Cut the paper you plan to use for rendering your prints to a size slightly larger than your gel print surface. This way you don’t waste paper, and you aren’t looking through gobs of loose paper trying to find your tools. Because gellies come in a variety of sizes, making prints with big pieces of paper can be awkward and downright messy.
Energetically Prepare Your Tools. Cleansing and blessing the objects you use helps align their energies with your intent. Your choice of process — sacred smoke, Florida Water, Holy Water, or perfume (although since these are wet, be careful where you spray them), a favorite chant, or visualization. Taking several deep breaths before and after this process helps to bind.
Easy, First-Time Method - Negative Print
Roll a thin layer of paint across the gelli plate. Don't roll the brayer back and forth. This will lift the paint you just applied and cause uneven coverage. Instead, roll it in a single direction, lift the brayer, and then repeat as needed.
A common mistake, especially for those new to gelli printing, is applying too much paint to the plate. If this happens, use the brayer to pick up the excess and run it across junk paper to remove it. You can recognize excess paint if it pools or creates sharply visible rivulets — this means there is too much paint on the plate. Ideally, the plate surface should appear evenly covered, almost as if it were airbrushed (yet opaque), before you proceed. If you just can’t seem to get it right (like I couldn’t) try putting your paint on a flat, glass plate, rolling it there, and then transferring the paint on the roller to your gelli plate. I was amazed at how easy this was! It also wasted less paint once I was comfortable with this method. I have a tendency to blob out my paint on the plate, even if I am careful. Or, if you don’t want to roll it on the glass plate, squeeze a small amount on the glass, then transfer with your palette knife.
Keep in mind you may make twenty or more practice prints until you feel at ease with the process. No worries. Enjoy the learning curve! Have plenty of paper. Anything that doesn’t turn out? Morphs into junk paper that you can use later. Your first negative print? Can be the spell — because it doesn’t have to be perfect — it only has to have that white space. For the spell? Simply write in the white space!
Arrange your plants and objects on the surface. Work quickly. All paints differ; however, most dry faster than you might expect unless you use a retarder, which I didn’t mention in the list because this may be your first time and you might decide this type of art isn’t for you. However, if you like the process and want to try the additional product, you will find a link below.
Place paper over the gelli plate, rub firmly, and lift. This, sometimes called the “first pull,” removes the exposed background paint. This is your first print — called the negative print. If your paper squiggles back and forth while you are pressing — you have too much paint on the plate, and you won’t get much of a print. Not to worry. You know not to put that much paint on the next time. This type of printing is highly experimental, and the delight is seeing the treasure you’ve created when you slowly remove the paper. This is no place for critical, perfection energy. The mess is the fun! Set this print to the side. You can use the white spaces of this single print in your spellwork and stop right here if you like. Remove the plant matter and clean the plate…OR
The Second Pull
Quickly remove the plants and objects. I clean up any debris on the plate (seed bits, etc.) with animal-feeding tweezers. They are super long and easy to handle.
Quickly place a clean sheet of paper over the plate, rub again, and slowly lift. The remaining paint transfers to the paper, revealing the botanical forms.
This is a type of second print. I say type because there are several ways to proceed, and this article is limited to keep us focused. Here, we used a clean sheet of paper to pick up those impressions before they dried. But what if they did? What if you weren’t speedy and, when you tried to lift the paper, it stuck to the plate? Not to worry! Summer hand fan to the rescue (or be patient and wait at least 10 minutes before you try to pull again).
So, here’s the skinny. When pulling prints, you have two choices — pull fast (like an adhesive bandage) OR wait, be patient, and let the ink dry. There is no inbetween. Fast or Slow. No medium.
Moving on.
Gelli prints are not meant to be perfect. They are a statement of our times, where color is brash, bold, and important. We care more about energy than photo-quality images. Broken lines, uneven edges, weird marks, strange patterns, and blurred spots are part of the print. In fact, these imperfections reflect nature's individuality and remind us that beauty lies in what is unusual. Here, we celebrate nature’s flow and the language She shares with us.
