Magazine Transfers on a Gel Plate

Discover the magic of magazine transfers on a gel plate—easy, fun, and full of surprises.

Magazines. A transfer using shiny magazine paper works really well. It’s best if there are  good contrasting shapes or spaces on the page. The magazine pages need to be high quality shiny paper. Matt pages won’t work. Your paint layer should be fairly thin but not too thin. Trial and error will teach you how much paint you need. Place the page immediately you’ve rolled out the paint. Don’t rub too hard, just enough to stick the image to the paint. Try magazines like Vogue, Elle, Interiors, Home & Garden. Ask your friends if they have any old magazines they don’t want. Don’t throw the rest of the magazine away, it’s  great for cleaning your brayer between colours. The pages you don’t use are great for cleaning the brayer. 


The first time I tried a magazine transfer on my gel plate, I honestly didn’t expect anything to happen. I pressed down a glossy page, peeled it back, and there it was—a hazy, ghost-like picture clinging to the paint.
Some pages give me sharp, bold images, while others look smudgy and dreamlike, like half-forgotten memories. Fashion spreads, travel photos, and old ads have given me some of the most interesting results. And the best part? You never quite know what you’re going to get. Sometimes using the text works really well as a sort of texture. 
It’s so simple too. You don’t need fancy tools or complicated steps—just acrylic paint, paper, and a gel plate. Sometimes I use the transfers as backgrounds in collages, and other times I leave them as they are because the imperfect look feels complete on its own. For me, it’s less about control and more about enjoying the surprise of whatever appears.


Quick Steps for Magazine Transfers on a Gel Plate

  1. Pick a magazine page (glossy ones usually work best).
  2. Roll a thin layer of paint on your gel plate—darker colours often show the image better.
  3. Place the magazine page face down on the plate and rub firmly but not too hard.
  4. Peel it back slowly to see the image transfer. Let the paint dry. 
  5. Roll on a second thin layer of paint in a contrasting colour, press a sheet of paper on top, and pull your final print.

Tip: Not every page will work—and that’s okay. The surprises are part of the fun. Even a dud print is a learning curve. 

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