Painting-in-Progress with StencilGirl Stencils

So far, I've developed this painting-in-progress with these stencils from StencilGirlProducts.com --

Blueprints of Archaeological Treasures (9" x 12")

Blueprints of Archaeological Treasures Small (6" x 6")

Intersections Stencil (9" x 12")

Rafters Stencil (9" x 12")

Squared On Stencil (9" x 12")

I'm using Golden High Flow acrylics.  Lots of fun to see the Titanium White "float" over darker background colors!

My technique comes from the Absentee Artist chapter of Creative Paper Art by Nancy Welch; it's also shown on Pat Dews' DVD Designing Great Starts with Texture and Form (available at Cheap Joe's Art Supplies.)

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I'm happy to say that I've designed over 70 stencils for StencilGirl.  The web pages of my stencils start here.

Trish McKinney

Trish McKinney has designed a lot of my favorite StencilGirl stencils.

The stencils by Trish that I used in developing today's mixed-media collage were Bare Wisteria, Delicate Bare Branch & Twigs and Looped Bare Wisteria Vine.

My first step was to use a technique in the Absentee Artist chapter of Creative Paper Art, by Nancy Welch.  This method is also included in Pat Dews' DVD Designing Great Starts with Texture and Form.

After those paints and shapes had dried, I cup up some of Trish's stained stencils and added them as collage pieces, using heavy matte medium.

This artwork, entitled Tanglewood, has been sold, but I still have this photo to remember it by.

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To see my 70+ StencilGirl stencils, please visit here.

Distress Ink Pads with Stencils

A technique that I learned from the UK's Barbara Gray is quick and easy --  

First, you ink a Gelli Plate with one or more inverted Distress Inkpads.  Distress Ink appears to be faint on the Gelli Plate, but despite this, the prints will come out beautifully.

Today's post uses these stencils --

Silhouette of a Wildflower Bouquet

Quilted Flower Garden

Palm Fronds Silhouette Small

Palm Fronds Silhouette Mini

Fern Fronds Silhouette

-- and the first three images below are 6"X6" greeting cards. 

Stencil used above and below:  Silhouette of a Wildflower Bouquet

Stencil used above:  Quilted Flower Garden

Stencils used above:  Quilted Flower Garden, Fern Fronds Silhouette and Palm Fronds Silhouette Mini.  The solid purple background was created with an inverted Distress Inkpad applied directly to the paper.

Above:  a collage using papers printed with the stencils Fern Fronds Silhouette and Palm Fronds Silhouette Mini -- and papers stamped with a Flip-Flop rubber stamp, created with my stencil Marbles 6.

Thanks for visiting my blog today!  The multiple pages of my stencils start here.

BUDS Stencil

Buds is one of my 9" x 12" StencilGirl stencils designed with a floral theme.

Below are two prints I've made with this stencil.  In creating the top image, I used only a portion of the stencil.  The background here was a sheet of foreign newsprint that I had previously used in an earlier project, experimenting with the Gelli Plate.  

Likewise, the second print is on newsprint that had previously been used as a "catch-all" paper.  These are papers that I use for cleaning off my brushes before lowering them into their temporary soaking water.  For me, this is one easy way of keeping excess acrylic paint from going down the drain when it comes time to bring brushes out of their temporary soak and wash them clean at the sink.

The bonus to using "catch-all" paper for leftover paint is that I end up with interesting backgrounds for stencil prints.  A win-win.   

Above:  The Buds stencil (9" x 12")

Thanks for visiting my blog today!  The multiple pages of my stencils start here.

Romance Theme with Stencils

Deb Riddell is an artist who loves romance and combines it beautifully with nostalgia!

Altho Deb created this art journal spread for February's Valentine's Day, it touches my heart any time of the year...

Above:  Artist Deb Riddell used  a number of
StencilGirlProducts stencils in creating this two-page spread in her art journal.

