Botanical Stencils and Masks

Warm weather means that greens will be growing; flowers will be blooming.

Here indoors, botanicals are flourishing...

The above greeting card was made with my 6" x 6" stencil Ginkgo.

The envelope above was created to house the greeting card made with 

Ginkgo -- because the colors were the same. But the envelope's print was made with my 6" x 6" stencil Ivy Frame 6:  one in my series of 4 ivy stencils.  

The stretched canvas shown above with created with my 9" x 12" Longwood Florals Mask (left and middle) and my 9" x 12" stencil It's A Jungle Out There.

The 2-page art journal spread above was made by MaryBeth Shaw, using a variety of StencilGirl stencils.  On the right-side page, she used my 6" x 6" stencil Mikki's Flowers.  You can click on the above image to enlarge it and better see details.

The above print was created with my 6" x 6" stencil Silhouette of a Wildflower Bouquet, on an old encyclopedia page that was first tinted blue.  This print became the decoration on a giftbag.

The above greeting card was made with my 9" x 12" stencil Garden Montage.

Thank you for taking time to stop here today!  To scroll thru my pages of StencilGirl stencils and masks, please start here.

The Gentle Beauty of Feathers ... with Stencils

I've long been fascinated by feathers -- most are soft to the touch and most can float in lazy zig-zags as they surrender to gravity.  And I love the graceful curves that many of them form.  

These qualities inspired me to design two stencils, Feathers 9 Stencil (9" x 12") and Feathers 6 Stencil (6" x 6") ... and I've used them often.

Above:  made with Feathers 6 Stencil (6" x 6")

Above:  made with Feathers 6 Stencil (6" x 6")

Above:  Feathers 9 Stencil was used over a print made with 6" x 6" Penguin Family.

Above:  Feathers 9 Stencil was used over a 3-layer Gelli Plate print made with Feathers 6 Stencil and (in the central area) a real feather. 

  

Above:  Feathers 9 Stencil was used over an old nautical map, painted orange.

Above:  Feathers 9 Stencil was used over a blue print made with Prayer Flags stencil (9" x 12".)

Above:  Again, Feathers 9 Stencil was used over a 3-layer Gelli Plate print made with Feathers 6 Stencil and (in the central area) a real feather. 

Last but far, far from least, I'm delighted to show this artwork --

-- a beautiful journal cover created by Kymona Tracey.  The beauty of her art-making equals the beauty of her name!  

Thanks for visiting this blog today!  To scroll thru the pages of my StencilGirl stencils and masks, please start here.

Fooling the Eye with Stencil Prints

When does a stencil-printed art not reveal that a stencil was used?  One answer is provided by Martie Rowen, who created this spread in her art journal --

Please click on the above to enlarge it and better see details.

Martie created these herons in this two-page spread using my 6" x 6" stencil Heron -- however --

Heron Stencil (6" x 6")

--Martie didn't stop there.  Clicking on the top photo to enlarge it, you can see the way she embellished both herons, adding wings, eyes, flourishes of topknots, etc. 

Another way to move away from the stenciled look?  Nancy Sanderson Curry gives us a totally different answer.  To create today's showcased artwork masterpiece, Nancy started with alcohol inks and my 9" x 12" stencil Garden Montage.  The stencil itself looks like this--

Garden Montage Stencil (9" x 12")

After Nancy created her original artwork with alcohol inks, she imported its photo into her smartphone and used the phone's photo-editing software to create the stunning image below:

  

Once again -- seeing this gorgeous surge of colors, who would guess a stencil had been one of the original art-making tools?

Below is a painting of mine that was developed using two of my stencils -- 9"x 12" Prayer Flags and 6" x 6" Ski Lift Works.

Click on the above image to enlarge it and better see detail.

 These two stencils look like this --

6" x 6" Ski Lift Works

9"x 12" Prayer Flags

In creating my painting (on stretched canvas), I used only parts of the two stencils directly above.  And after those applications, I went over the stenciled areas with fresh layers of translucent acrylic paints.  This  blended the prints into the background in some areas, and in other areas, it made them part of the bigger overall design.

Thanks for visiting here today!  To scroll thru the pages of my StencilGirl stencils, please start here.

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6" x 6" Stencil ORNAMENTAL IRON CURLS in Action

In one of my acrylic paintings on stretched canvas, I repeatedly put to work my 6" x 6" stencil Ornamental Iron Curls, which looks like this --

Ornamental Iron Curls

Below:  A series of close-ups showing details.  Here the stencil was used in layer after layer, each time using a different color of acrylic paint....

(At the bottom of the area shown above, another 6" x 6" stencil was used -- MB Makes Marks Pipette by MaryBeth Shaw.)

The repeated application of the same stencil contributes toward unity across the entire piece.  (This piece is still in progress.)

