The Student Gel Printing Plate Kit from Gelli Arts is a versatile set of tools that can be used outside and can easily incorporate items such as leaves and feathers into monoprint designs. Artists of all ages can use the 5-inch-square “gelli” printing pad, brayer, and two 5-inch-square geometric stencils over and over again to make frame-worthy prints, gift wrap, or decorative papers. (And these tools can be used to print on fabric, too.)
Parents supply the acrylic paint, paper, and encouragement to wee artists to find items from the yard or park that could be used to make interesting patterns in the paint.
If it is a rainy day, and you’re looking for design inspiration indoors, you can use bubble wrap, cotton swabs, or even a cardboard tube to apply or take away paint. (The Gelli Arts blog has inspirational videos that we enjoyed watching over and over again.)
Changing colors on the flexible printing square — and clean up — is a breeze: use water or hand sanitizer and wipe with a paper towel, or just use baby wipes. With this printing plate kit, kids can begin making monoprints in minutes, but there is a seemingly infinite number of possible tool and color combinations to make for hours of enjoyment.
Student Gel Printing Plate Kit by Gelli Arts, $24.99, www.gelli
