anyone tried printing with gelatin plate or gelli plate?

[finalfive]

Hello! Long-time lurker here seeking advice from wise mumsnetters...

Has anyone tried making mono prints using a gelatin plate or gelli plate? I love making lino prints but fancy branching out into mono prints and don't have a press. I came across gelatin plate printing which looks like it might be fun for me and the DCs to do together. Only snag is we're veggie so I don't want to use gelatin. Could try veggie gelatin I guess but unsure of what I'm aiming for and if it's worth the bother. Also came across a long lasting version called a Gelli Plate, which looks great but is quite pricey for a decent size.

Anyone any experience they could share?

I have a Gelli plate, I have to admit I don't use it anywhere near enough. I use it to make backgrounds for cards and art journal pages like the one I did here.
There are loads of blogs and articles about making your own plate. It's not expensive so just have a go with the veggie gelatin.
You'll probably need a brayer, but that's about the only equipment needed. I use a lot of stencils but you can easily make your own, or just not bother.

Oh wow that is lovely Germgirl. I have a brayer from doing linocuts. What inks or paints do you use with the gelli plate?

I picked up a cheap set of acrylics in tunes from Tesco or somewhere & use those. I've also got some Tim Holtz Distress Paints and various other acrylic paints. They all seem to work ok.
I've not used many inks, I've tried the Dylusions ink sprays but they're a bit too liquid. I prefer paint.
Must get my Gelli plate out again.

Hi, I made my own permanent gelatin plate about 3 months ago (in a brownie tin, so about 8 x 8") and have been having loads of fun with it. I've pulled some fabulous images using cheap acrylic paints from all over the place - The Works, Hobbycraft, The Range, Sainsburys etc...... I bought a 3 x 5" official Gelli Plate at the weekend as I wanted a smaller one for stamping and couldn't find a container the right size to make my own. I don't like it at all! It is not as sticky and squishy as the home made gelatin plate and the results in my opinion are no where near as good. I find that the stencils and paint slide around too much and the images are no where near as crisp. I will have to find a suitable small container and make my own. Hope this helps.

Did you make it permanent by adding glycerine nina?
I had a go at making a plate with the veggie gelatine but it was a bit soft and got ruined too easily. Also my cheap block printing inks wouldn't roll out properly on it. The kids had lots of fun with it using poster paints though, which they smeared in with their hands! I think I'll try again but add more gelatine to the mix next time to make it firmer.