Speckles, Borders & The Painterly Look

Border stencils that I'd created in the past -- L220, L221 and L222 -- are still working fine.  (For me, they work best when I cut them apart to get 3 separate strips from each of the three 9" x 12" stencils.)

But I've discovered that some other masks (or stencils) volunteer to be used for creating borders.

After I'd cut off the top of the frame of my 4" x 4" mask Carnival m340, I saw that it works for borders, when I use only the upper part of the mask....

Above:  Using the top of this new 4" x 4" mask along with opaque white acrylic paint and a sponge applicator, I created a border around a print I'd made recently using two of my masks from the kelp series.  (The 4"x4" mask in that kelp series had been cut free from its original outer frame.  It had been the mask used for the topmost layer of yellow veined in purple.  The barely-visible bottom paint layer was created with the 9" x 12" mask of the kelp series.)

Besides playing with borders, I've been playing with the speckled look -- with an approach that veered in a few directions....

Above:  This print was made before I scissor-customized my 4" x 4" mask Carnival m340; it still had its top border.  

I started with mixed-media paper, a sponge and the mask.  

After that black-and-white print had dried, I used a brush to cover it with heavy body light blue acrylic paint.  

While the light blue paint was still wet, I sprayed it once with water using a spritzer bottle.

I waited less than a minute before placing a facial tissue over the surface, patting it down to get all-over contact, and lifting the tissue. 

This kind of spatter effect can also achieved with liquid acrylic paint.  My choice however was heavy body acrylic paint, because I like its resulting speckled look better. 

The print below was also started with a black and white print, then painted, water-sprayed, and blotted.  Looking closely, you can tell that the spatters worked better on the lavender areas. This happened because the light blue acrylic paint was given too much time to dry.

Made with my 6" x 6" mask Champagne s960

Above:  Again using my 6" x 6" mask Champagne s960, I created a speckled look the easiest way, spattering a finished print with sprayed paint.  (Any time I use sprayed paint, I test the spray first on scrap paper.)

Below is the same print after I mono-printed it with acrylic paint and matte medium. (This mixture was a leftover on my palette paper, at the end of a different painting project.)  That new acrylic mixture added depth and interest to the overall image.

Today's last art sample was created, yet again, with 6" x 6" mask Champagne s960 -- and it's the result of an adventure that I took, just to see what results I would get.  Those results have a speckled look, so I'm including it below.  

I started with a page cut from an old book.  Over that I brushed some leftover black acrylic paint; but, since the brush held very little paint, a mottled look was the result. 

Later, I repeated that step using the same paper, again swiping acrylic paint (peach in color) from my brush.

After the peach-color paint had dried, I placed the mask over it and applied zinc white acrylic paint with a sponge.  Since zinc white is translucent, it allowed the colors below to remain visible.

The result had a speckled look because, when I'd swiped the paper twice with leftover paint, both brushes were already at the "dry brush" stage, containing very little acrylic paint.  So my swiping laid down erratic smears of color, rather than solid layers of paint. 

Another way to describe this art sample would be to say it has "a painterly look".

All of today's papers have what's called a painterly look; it's a carefree, lively finish that old-timers might call "sloppy" since it doesn't aim for perfect results but rather shows the beauty of random applications of paints.

I use stray pieces of paper as "catch-all" papers, meaning that when I'm finished applying a certain color in a different painting project -- usually a very large project on stretched canvas -- my brush sometimes continues to hold some leftover acrylic paint.  I could place the brush immediately into water to keep it soft while I finish painting projects for the day.  But then the water would go down the drain, taking acrylic paint with it. That's bad for the environment so I empty any excess paint from my brushes onto these papers, before placing the brushes into water.

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Sparkle!

...is very hard to photograph!  Today I'll show 2 photos of the same piece. It's a print made with blue metallic acrylic paint on black cardstock; after the paint had dried, I'd added gold glitter glue.

The reason I'm showing both photos is so that in your imagination you can maybe cobble them together to get a fairly accurate idea as to what the piece actually looks like. 

 

The mask I've used is my 4" x 4" Carnival, a just-released design inspired by the work of Mid-Century Modern artist Rex Ray.

I also chose this mask to make a print on marbled paper using red acrylic paint.  Afterward, I had the same problem in trying to capture what the result really looks like.  That difficulty had a similar cause; the marbled paper had a black background but had been marbled with metallic inks.

But success did not elude me forever!  I made the print below on similar marbled paper, but this time my red acrylic paint was opaque, so only the shapes remained after the paint had been applied (with a sponge brayer.)

