Glass
general journal junk
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idealog
- If you're using a gel plate, either commercial or home-made, and you want a sturdy surface to put it on that can also afford you the ability to trace from other sources onto the plate, then you could put your gel plate on either a piece of Plexiglass/Perspex, or a glass cutting board.
- Both can double as a permanent bed for the plate, so long as you have a good way of covering it to keep the dust off when it's not in use.
- Cookie sheets with covers work well for storing a plate as well - and you can get those in sizes large enough to accommodate even the largest commercial gel plate, which is 16" x 20".
- Glass cutting boards are also available in sizes that large, and have the bonus of not only not being porous, but also being smooth so they don't leave damaging marks on your gel plate.
- They also work wonderfully when it comes to working on watercolour paper that you need to keep wet.
- In order to help prevent watercolour paper from buckling, using at least a 140 lb cotton rag (not cellulose) or better is your best option.
- But the main thing, no matter the paper, is to wet it on both sides.
- This doesn't tend to work so well with 90 lb papers because they just can't take the water load.
- So, if you do happen to find yourself possessed of 90 lb papers, save them for really light things, printmaking, or swatching.