Object Impressions vs. Botanicals. What if you don’t want to work with the plants? Let’s say you live in a very urban area and your coven meets at night, so you won’t be out cruising the streets in search of weeds? You can use textured items, stamps, or small household objects to make neat designs on that ink. As with the plants, work quickly.
Incorporate spirituality into the clean-up process after you finish printing. Bless all items, then take a moment to relax and enjoy the creative, working energy that still lingers. Use packing tape or baby wipes to clean your gelli plates (although some folks like to leave the residue for a future print -- your call). Don't store your plates with anything setting on top of them, as this will damage the plates. As a note, some people never clean off their brayers -- until they get super junky. Then, they use Murphy's Oil Soap.
Part III — Turn the Print into Magick
Let’s return to the intention you stated before the Spirit Walk.
Study the finished image and notice which plants or shapes stand out most. Write your intention, blessing, rune, sigil, charm, or words of gratitude on the front or back. Adding to the print with alcohol inks, watercolors, stamps (ouuu! there is no end!) can only enhance the work. Or, leave it as it is. Nothing is wrong. Everything is beauty in itself because the process is the expression of yourself and nature uniting on that paper.
You can add herbs, oil, stitching, symbols, or names if they support the working. Empower the piece with candlelight, breath, smoke, sound, sunlight, moonlight, or your usual ritual method.
For Fall Equinox work, the print may serve as a ritual object—such as an altar piece, harvest blessing, prosperity talisman, gratitude page, protective charm for the home, or a symbol of both what has been gathered and what is being released. In group spiritual work, you can offer prints as gifts among covenmates or friends. Place the prints on the altar or create a collage. Including personal messages or blessings to the prints further deepens their meaning. For our celebration, we can arrange them on the altar and take a picture, or I can scan them individually (at 1200 dpi) and then collage the prints into one image to share digitally with everyone after the festivities. Members will be welcome to turn this image into cards, collage pieces, print-on-demand objects, etc.
I hope you enjoyed this basic guide to gelli printing and find yourself enticed to go beyond what I’ve shown here! Be sure to write your comments regarding your experiences. And if not gelli printing? What do you plan to do for your Fall Equinox celebration?
Thank you for reading!
In Service
Silver
Peace with the Gods
Peace with Nature
Peace within.
The following products are what I used to create my gelli printing projects for this article. I receive compensation if you order any of these items through the links provided. Don’t feel you have to purchase. Often, I like to know what a crafter used so I can try to produce the same result. I remember I searched for MONTHS to find the right glue when working with my miniatures and laying down paper so that it stayed the heck flat. Argh. Finally found it from someone’s blog just like this one. The glue? It is pictured in this article. Consider it a treasure hunt.
Because I was preparing for our Hearthstone celebration, I purchased several duplicates and variations to ensure my covenmates would have enough supplies, which is why you see more than one brand of some items. Thank you.
Fattico Gelli Printing Kit - I promised a word about this kit. I LOVED it! It was perfect for my needs and I couldn’t understand the two negative reviews (at the time) and all the rest were great. After some contemplation, I believe that the unfortunate reviews were from people who didn’t know they had to season the plates. I did mention this in the article, but I’ll pass over it again. Wash a new plate in lukewarm soapy water, rinse, and dry. Pull about 20 prints with no particular intent in mind to get the gel surface primed. You can clean after each print with the baby wipe or tape, or just keep printing and then clean. Doesn’t matter.
Individual Gelli Plates 3x5 and 5x7 -- Because we would be working with many people, I wanted to have enough plates and brayers so that too many folks wouldn’t be standing around. I found I like both the smaller sizes, but for different reasons. The smaller plate is easier to fill, and therefore takes less time. The larger plate allows for more design creativity.
Please note on these colors – the Basics products are thicker than the acrylics you buy in most bottles. However, you may find this same paint cheaper through other dealers.
Kitty Cat Hand Fan – (I love this thing!)
Love your detailed instructions and tips. A true Virgo. ❤️