Hey everyone! In today’s Quick Tip Tuesday, I’m sharing a reel where I layered collage elements onto a gel print and finished it with a few simple embellishments. This one’s all about how I decide whether to use the gel plate or manually glue when attaching collage pieces.
I’ve had a few people ask why I often use the gel plate itself to position collage papers instead of gluing them directly onto the print.
The short answer is that I’m very comfortable with the brayer. Using the plate gives me even pressure and control, and it’s a method that feels natural to me.
But sometimes the method really depends on the piece.
In this particular print, gluing directly to the print was absolutely necessary. Two of the collage pieces extend beyond the printed area. Using the plate would have meant that those two pieces wouldn’t be fully adhered to the paper. That would have meant twice the work for the same result.
So in this case, glue was simply the smarter choice.
Once everything was adhered, I added white dots as a final embellishment. They felt like the perfect touch—just enough contrast and rhythm to bring the whole piece together.
If you’ve been wondering whether to attach collage pieces from the gel plate or glue them directly to the print, the answer really depends on both your comfort level and the composition.
How do you prefer to attach collage elements? Do you have a favorite medium for gluing things down? Let me know in the comments.
Diana 💕
Those are the two techniques I have used - using medium on the gel plate or applying the pieces directly on the print as shown in today's video. Watch that video by clicking either the Instagram or Facebook link above.
If anyone else uses a different technique, we'd love to hear it!