Deb's two photos below show one stage of her working process, in which she used my 9" x 12" stencil  Vintage Script ... 

To better see the details of the two-page spread, please click on the above photos to enlarge them. 

Below is another photo of Deb's, a close-up detail ...

The Vintage Script stencil itself looks like this --

Thank you for your time visiting my blog today!

The multiple pages of my StencilGirl stencils start here. 

Part 2 of Two -- Hit-and-Miss Techniques with Stencils

I learned a  new-to-me stenciling technique when I took an online class with Joan Fullerton.  All credit for this idea belongs to Joan, not to me!

To demonstrate, I'll use the same artwork recently featured in Part One of this two-part set.

The first color photo below shows part of my 9" x 12" stencil Blooming Where Planted.  (I had cut across this stencil to separate the large image from the two smaller images.)

Above:  I'd cut along the vertical line that separates the large image on the left from the two smaller ones on the right.

After separating this part of the stencil from the rest, I used masking tape to secure it to the canvas I was working on, as shown below.  Clicking on this image to enlarge it, you can see, on the left, the top of the brush I  used.  For dry-brushing, I always choose a brush with extra-stiff bristles.  Then I daub it into a little paint.  Before taking the paint to the canvas, I brush scratch paper or palette paper to take off most of the paint just added.  What I'm left with is very little wet paint; hence the term "dry-brushing."  The brush tips aren't totally dry, but very close to it.

The photo above -- especially when enlarged -- shows that dry-brushing means to move the brush across the stencil openings in a hit-and-miss way.  Not all of the underneath surface is covered.

When the stencil is lifted (see below) the results are unique; no other method of stenciling, as far as I know, achieves this look.

But there are two other ways to get hit-and-miss effects with stencils ...   I've yet to try them; they sound like fun.  One is to place a stencil on a substrate, then mist it  -- lightly -- with water.  The next step is to hold fine-grain sandpaper and watercolor pencils right over the stencil.  Now, rub the tips of the pencils against the sandpaper.  This should result in a scattering of color particles that will settle down onto the stencil.  The open areas of the stencil will allow those areas of the substrate to receive the color specks.  Any kind of powdered pigments probably would work just as well.  Brusho is one brand; other powdered pigments are available, too.

Returning to the topic of dry-brushing --

Above:  the stencil has been lifted off (it's still hinged with masking tape on the left side of the photo.)  It has left behind a hit-and-miss image across the canvas (on the right.)

This is not a perfect example of dry-brushing; a perfect example would show even less paint on the finished surface.  But I hope this suffices to get the general idea across.  Below is a close-up.  

The close-up was taken after I had later added a subtle layer of white over the dry-brushed area.  This addition was achieved with zinc white (translucent) acrylic paint that I had spread across the same stencil.  While the stencil was wet with this paint, I pressed it, wet-side-down, onto the surface.

Below is another close-up, showing a wider area of this artwork that was more fully explained in Part One of this two-part post. 

Below is a shot of the entire work -- while it was still in progress.

The photo above shows that dry-brushing was used in three areas -- upper left, far right central, and lower middle.

As shown (and explained) in Part One, this is the completed project --

Above:  final version.

The pages showing my full line of StencilGirl stencils start here.

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Part One of Two -- Learning Something New with BLOOMING WHERE PLANTED Stencil

Something interesting happened when I was working on this art (on stretched canvas)...

Above:  an early version.  Please click on it to better see detail.

This early version was developed in part with the dry-brush technique, which will be explained fully (with photos) in Part Two of this two-part post. 

Another approach, in developing the early version above, included collage, using red and gray paper scraps previously printed with Ornamental Iron Curls stencil (6"x 6".)  The narrow vertical paper (red and gold) had previously been printed with a 9" x 12" stencil, Blooming Where Planted.  This latter stencil was used again in making layers of patterns across the upper left of the canvas, as well as at the central bottom area.

