Wormans' Work

Seeing a visitor to the bench choose two colours, rolling them out on a strange rubber mat type thing, covering that with a piece of paper and applying pressure. At this point I watched their face as they peeled the paper off their first ever mono gelli print. They looked a bit unsure of why and what just happened. Looking closer they found wonder in the thing they had created with their own hands. They jump at the chance to do it again! 

Every now and then I chucked in a guiding thought or a new technique. Oh no, I thought, I’m in trouble now, what if they start saying ‘what if’? Well try it! Before I know it I’m cleaning rollers for them, finding more stuff for them to print on, and they are flying! 

The process has gone from mystery to wonder.

From hesitant and “I’m not creative” to brave experimental artist. 

I’ve gone from teacher to artist assistant. 

It’s so great to see people engage with the process which I’ve become fascinated with since I was introduced to it. It’s this experience that made me want to bring it to the masses as well as another reason I’ll share at the end.

What is a gelli print you ask? Breaking it down. Printing is the process of putting ink on a surface then transferring to a material, like paper. Think of potato prints. Mono printing typically is where you take a smooth flat material, like stone or glass, and apply ink to it. Lay paper on that to transfer the ink. As you add layers of ink you build up texture, creating beautiful one offs. Gelli plates take their name from a traditional printing process where plates were made from gelatin. The Gelli plates today are longer lasting and made from mineral oil. They give a very clean ink transfer and really open up some amazing techniques

Coming along to my workshop? What will you learn? You’ll explore simple Gelli printing techniques and think about how colour, texture, and composition can create some unique prints. You’ll create in a spontaneous and playful way and see what happens. You never know, I might have a few surprises as we go! My hope is that you’ll enjoy it so much it’ll become part of your regular art practice. 

The structure of the workshop is loose and based on what I do when trying out a new material, a new technique or I’m just creatively stuck and want to just get making.

Preparing for these workshops has been fun. Getting so much paint and equipment together is very pleasing. This process can print on fine tissue paper to thick card. The texture of the paper can really add to the effect. The acrylic paint we’ll use has strong pigments so it shows on coloured paper. All the paper we use has been reclaimed from paper bags, calendars, home deliveries, wallpaper sample books and a few other places. 

I’m also feeding my love of Zine making to produce a workshop zine! Every participant will get one. Here’s a sneak preview …

Another reason why I’m excited about facilitating these workshops? Everytime I introduce a friend to gelli printing they end up taking it in a different direction to me. Which prompts me to see other possibilities. I’m now the student and they are the teacher! #winwin

Want to chat about the workshop? Catch up with me at our stall at Central Flea on Easter Sunday 2026.