Abstract Composition Backbones Masks 1 - 4 (s864 - s867) were StencilGirl releases back in March, but I continue to explore ways to use them.  Some of my approaches are similar to older ideas while others are variations that push into new territory.

Above:  Having cut s864 free from its outer frame, I now use masking tape to secure it to a sheet of "catch-all" paper (scrap paper previously used to "catch" leftover acrylic paints as the first step in cleaning brushes; this avoids too much leftover acrylic paint going down the drain and polluting our environment.)

  

Above:  I do the same with s865.

Above:  I do the same with s866.

Above:  My second step with s864 has been to use an applicator sponge to cover the background in a cruciform shape with black, white and blended black-white acrylic paints  A small amount of muted green has been blended into some of the gray areas.

Above:  I do the same with s865.

Above:  I do the same with s866.

Below, I have lifted s864 from the paper to reveal the pattern that remains....

Above:  I do the same with s865.

Above:  I do the same with s866.

Coming back now to s864, I begin to add accent lines using green and yellow markers....

Above:  I do the same with s865.

Above:  I do the same with s866.

And now I call them finished, ready to be secured into mats and covered in acetate sleeves.  My plan is to enter them in the Portfolios category of the Canterbury Art Festival in 2022.  Normally I would have entered them in the 2021 show, but as it turns out, 2022 will be better.

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

Note:  The Feedburner team has discontinued its option for receiving my blog posts via their email subscription.   

To subscribe to this blog by email, please leave a Comment giving your email address.  Comment options are provided at the end of each blog post.  Since I have Comment Moderation, I can read comments but keep them from being published on the blog.  So your email addresses will not appear here on my blog.  Rather, I will be collecting them and adding them to my private emailing list thru Yahoo Email. I do not sell anyone's email address, period.  I don't like it when mine gets sold and I live by the Golden Rule! 

Paper Dolls Anyone?

I encourage anyone with a pile of stencil-printed papers to give today's ideas a try -- and have fun!

I created today's first project with free-hand cut-outs, but if you want, you can trace shapes using the 9" x 12" stencil Kunst Puppen Set A, by Andrew Borloz --

-- to make "paper doll" collages" cut from a stash of stencil-printed papers:

Above: The hat on the left figure is cut from a print made with Ornamental Iron Curls (6" x 6").  Her lavender blouse comes from a print created with Pavilion Shadows (6" x 6".)  Her skirt is cut from a print made with 9" x 12" Mimosa Stencil.

The middle figure wears a hat and blouse cut from two prints made using my 6" x 6" stencil Medallion.   Ornamental Iron Curls (6" x 6") made the print that was used to form her skirt.

On the far right, the figure head and hat were cut from a print made with Kaleid (6" x 6") stencil.  Thr doll's blouse was cut from a print made with two 9" x 12" stencils -- Facets and Mimosa Stencil.  Her skirt came from a print created with Mimosa Stencil (9" x 12") and Sprigs (6" x 6".) 

Another approach is to assemble cut-up stencil prints into a face.
I tested the face below against two dissimilar backgrounds before gluing down the pieces:

In both photos above:  The top background of the face -- and the nose -- were cut from a print made with Two Vases (9" x 12") stencil.  Each eye was cut from a different print, both prints having been made using Medallion (6" x 6".)

And the face's lower background was cut from a double print -- a yellow bottom layer made with Mimosa Stencil (9" x 12") and a gray top layer made with Sprigs (6" x 6".)  The smiling red mouth was cut from a print made using Medallion (6" x 6".)

Assembling a face using bits of stencil-prints is every bit as much fun as building paper dolls with them!

I used free-hand cut-outs in assembling today's face, but for anyone who wants to use a stencil, I suggest this one by Andrew Borloz --  Kunst Mask 2 -- which looks like this: 

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

Announcement:  Because the Feedburner team has released a system update, my Blogspot email subscription service will be discontinued.  After mid-August 2021, automated emails to blog subscribers will no longer be supported.

If you want to continue subscribing to this blog by email, please leave a Comment that gives your email address.  Comment options are given at the end of each blog post.  Since I have Comment Moderation, I can read comments but prevent them from being published on the blog.  So your email addresses will not appear here on my blog.  Rather, I will be collecting them and adding them to my private emailing list thru Yahoo Email. 

I do not sell anyone's email address, period.  I don't like it when mine gets sold and I live by the Golden Rule!

It's time once more to proudly and happily post photos of artworks created by other artists using StencilGirl stencils and masks.