Shown below:  For the third time, I used part of the same Blooming Where Planted stencil -- this time, as a collage element.  The stencil was already stained from earlier projects.  I felt the stained stencil added more interest, as well as an area of flow-thru yellow.  I added it to the stretched canvas with extra heavy matte medium.

Above:  final version.

The interesting thing happened later, after the matte medium had dried.  For some reason that I can't explain, I decided to see what would happen if I were to pry off the stained stencil.  This wasn't hard to do.

To my delighted surprise, the acrylic paint that had stained the stencil remained behind on the canvas.  That's what you see in the image above.  

The stencil itself came cleanly off the canvas -- ready to be used again!

Important note:  This will not work if you're using an art journal or any other kind of flexible, fragile surface.  The best substrate, instead, would be stretched canvas or any of the hard-board substrates sold at art supply stores.

Stencils used in today's post:

Blooming Where Planted (9" x 12")

Ornamental Iron Curls (6"x 6")

The multiple pages of my full line of stencils starts here.

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MIKKI'S FLOWERS Stencil (6" x 6")

Today's two greeting cards were created with Mikki's Flowers Stencil.  I used light modeling paste.

I could have tinted the paste with acrylic paints before using it.  This time, however, I decided to use the paste straight from the jar.  This gave me raised (3D) prints.

I cleaned my stencil immediately after using the modeling paste, since paste is a dimensional medium that can clog stencil openings if allowed to dry on the stencil.

After the paste-prints had hardened on my two greeting cards, I used blending chalks (similar to Pan Pastels) to highlight the blooms and their stems on one of the cards --

And on the other card (below), I used watercolor pencils.  After applying the pencils, I went over the flowers and stems with a very small brush dipped into water....

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To see the two pages of my complete set of StencilGirl stencils, please check here.

MIKKI'S FLOWERS STENCIL and MASK -- Better Together!

Since s604 Mikki’s Flowers Stencil and  S605 Mikki’s Flowers Mask are exact opposites, they beautifully complement each other; used together, they develop more complex artworks -- the mystery deepens with each mix-or-match layer.

The first photo below show a print made with S605 Mikki’s Flowers Mask alone.  (I made this print on a background previously printed with a variety of line-markings.)

And here are 2 prints made with s604 Mikki’s Flowers Stencil alone.  

 I made the above print on a page from an old encyclopedia that had previously been coated with Titan Buff acrylic paint.  The green margin had also been previously created.

The photo above shows a print made on an old calendar page that had previously been printed with the same stencil, then covered with a layer of light green acrylic paint.The photo below shows art on a stretched canvas that was created with both s604 Mikki’s Flowers Stencil and  S605 Mikki’s Flowers Mask.  The most prominent mask-printed area is on the upper right.  The stencil-printed area is on the lower left.  Both were stencil and mask used repeatedly across the entire piece, layer upon layer, in muted tones. 

Also used above:  my 9" x 12" stencil Queen Anne's Lace.  Its prints appear in the upper left (Titan Buff on pale orange background) and in the middle-right (pale orange against a pinkish background.)

Queen Anne's Lace in its entirety looks like this:

Thanks for your visit today.  More art samples made with my April 25 releases will appear here tomorrow.

To see the pages of my StencilGirl stencils, please check here.

Pods Galore!

On April 25, when my new stencils (and one mask) were released at StencilGirlProducts.com, I posted several art samples I'd created using these new stencils.  One of them was this --

This was created with 6" x 6" Small Dangled Pods Stencil and 9" x 12" Tangled Pods Stencil.

After looking at this piece for awhile, I decided to layer translucent zinc white acrylic paint over the bottom and far-right areas.

Next, I chose a different set of colors and used them -- with Small Tangled Pods (6"x 6") stencil -- atop what had developed so far.  

