Stencils -- with Lemon Juice!

I started with a shallow basin of lemon juice -- I used an expired bottle of Joe's Key West Lemon Juice.  (In my refrigerator, it's easy to find expired condiments ... just reach all the way to the back!)

Above:  one of the finished prints using Swatton Borders # 1 Stencil   (L220). 

Above:  The stencil afloat in a basin of lemon juice.

I tipped the basin back and forth to make sure the stencil was coming into full contact with the juice.  Then I pulled up the stencil, let it drip excess juice, and placed it onto a sheet of vintage paper that already had foxing along its edges.  See below:

I lightly pressed a finger alongside the two edges of the stencil to make sure it came into full contact with the vintage paper.  Then I lifted off the stencil and set aside the paper to dry.

After it dried, the last step was to heat the surface with an iron.  (I also tried a heat gun but it didn't work well for me.)  I used a specialized iron made for crafters (see photo below) but a dedicated household iron would work fine.  I used the hottest setting on my crafters' iron, but with a household iron (dedicated to crafts only), I would experiment with dry settings, starting with low heat to be on the safe side, and gradually increasing heat till the results began to show.  It's a simple matter of slightly scorching the dried lemon juice to make the design become visible.  Prior to being heated, it's nearly invisible.

 

The above prints show the variety that results from using this technique.  Each print is unique, altho the differences are subtle.

 

Swatton Borders # 1 Stencil   (L220) looks like this (before its three borders are cut apart) --

-- and it's one of three in the Borders series stencils I've designed, each measuring 9" x 12" and containing three borders.

The printed papers of today's post are now collage elements:

  

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

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Fire Cherries Mask | Cecilia Swatton | StencilGirl Products

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Exploring Foils used with Stencils

Inspired by the brightly iridescent feathers of parrots, I picked up my 6" x 6" stencil  

 Pair O' Parrots s395, pulled out greeting card blanks, and collected my supplies of foil, foil adhesive and a soft-bristled brush.  

Click here to see the ultra-thin foil that I used.  I call it "multi-metallic" leaf foil; it's mostly yellow gold but has blotches of rainbow colors.

Several adhesives work with imitation gold leaf so it's best to research online in advance of making that purchase.

 

Working on 6" x 6" blank half-fold greeting cards,  I sponge-applied adhesive thru the stencil openings, then quickly placed the stencils into a basin of Windex-water mix, to keep leftover glue from drying on the stencils. 

After waiting for the foiling adhesive to reach its tacky stage on each of the 3 cards -- about 10 minutes -- I carefully lowered a multi-color sheet of imitation gold leaf over the entire surface.  

I applied pressure with my fingertips to secure the leaf to the tacky areas; then I continued to rub the other areas to lift off the larger pieces not adhered to the tacky adhesive.

My next step was to remove small leftover bits of imitation multi-metallic leaf foil with a soft brush.

Some artists use GAC 100 to seal the foil as a final step.  I skipped doing that since these are greeting cards, not artworks on canvas.  To see another type of sealant, click here. 

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

Wet-Strength Tissue with Stencils!

I can say a lot about wet-strength tissue, and in the posts below, much of that is addressed at length.  So, just a quick note here --

Because they offer a parade of layering choices, wet-strength tissues are versatile, sturdy and SO much easier to work with than regular tissue such as giftwrap tissue.

However!   Some tissue being marketed as having "wet strength" is no better than giftwrap tissue from a dollar store.  Carnival is the only brand that I trust ... and this trust comes from experience.

I'm taking a delightful online art-making class that includes, on its supply list, tissue of the regular/giftwrap quality.  So, I ordered a package of bright, rich colors that Joseph would have loved to've had in his coat.  Opened the package and set to work on one of these online classes --

-- and before long, my language became more colorful than those tissues!

"Bleeding" tissue paper, BTW, is likewise to be avoided if making collage.  This tissue "bleeds" its colors when introduced to moisture.  It's a quality that can create beautiful artwork, but most of the time, I wouldn't include collage as one of the areas where it would work out well.

Have fun with your tissue paper and your stencils!

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