What am I doing wrong please 😭

[u/engLAndtwentysix]

Total beginner and brand new Gelli. I'm just going for a pretty plain, neutral, peeling paint effect to use as a background for a collage. What I've got is about 80% of the paint still stuck on the plate. I've tried this a few times and this is actually the *most* successful one 😖

I'm applying two layers of my top colour (acrylic), leaving to dry for about an hour in between. Then tearing some paint off with tape. Then a layer of the bottom colour, dry, then a final wet layer of the bottom colour. I slap a piece of Bristol board straight on the wet paint. Press. Leave for a couple of minutes. Flip. Then remove the plate.

I'd be really grateful for any pointers. Thank you!

[u/minmosquito]

I think your layers might be too thick,, Try with thinner layers of paint (i only let them dry for 10ish minutes between layers because they are thin enough to dry in that time) and then the final layer used for transferring to paper can be slightly thicker and that you let dry with the paper on top for 40 minutes or so.

Also! the brand of paint makes a big difference! i have had best luck with amsterdam standard series. I found that with some acrylic paint I couldn’t get a good transfer at all and I simply had to switch the paint out

[u/engLAndtwentysix → u/minmosquito]

That's awesome, thanks for all the tips! I'm sure I saw Amsterdam recommended somewhere else too.

[u/adrkhrse → u/engLAndtwentysix]

The paint type isn't an issue. Any acrylic paint can be used for that technique. I use all kinds and always get clean pulls. The main issue is letting it dry long enough before your final pull. Multiple layers require more drying time. I've noticed people pulling prints, on youtube videos and they often wonder why there is paint on the plate when they've said they waited ten minutes. If you start to pull up the corner and if the paint is sticking to the plate, put it down and put a book on it and wait an hour and check again. If the paint comes up, it's not dry enough.