My last step was to cut apart the newly stained Small Tangled Pods stencil and use two pieces as collage in two areas of the art --

I learned this technique from two other artists, Nancy Welch (reading the chapter Absentee Artist of her book Creative Paper Art) and Pat Dews (watching her DVD Designing Great Starts with Texture and Form.)

Altho I had the pleasure of meeting Pat Dews several years ago, I have not yet taken a live workshop with her.  This sad situation will be rectified in August, when she will be giving a three-day workshop in Island Heights, NJ.  Can't wait!  And I would have missed out on this opportunity if my friend Mary Ann Russo hadn't alerted me to it!

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To see the pages of my StencilGirl stencils, please visit here.

More Small Pods...

Dangled Pods Small (6" x 6") was the stencil used on the first three prints below.  The first two were done on old calendar photo-pages and the third one was done on "catch-all" paper.

Tangled Pods Small (6" x 6") was the stencil I used in making the two prints below.  The first one, on watercolor paper, was done with a sponge brayer loaded with heavy-body blue acrylic paint.  The watercolor paper had been previously stained with a loose spill of purple watercolor.  I liked the combination.

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To see the pages of my StencilGirl stencils, please check here.

THISTLES SMALL (6" x 6") Stencil

Today's first art sample repeats a theme from yesterday's post, in that the background here was a previously printed paper (purple on yellow, created with the 9" x 12" stencil Facets.)  Over that, I used pink acrylic paint to make a print using Thistles Small (6" x 6".)

Switching to purple paint, I made another print with the same stencil, this time on a background that'd been developed with my 9" x 12" Mimosa Stencil.

With more of the purple paint, I used only part of 6" x 6" Thistles Small to make the print below, onto paper previously printed with my original Thistles Stencil, which measures 9" x 12".  (Strips of masking tape were put into play so that I could use only part of Thistles Small.)  This art sample illustrates one of the differences between the two thistle-themed stencils; Thistles Small has flowers and stalks that are larger than those on the 9" x 12" Thistles.

Below is a close-up detail of a Thistles Small print made on sheet music that had been coated with translucent green paint.

The 9" x 12" stencils used in today's post ...

Thistles ...

... and Mimosa Stencil ...

Above:  This stencil also comes in a 6" x 6" version.

... and Facets:

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To see the pages of my StencilGirl stencils, please check here.

New Small Pods ... TANGLED & DANGLED!

It's fun to play around with stencils to see what different looks can be achieved! 

The first image below began as a print made with my 9" x 12" stencil Facets.  My next step was to use Dangled Pods Small (6" x 6") and a sponge brayer loaded with heavy-body Titan Buff acrylic paint (by Golden Paints.)  I like the complexity of this art as well as the combination of two colors that I wouldn't normally use together.  The light value of the Titan Buff sets off the dark value of the purple, and vice versa.

For the piece below, I started with a white-and-gray Gelli Plate print, also made with my 9" x 12" stencil Facets.  Over this, I placed the 6" x 6" stencil Tangled Pods Small, and applied another sponge brayer loaded with heavy-body acrylic paint in a rich gold color.  Again, I'm pleased with the way the final product shows the best of both layers.

Tangled Pods Small  also loaned itself to the making of the print below.  Its background was paper coated with blue acrylic paint that shifted from medium to light blue.

Dangled Pods Small came back into play when I made the print below.  Its substrate was a page from an old calendar.  Since the calendar photo had a striped pattern going vertically, I decided to use this stencil to create another striped pattern, this one going horizontally.  I like the play of one against the other.  I also like this calendar page and will be looking for more like it!

Today's last print was made with Tangled Pods Small and heavy-body purple paint loaded onto a sponge brayer.  Here, the background was imagery I was developing back when I created the 9" x 12" stencil Boxed Vines.  The final version of that stencil was slightly different, as shown in the image below today's last print.

The stencil Boxed Vines:

The other 9" x 12" stencil used in today's post:

Facets ...

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To see the pages of my StencilGirl stencils, please check here.