Today's first masterpiece is a two-page art journal spread created by artist Kathy Nyquist --

Above:  To bring this image to completion, Kathy has used parts of s867 (Abstract Composition Backbones Mask 4) multiple times, wiping off some paint layers as she progressed; she also overlapped layers while giving the journal a number of turns.  Also used: one of the many words stencils available at StencilGirl; this one, I believe, was designed by Carolyn Dube.

Kathy also used Abstract Compositions Backbones Mask 4 s867 in creating the next piece of art:

 

The series of photos below were taken by artist Janina Byrne; each shows a different view of a lovely booklet that she made....

Janina used 9" x 12" Garden Montage, cleverly outlining the design to establish its prominence against its background.

Below:  Work by artist Jill McDowell, re-posted from StencilGirl's The Scoop e-newsletter of June 2, 2021.  Jill used 6" x 6" Ferns 6 s100, 6" x 6" Heron s175 and Brick Factory by Daniella Wolf.  On the herons, Jill used white paint over a layer of black gesso.

In developing the bold, eye-catching artwork that follows, Judy Lucas-Perrin has used 6" x 6" Ginkgo 6 s076 as well as Window Ledger 9 Stencil by Pam Carriker.

Today's next masterpiece was created by artist Matrice Smith, a fabric designer whose colorful purses are beautiful.  The photo below captures one of her purses, designed with the use of several StencilGirl stencils and masks, including (in the forefront) 9" x 12" Clustered Leaves L433.

Below:  MaryBethShaw of StencilGirlProducts has created the intricate, mesmerizing design below, working on an index card.  MaryBeth used Abstract Composition Backbones Masks s864 - s867. 

Above:  One of my all-time favorite artists, Nancy Sanderson Curry, used 6" x 6" LOVE s828 in painting the artwork above.

Below:  a two-page art journal spread by Sylvia Lokhoff de Bruijn, a Netherlands artist.  Here Sylvia has used 6" x 6" Garden at Nemours Mask s658 with metallic paints; she may have also used other StencilGirls masks or stencils --

My hearty thank-you to each and every artist who allowed me to show their artwork here today!  

To scroll thru the pages of my StencilGirl stencils and masks, please start here.  Thanks!

Announcement:  Because the Feedburner team has released a system update, my Blogspot email subscription service will be discontinued.  After mid-August 2021, automated emails to blog subscribers will no longer be supported.

If you want to continue subscribing to this blog by email, please leave a Comment that gives your email address.  Comment options are given at the end of each blog post.  Since I have Comment Moderation, I can read comments but prevent them from being published on the blog.  So your email addresses will not appear here on my blog.  Rather, I will be collecting them and adding them to my private emailing list thru Yahoo Email. 

I do not sell anyone's email address, period.  I don't like it when mine gets sold and I live by the Golden Rule!

Foil Embossing with Stencils and Masks

Here comes a fun idea for stencil lovers!

Supplies:

a ballpoint pen or an artist's stylus
masking tape
a sheet of Fun Foam
heavy-duty aluminum foil (the kind used for grilling)
acrylic paints in your own color choices
2 wide paintbrushes
a soft rag (or paper towels) for buffing
optional:  self-leveling gel medium

My first step is to use green masking tape to secure each of the following layers, in this order --

Bottom layer:  a sheet of Fun Foam
Middle layer:  heavy-duty aluminum foil, dull side up
Top layer: my 9" x 12" stencil It's A Jungle Out There.

Below is a shot of the top layer held down with masking tape:

Now to emboss!

Embossing is a very easy process, done by simply tracing around the openings of a stencil or mask.  You can trace around every opening -- or, just the openings you want.

It works fine to use a ballpoint pen; because the foil's dull side is facing up, you are working from the back of the piece, so the ballpoint ink will not be showing up in your final art. 

But I'm using an artist's stylus, which works the same way. Below is the foil after I have traced the stencil and lifted it off:

  

Here is a close-up:

The next step is not shown, since not everyone will feel a need to do it.

What I chose to do next was to spread a thin layer of self-leveling acrylic gel across the dull side of the foil -- because I wanted to give the embossed foil additional strength.  After spreading the gel, I set the piece aside to dry overnight.

Fast-forward to the following day.....

I turn the foil over to its bright side, then brush acrylic paint across the entire embossed surface.  While the paint is still tacky, I use a soft cloth to rub some of the paint back off.  

For variety's sake, I repeat this whole process with several sheets of foil and several colors of paint, as shown below:

I have a hard time capturing these results in photos, since the foil is light-reflective.  

How to use these new papers?

