Did you ever make a sun print when you were a kid? I remember getting a sunprint kit with a special piece of paper. Put it in the sun, put some garden leaves on it and wait a bit. In about an hour, it looked like leaf prints and plant shapes on a blue background. I always thought it was the coolest thing ever! You can still buy sun print papers and kits, and it’s a really cool art technique to try, but the sun isn’t always out and you don’t always have fresh greens to use in the winter. . I thought it would be fun to show.you How to make DIY sun prints using paint and Gelli plate printing to create beautiful works of art on your walls with these step-by-step instructions. There is also a video of this project that you can watch in the video player.
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Can you make a cyanotype or sunprint without the sun?
yes! By using Gelli plates, faux greens, and acrylic paints, you can mimic the look of Sunprint and satisfy your inner botanist. You can also replicate this with fabric paints on cotton without the need for direct sunlight, or use other colors of paint to print onto darker colored paper or fabric.
to make this project Prussian Blue, Yellow Ocher and Titanium White medium body acrylic art paints are required (Do not use acrylic craft paint, dries too quickly), matte cardboard or watercolor paper, Gelli plates, brayers (rollers), and artificial (plastic) greenery such as fern leaves, fake leaves or flowers. You can enjoy a nature walk with twigs and flowers.You can also find surprises Here is my Amazon store.
Sun prints (or cyanotypes) range from deep blues to faded light shades.
First, put a few drops of Prussian Blue and Yellow Ocher on the jeri plate. The amount of blue and yellow depends on how close you want to a traditional cyanotype. They range from dark to light tones, from deep, dark indigo to more murky teal blues.
Older ones can fade from a dark blue to a lighter denim blue color. Add Prussian Blue for a dark cyanotype look, or add Yellow for a classic sun print look. Add a drop of white for a lighter denim color. Only use a few drops of paint for this project.
Mix this on a plate with a brayer (roller). Allow to mix until completely covered. Once the paint is mixed, place the stem of the artificial plant straight onto the paint and press to grab the detail (FYI, this will ruin the artificial leaves and leave them coated with paint.). The thin parts were held down with dowel sticks or bamboo skewers. Once the leaves are pressed, lift them with one piece. Let the paint dry completely on the plate. This is important. And clean the brayer before the next color.
Immediately place the paper of your choice on top and press firmly so that the entire painted surface is in contact with the paper. You may like to put a second piece of paper on top and roll the briar while pressing firmly on it for a firmer contact. Use this to create abstract drawing paper that you can use in other projects.
Let the paper sit on the jelly plate for at least 3 minutes. It takes time to absorb and grab into the paper. If you delete it too soon, the entire art image may not transfer. When the image is ready, flip the whole thing over and carefully remove the plate from the paper. Otherwise, the printed image may tear or bend.
It’s been so exciting to watch the reveal and see how it turned out! These dry completely flat and are ready to be framed. Different sizes can also be made by using different Gelli plates.
Ready to try making these DIY sun prints with paint? We love playing with Gelli plate prints. Because it’s easy to create beautiful art at any skill level.
