No experience needed · Messy is the point · Kitchen table friendly · Lifetime access · Starts 3rd April
A real creative journey.
Not just a pile of techniques.
Print & Play is a complete gel plate printing course — 24 technique lessons across four modules that take you from your very first print all the way to layered personal work.
Every lesson is designed to be watched and followed straight away. Every module ends with a project - something real and beautiful you've made with your own prints. And the whole thing is built around one idea: you don't need to overthink this. You just need to start.
Never heard of gel plate printing?
A gel plate is a simple thing. Squishy, reusable, fits on your kitchen table. You roll paint on it, press things in - leaves, lace, the back of a fork - and pull a print.
That's where simple ends.
Because what comes off that plate is never quite what you expected. Colours shift. Layers change everything that came before. A ghost print — the faint leftover from a previous pull — can be the most beautiful thing on the table. And then you try to do it again, and it's completely different.
That's the magic. It's also the challenge.
Every layer changes what came before. Colours appear that you didn't plan. The ghost print — the faint leftover from a previous pull — is often the most beautiful thing on the table.
Knowing how to build on them, layer by layer, with intention? That's the whole course.
If any of these sound like you, you're in the right place.
Your gel plate is gathering dust
You bought one, watched a video, felt quietly overwhelmed, and put it away. This course gets it back in your hands — properly, confidently, today.
You're genuinely busy
Each lesson is watch-and-follow. One module a week for a full month of creative exploration — or binge it all over a weekend. Your pace, your call.
You've never made a print in your life
Module 1 begins at the very beginning. No jargon. No assumptions. By the end of lesson one, you'll have something you want to show people.
You overthink everything
Gel printing is the antidote. There are no wrong prints — every unexpected result is information. The whole point is to play and find out what happens.
You know the basics and want more
The techniques build steadily. Module 4 pushes into stencils, complex colour work, and building a body of prints.
You want to use what you make
Every module ends with a project. Real, usable, beautiful things made entirely from paper you printed yourself.
Pre-sale is open. Early Bird price ends soon.
Sign up now, secure your spot at the lowest price, and get instant access to the welcome materials. The full course unlocks on 3rd of April.
Only now the course is $35 USD instead of $69 USD
(local tax may be applied at checkout)
Some of the prints that you'll create on Print & Play:
What's inside Print & Play
24 lessons across 4 modules, led by Anneliese Bates. You'll go from first print to confident, layered, mixed-media work — at your own pace, with lifetime access.
- Module 1 — First Prints: The Foundations
Start here. Learn how your gel plate works, how to apply paint, and how to pull your very first print. We'll explore subtractive printing, adding texture with household finds, and the magic of sponges. By the end of this module you'll know your way around the plate - and you'll have made something you actually love.
- Module 2 — Texture, Marks & Happy Accidents
Now we go deeper. Masks, stencils, stamps - and what happens when you combine all three. This module is where the 'happy accidents' really start. You'll learn to lean into the unexpected rather than fight it.
- Module 3 — Layering & Ghost Prints
This is where gel printing gets addictive. Layering transforms a simple print into something rich and complex. We'll explore what different paints and inks do on the plate - from acrylic washes to Posca pens, inks to watercolour — and how to build depth across layers.
- Module 4 — Advanced Play: Colour, Stencils & Found Objects
The most experimental module. Image transfer, foliage printing, gel medium - this is where you take everything you've learned and run with it. The final project is a printed tote bag, because your art should get to leave the studio.
Everything you need to get printing
- 24 video lessons — detailed, well edited so they are easy to follow and quick to watch, designed for your kitchen table
- Printable handouts — one for every lesson, with step-by-step notes you can keep at your side
- Beginner's guide — everything you need to know before your first print
- FAQ & troubleshooting guide — because every printer hits a bump at some point
- Lifetime access — come back to it whenever you want, on any device
- Fully downloadable — videos and handouts, yours to keep
- Fully captioned in English, Spanish, French, Italian, German and Dutch
24 lessons · 4 modules · over 5 hours of content · Lifetime access · Starts 3rd April
Ready to Print & Play?
Print & Play opens on 3rd April. Join now to lock in your early bird price.
Only now the course is $35 USD instead of $69 USD
(local tax may be applied at checkout)
Meet Your Teacher
Anneliese Bates has been teaching mixed media for over 20 years — live workshops, one-to-one sessions, and online with Wanderlust. She's worked with pretty much every medium going.
And yet, when she first picked up a gel plate, her reaction was: why do I even need this?
Then she started pulling prints — and understood immediately. The layering, the textures, the results you simply cannot get any other way. "You just can't do it without a gel plate," she says. "It's not possible."
This course is the result of everything she's learned since that moment.
Anneliese's teaching style is famously no-fuss. She breaks things down, skips the overwhelm, and pushes you to play and experiment rather than worry about getting it right. One technique at a time, building layer by layer — until it's second nature and the results genuinely surprise you.