I offer these ideas:

Cut them up to use in full-size collages on board or canvas; or small collages on greeting cards, scrapbook pages, or gift-bags.

Wrap full-sized sheets over sturdy cardboard to create art journal covers.  This is easy, since the foil remains flexible, even with the layer of gel that I'd spread across the foil's dull side.

Because of this flexibility, it's also fun to cut the embossed papers into small sizes and wrap them over wooden craft pieces -- hearts are my personal favorite -- to make jewelry or Christmas tree ornaments or embellishments for art journal covers, greeting cards or gift-tags.

And medium-sized sheets of embossed foil can be wrapped around empty aluminum cans to create pencil-holders.  

Thanks for visiting here today!

To scroll thru the pages of my StencilGirl stencils and masks, please start here!

Today's post features artwork by other artists who have used some of my StencilGirl stencils and masks and who have graciously allowed me to post their work here.  Each and every artwork below is a powerhouse -- bold, beautiful and begging to be framed and hung on a wall.....

The bold message above is the work of artist Heather Thompson Lynn; her background was created with one of the one of my two mimosa-themed stencils.

Above:  Equally powerful is the artwork above, courtesy of artist Kathy Waldo, who used 9" x 12" Blooming Where Planted L449 for her background. There are a few potential ways to establish the oval that highlights the butterfly.  One is to cut out an oval shape from a separate paper and glue it over the background. Likewise the butterfly can be taken from a separate paper using a butterfly-shaped hole punch.

Artist Karen Pesch has used Abstract Composition Backbones Masks s864 - s867 in designing the two strong compositions below:

Above:  Karen's imaginative use of s7865 is off the charts, out of the ballpark, and praiseworthy in every other way!

Above:  More eye candy from the creative hands and mind of Karen Pesch.

Above:  Barbara McLawhorn has used several StencilGirl stencils and masks in developing the complex, bold image above.  Floating in her turbulent sky is a print made with my Artist Trading Card-sized stencil Hot Air Balloon that's included in 9" x 12"  ATC Mixup Swatton # 1.

Masks and stencils mentioned in today's post include:

9" x 12"  ATC Mixup Swatton # 1

9" x 12" Blooming Where Planted L449

9" x 12" Mimosa Stencil L141

6" x 6" Mimosa 6 s126

And Abstract Composition Backbones Masks 1, 2, 3 and 4 look like this --

s864

s865

s866

s867

  

My wholehearted thanks to the artists who've let me post their artwork here!  And thank you to everyone stopping by here today!

To scroll thru the pages of my StencilGirl stencils and masks, please start here.

Try Something New with Stencils and Masks!

Encouraged by one of the videos of StencilGirl's MaryBeth Shaw, I've tried something new -- using stencils and masks with low-viscosity media.  Normally I use only high-viscosity media (most often, heavy body acrylic paint), since I usually want an imprint that closely resembles the stencil or mask.  Using low-viscosity ("runny") media means taking risks!  And getting surprises!

For this series of experiments, I chose Sumi ink.  This black ink beads up when brushed across paper with glossy surfaces as well as paper previously coated with acrylic paints.  Sometimes the beads are small; other times, they stretch out into pools.  In both cases -- whatever is revealed with the lift of the stencil -- a surprise is guaranteed.  No two prints will match, nor will any of the prints be exact replicas of the stencils or masks used in their creation.

For my approach, I wasn't stingy in the amount of ink I used; instead, I brushed it in generous swipes over the stencils and masks.  This guaranteed there would be a lot of beading and pooling on the papers under the stencils.

Above:  On acrylic-painted paper, I used the 6" x 6" stencil Kaleid s085.

Above:  On acrylic-painted paper, I used 6" x 6" stencil Pavilion Shadows s464.

Above:  On acrylic-painted paper, I again used my 6" x 6" stencil Kaleid s085.  Besides being coated with acrylic paints, this paper was textured.  Its original source had been an outdated Braille catalog.  You can better see the Braille by clicking on the above image to enlarge it.

Above:  On acrylic-painted paper, I again used 6" x 6" stencil Pavilion Shadows 

s464

Above:  On glossy paper, previously printed with a photo, I used Sumi ink with my 6" x 6"Trivet C s168.  Trivet C s168 is one in a series of trivet stencils I've designed for StencilGirl.

Stencils and masks used today include--

Trivet C s168

Kaleid s085

Pavilion Shadows s464

I encourage you, too, to try something new ... it's good for you!

Thanks for visiting my blog today!  

To scroll thru the pages of my StencilGirl stencils and masks, please start here.