Thank you for stopping by my blog today!  To scroll thru the pages of all my StencilGirl stencils and masks, please start here.

MIKKI'S FLOWERS MASK & STENCIL (both 6" x 6") with 9" x 12" FACETS Stencil

Today's first art sample was developed in two steps:   

First, I placed Mikki's Flowers Mask (6" x 6") onto a near-black substrate (a greeting card blank) and ran a sponge brayer (loaded with heavy-body acrylic pink paint) over the mask.  

Because the original surface had been nearly black, and because the mask kept the areas behind its shapes from receiving paint, the result was a "shadow" image.  

After the surface dried, I placed Mikki's Flowers Stencil (also 6" x 6") over the shadow -- but a little to the right of it.  

Then I rolled another brayer (loaded with heavy-body blue acrylic paint) over the stencil.

The result was that the blue silhouette appears to have a shadow, which gives the image a 3-dimensional look.  

You can better see details in the image below by clicking on it to enlarge it.

Today's second image, below, is likewise a double-print.  In this case, I used Mikki's Flowers Stencil for both paint applications.

My background was an old encyclopedia page -- one that features the drawing of a flowering plant.

After making the pale blue print and allowing it to dry, I made a purple print, not immediately over the original; instead, it's off to one side.  This too creates the illusion of a 3-dimensional image.

Below is a detail close-up from another double print on a different page from an old encyclopedia.  This time, I tinted the old paper a pale green before applying  Mikki's Flowers Stencil twice, leaving drying time between the two applications.  Again, I made the prints over an old illustration of a flowering plant.

The art sample below started with a green paper that I first printed with my 9" x 12" stencil Facets.  After that layer of acrylic paint had dried, I used Mikki's Flowers Stencil in a high-contrast shade of red.

Although I could easily make my prints on a Gelli Plate, I find that, most of the time, I prefer loading a sponge brayer with acrylic paint, or even gesso, as shown below (this gesso is black) --

I place a dollop of paint onto a disposable plate and roll the sponge brayer over it till the brayer is loaded.  Then I roll the brayer over the stencil or mask.

Today's featured stencils include:

Facets Stencil (9" x 12")

Mikki's Flowers Stencil (6" x 6")

Mikki's Flowers Mask (6" x 6")

I really appreciate your stopping by my blog today!  To scroll thru the pages of my StencilGirl stencils and masks, please start here.

FERN Stencils

Fern Fronds Silhouette is a mini stencil -- 4" x 4" -- but sometimes, a mini is perfect for a project!  Notice below how a multi-colored old map brings excitement to a print made with this stencil and burnt-orange acrylic paint.

Like all other StencilGirl stencils and masks, Fern Fronds Silhouette volunteers to work in any direction...

... and works just as well with printmaking inks as it does with heavy-body acrylic paints: 

This 4" x 4" stencil itself looks like this --

 Fern Fronds Silhouette Mini (4"x 4")

I designed another fern stencil --

Ferns 6 Stencil (6" x 6")

-- and today's post has two art samples I've created with it:

 Ferns 6 Stencil (6" x 6") and Prayer Flags Stencil (9" x 12") 

Ferns 6 Stencil (6" x 6") and Sprigs Stencil (6" x 6")

 Sprigs Stencil (A.K.A "the angel stencil" -- can you find the hidden angel? -- looks like this:

Sprigs Stencil (6" x 6")

And the Prayer Flags stencil looks like this --

Prayer Flags stencil (9" x 12")

Lots of thanks for stopping by my blog today!  To scroll thru the pages of my StencilGirl stencils and masks, please start here.

Oh how I love mimosa!  The seasonal blooms -- each looking like a ballerina's pink tutu -- and the wonderful symmetry of the leaves that line the branches! 

I developed two StencilGirl stencils to celebrate this love, one 6" x 6" and the other 9" x 12".  It was the 6" x 6" Mimosa that I used in developing the background below ... 

... and I created the pink-and-blue collage element with my 9" x 12" stencil Garden Montage.

Below is a print made with my 9" x 12" Mimosa and another 9" x 12" stencil, Twinship; I like the way these two patterns blend-- 

Today's third image isn't nearly as calm as the one above!  It was developed with molding paste as a bottom layer; after that dried, I went over it with acrylic paints and gels in a lively combination of colors.

Above:  created with 6" x 6" Mimosa

My next one brings us back to the subtle look.  The print below was made with my 9" x 12" Mimosa Stencil.   

I want to show another creation that was developed with molding paste as the first step.  After I used an art spatula to spread the paste thru the 6" x 6" Mimosa stencil, I set it aside to dry.  Later, I used Art Bar water-soluble crayons followed by matte acrylic gel -- 

Many thanks for visiting here today!  To scroll thru the pages of my StencilGirl stencils, please start here.