I chose this image combination because my 4" x 4" mask Carnival just seems to fit right in with the imagery of hot air balloons.

The balloon image on the left was made with the mask that's part of Hot Air Balloons S547.  The image on the right was printed using a mask that's included as part of Hot Air Balloons M185.

I used two of those masks once more in creating the art sample below.

Above:  I chose a background of color-splattered paper.  Over that I placed my two masks, then used a sponge brayer to apply a layer of heavy body pink acrylic paint (Medium Magenta by Golden Paints.)  A similar print could have been made on a Gelli Plate, as well.

Thanks for checking out my blog today!  To scroll thru the pages of my stencils and masks at StencilGirlProducts.com, please start here.

Playing with Distress Inks

Although Distress Oxides are slowly replacing Distress Inks on the market, I've found that Distress Inks and their Reinkers have such a long life that they can go on being used for literally years.

I'll come to the differences between these two media, but first I will explore what happens when a Distress Ink Reinker of one color is added to a Distress Inkpad of a somewhat similar color.

To mix two blue shades of Distress Ink colors, I opened a Broken China Inkpad, then drizzled Tumbled Glass across its surface.

With a gloved fingertip, I then spread that drizzled reinker liquid evenly across the inkpad.  I allowed the ink to sink in for a few minutes, before loading my brush with the newly mixed inks.

Before using a mask with Distress Inks in the traditional way, I wanted to see what happens when plain white paper is placed atop a mask, then held in place with one hand (or masking tape), while a brush loaded with Distress Ink pounces firmly across the top side of the paper.  It's the same technique as dry rubbing, but instead of rubbing with a soft crayon to pick up the image under the paper, the approach is to use pouncing to do the job.  

Below:  I'm sliding my mask under a sheet of white copy paper, preparing to pounce across the top of the paper to pick up an image from the mask hidden underneath.

Carnival M340 is the mask I've used in this pouncing experiment ... and I've found that my results have "the painterly look" or the look of a "ghost print."

Above:  Because I never completely clean my brush between uses, there is usually a remnant-hint of the most recently used color that shows up the next time I use the brush.  In this case, there is a hint of Peeled Paint in the upper left.

Below:  A slightly different mix of Distress Ink colors created this pounced, ghostly image on watercolor canvas previously sprinkled with acrylic paint....

In the future, I plan to mix the yellow of Distress Ink Mustard Seed with my already-mixed blues, Distress Ink Broken China and Tumbled Glass.  I want to see what shade of green will emerge!

But for now, I'll show 3 Distress Ink prints that I made in the traditional way:  I placed the mask atop paper and, with assorted mixes of Distress Ink colors, pounced my brush over the mask.

The background papers above had come from old books and had previously served as "catch-all papers" coated with leftover acrylic paints.

Note:  To go with Distress Inks and Distress Oxides, RangerInk.com also makes a Distress Marker!

Thanks for checking out my blog today! To scroll thru the pages of my masks and stencils at StencilGirlProducts, please start here.

Anchoring today's post:  a link that gives a full explanation, with comparisons, between Distress Inks and Distress Oxides. 

CARNIVAL M340!

Inspired by the playful whimsy of collages created by Rex Reed, an artist of the movement called mid-century modern art, I designed two brand-new masks from StencilGirlProducts.com.   

Below: This patterned paper was developed using my two brand-new masks as well as -- in the upper left corner, the lower left corner and the far-right center -- a "mini-Fantasia" mask that's included in my 9" x 12" ATC Mixup Swatton #1 L768.  This Artist Trading Card-sized design is a miniature version of my 9" x 12" mask Fantasia L450.  Both "fantasia" designs stylize the circular shape; circles are also stylized by my two just-released masks.  So using them in combination brings unity to a finished composition.  (The art sample below isn't a finished composition; it's just a printed paper!)

Champagne s960 is my new 6" x 6" mask, and its brightly colored print peeks out at the bottom left, above.  

The third mask that I used above was my 4" x 4" Carnival m340.  This is the mask I chose for making the prints below.

Above:  This background paper had been part of an old painting.

 

Above: This background paper was pre-printed in a design based on circles, the same shape that I've stylized in designing this mask.

Above: This background paper was pre-printed by myself, some time ago. Its heart shape remains somewhat visible.  Can you see that heart?

Above: This background paper has a look of Carnival Holiday Brazil!  It's a purchased novelty paper splashed with assorted colors and spotted with metallic gold paint.  I made this print after I'd cut off the top of the original frame from my 4" x 4" mask Carnival m340.

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

Patterned Papers -- Part Three

I enjoy pairing my brand-new 6" x 6" mask Champagne s960 with my other just-released mask, 4" x 4" Carnival m340, in building multi-layered patterned papers with  heavy body acrylic paints.  Altho I use a sponge brayer, as described in earlier posts, this kind of layering can also be done with a Gelli Plate.

Above:  My two brand-new masks were used in combination with my 9" x 12" mask Fantasia L450 because, to my eye, all three designs make the most of shapes that are based loosely on circles.  I've found that many of the collages of mid-century modern artist Rex Ray have been variations of circles.  Circles are pleasing to the eye; this shape can symbolize a sense of completion.

Above:  These two background papers were developed on sheets of scrapbook paper, which is sturdy enough to lend itself to multiple applications, including giftwrap.

Below:  The "visual punch" of this multi-layered print comes from the juxtaposition of two near-complements on the color wheel.  The hot color orange stands out against the cool colors blue and green, especially when the orange is dark in value and the blues and greens are in light and medium values.  (Explanations of the color wheel, complementary colors and values are included in earlier posts.  Scrolling down to "Older Posts" will bring them up.)

Note:  Cool colors, which include blue and green, possibly receive this label because we associate them with water.  Also, we're said to be "in a cool state" when we are rested and thinking clearly.  (Morning coffee helps!)  These cool colors appear to recede when used in artwork.  Hot colors, on the other hand, appear to come forward.  So the above art sample visually pulls the viewer's gaze forward in most areas, while visually pushing it back in one central area.  (This makes the overall artwork visually interesting.)  Hot or warm colors possibly receive their label because we associate them with the sun-baked red rocks of Utah and Arizona; also, we are said to be "in a hot state" when our emotions are running "high" due to passion, anger, anxiety, etc.

Above:  This art sample combines "cool" ultra-dark blue with "hot" yellow-orange and red-orange.  This piece is less successful than the previous art sample, to my eye, because it has less overall complexity. 

Below:  This patterned paper was developed using my two brand-new masks as well as -- in the lower left corner -- a "mini-Fantasia" mask that comes with my 9" x 12" ATC Mixup Swatton #1 L768.  This Artist Trading Card-sized design is a miniature version of my 9" x 12" mask Fantasia L450.  Both "fantasia" designs stylize the circular shape, and my two just-released masks likewise stylize the shape of circles.  So using them in combination brings unity to a finished composition.  (The art sample below isn't a finished composition; it's just a printed paper!)

Below:  Yet another 2 art samples of patterned papers created with my two new masks.

Thanks for checking out this portion of my collected patterned papers today!  More patterns will appear in tomorrow's post.  As always, my hope is that these ideas will launch you off onto your own explorations.  Have fun!

Double the fun by looking for creative ways to use your patterned papers!  Here is something I just learned about.  It will call for patterned papers that are thin yet sturdy.

 To scroll thru the pages of my masks and stencils at StencilGirlProducts.com, please start here.

Patterned Papers -- Part Two

My collection of patterned papers continues to grow.  (Too bad the walls of my house fail to expand to keep up!  But wait!  My thin, sturdy patterned papers can lend themselves to craft projects -- thus creating gifts to give away!  There's a good idea!)  

I like using my two new releases together; today's daily post will explore only a few of the possibilities available when these two are yoked.

My just-released -- but already paint-stained! -- 6" x 6" mask Champagne s960 has struck me as a good design to use with black paper and my white Posca pen (a pen that came to my attention via my friend Judi Kauffman!) 

Above:  This patterned paper is now ready to be enlivened with color.

Above:  After I'd traced around the shapes in 6" x 6" mask Champagne s960, I used the same pen to outline the shapes of my other newly released mask, 4" x 4" Carnival m340.  This smaller mask had already been cut free from the top of its original frame.  My customization made it easier to place the mask in the two areas left blank after I had twice used 6" x 6" Champagne s960.

As I continued combining these two masks in making art samples, I switched to heavy body acrylic paints.  This two-part combo led to a variety of intricate multi-layered prints.

Below:  For my first project in creating a multi-layered look for today, I chose 2 pre-printed background papers that already incorporated designs both circular and lined.  This choice allowed those original prints to become visual "echos" of my own new, red-on-white prints.

Above:  I chose background paper that had circle shapes and lined areas which could show thru the finished print.

Above:  Likewise as in the photo directly above, I chose background paper that had circle shapes and lined areas which could show thru the finished print.

In the 3 prints below, I created my own visual complexity without help from pre-printed background paper.  I repeatedly used one of the new masks, or both, overlapping colors and layers.

Above:  Here the background is a sheet of copy paper that I'd printed with my own original design.

Thank you for coming to visit here today! To scroll thru my masks and stencils at StencilGirlProducts.com, please start here.

Patterned Papers - Part One

I'm ready to show what I've done with papers created using my homemade printing plate.  And, paired with them, other prints.

Below:  Getting ready to decorate the cover of a green composition book, I've cut strips of blue paper printed with my printing plate; I've also cut strips of green paper printed with my 6" x 6" mask s955 Bulbs and Banners....

Above:  I've chosen the strips that I want to glue to the cover of the book.  

Below:  I've glued the strips to the book cover and added a wood heart decorated with a leftover strip of green paper printed with my 6" x 6" mask s955 Bulbs and Banners --

Above:  The center paper strip was cut from paper printed with a homemade printing plate created using my just-released 4" x 4" mask Carnival M340.

Next, I'll show how I cover wood hearts to create embellishments....

Below: Strips of leftover printed papers, wood hearts and a gluestick.

Above:  I'm covering the face of a heart with glue.

Below: I've pressed the glue-covered heart face-down onto the back of a strip of printed paper.

Above:  After pressing hearts to the backs of leftover paper strips, I've covered each with a paperweight.  

Below:  I have used leftover papers and paper-covered wood hearts to decorate the cover of a greeting card.  (I could have used these elements to decorate a giftbag or an art journal cover.  The hearts alone can become refrigerator magnets with the addition of these.)

Above:  Another greeting card.

Papers printing with a homemade printing plate have even more uses; you readers will have a wider spread of ideas than those I've covered in today's post.

Thanks for stopping here today! To scroll thru the pages of my masks and stencils at StencilGirlProducts.com, please start here.

Daily posts will continue for a week or so as I explore more ideas for using my just-released masks, 6" x 6" Champagne s960 and 4" x 4" Carnival m340.

Dry Rubbings -- and More!

Dry Rubbings are quick, easy and fun!  You need a mask or stencil (I'm using my 6" x 6" mask Champagne s960), thin but sturdy paper and some type of crayon or soft-leaded pencil.

Above:  For my own thin but sturdy paper, I chose a sheet of gold textured giftwrap that I'd previously printed using my 9" x 12" Winter Berries Stencil L678.

My first step was to slide my mask under the paper and secure the mask with masking tape.  Altho I didn't secure the paper with masking tape, that would be an option.

Below:  A close-up of my dry rubbing in progress.  In the lower right you can see the Gelato crayon I chose.  It turned out that Gelatos are too soft for dry rubbing.  But my 3 photos remain valid since they show what any soft crayon would do, when rubbed over thin but sturdy paper -- rubbing them across the whole surface results in capturing the design of the stencil or mask that's under that paper.

Above:  The third photo of the series shows the imprint achieved thru this dry rubbing technique.  I used pre-printed paper to work toward a more complex image at the end, but if plain paper is used, the imprint from the stencil or mask will show up by itself.

I move forward now with an up-front explanation:  I don't receive any reimbursement from Golden Paints, but they are my favorite acrylics.  Among other reasons, I like their range of colors.

Golden Paints makes both Light Magenta and Medium Magenta acrylic paint that I love; in lieu of those fancier titles, I'll simply say pink.  (You can make your own version of this heavy body opaque paint by mixing Golden's heavy body Titanium White acrylic paint with Golden's Quinacridone Magenta acrylic paint.) 

Below:  a multi-print created with my 6" x 6" mask Champagne s960 and -- in the upper right corner -- a "mini-Fantasia" mask that's included in my 9" x 12" ATC Mixup Swatton #1 L768.  This Artist Trading Card-sized design is a miniature version of my 9" x 12" mask Fantasia L450.  Both "fantasia" designs stylize the circular shape, and my two just-released masks likewise stylize the shape of circles.  I enjoy using modified circles in combination.

Below: A close-up of one area of a similar multi-printed paper  done on the same day --

Below: a paper towel used to clean my recently released 6" x 6" mask Champagne s960.  Notice how pretty the clean-up paper towel is!

And now for something completely different! (Remember that phrase?)

The above print was made over metallic blue paint previously sponged at random across a background paper of black.  With 6" x 6" mask Champagne s960, I chose an acrylic paint in translucent red so that some of the background could remain visible.

 To scroll thru the pages of my masks and stencils at StencilGirlProducts.com, please start here.