Mary Amendola-Marle and a Host of Stencils from StencilGirlProducts.com!

Artist Mary Amendola-Marle has kindly granted me permission to post her artwork here.  I was delighted that Mary chose my 9" x 12" stencil Clustered Leaves --

-- among other stencils from StencilGirl.com, in creating the art below ...

Be sure to check out all of the tree-themed stencils at StencilGirlProducts.com -- they are top-drawer!  Just type "trees" into the Search box on the StencilGirl home page -- you'll be glad you did! 

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

Thanks for visiting my blog today!

6" x 6" Stencils HERON & FERNS

Back in October I posted about Mary Beth Shaw's write-up in the July/August 2017 Somerset Studio magazine.  Its focus was the use of silhouette stencils with patterned stencils.

Following Mary Beth's directions, another artist -- Jill McDowell -- came up with this:

The silhouette stencil in this case is my 6" x 6" stencil Heron.  

Mary Beth's technique, used by Jill McDowell, is quick and easy:  

(1) Secure the substrate to the work area with masking tape; 

(2) use the same tape to layer the silhouette stencil atop the substrate.  (In the magazine article, Mary Beth had also used my Heron stencil for one of her projects.) 

(3) Add a layer of acrylic paint over the stencil that's fastened to the substrate below. 

(4) After that paint dries, add a top layer -- one or more stencils with densely figured patterns; use masking tape to hold them down, for best results.

(5) Using a different color acrylic paint, go over this two-stencil "sandwich."

Lift off all stencils and you're done.

Brick Factory, by Daniella Woolf, is the stencil Jill chose for creating the domino-like pattern inside these two Heron prints.  

On the top and bottom edges of this work, Jill used another 6" x 6" stencil of mine -- Ferns.

My thanks to Jill for allowing me to use her artwork here... and my thanks to you for stopping by today!

To see my full line of stencils, please visit here.

IT'S A JUNGLE OUT THERE -- 9" x 12" Stencil

 Today's post starts with a five close-up shots of a piece done on stretched canvas...

All of the above impressions were made with It's A Jungle Out There, which in its entirety looks like this--

-- but, before using it in this acrylic painting, I cut it into pieces.

The finished art looks like this:

I gave it the title Butterfly Wings.

Thanks for visiting my blog today!

QUEEN ANNE'S LACE Stencil

Today I'm posting two past experiments with my 9"x 12" stencil Queen Anne's Lace.

Above was an experiment on printmaking paper.   My first step was to make three separate prints with the Gelli Plate, a stack of oblong shapes slightly overlapped in a vertical pattern. 

After those paints dried, I spread white modeling paste thu the stencil, lifted the stencil, and immediately washed it.  I seldom wash just-used stencils when working with acrylic paints, but when I'm using them with any of the three-dimensional media, I go ahead with the wash, to avoid bulky build-up on stencils.

Once the modeling paste was dry, I spritzed the surface with a water mister and added drops of liquid watercolor into the wet areas, allowing the color to spread at will --

-- and I quickly discovered that I should have chosen watercolor paper instead.  Printmaking paper was not meant to be used with generous pools of water.  When still wet, the paper threatened to dissolve.  When it finally dried, it warped beyond belief.  Live and learn!

Below is the cover of a greeting card, made with a paper that I had cut from a full-size Gelli Plate print. 

In the background, especially in the lower right, you can see a faint outline from my 9"x12" stencil Boxed Vines, one of the stencils used when I was creating the multi-layer background.

These two stencils in their entirety look like this:

Queen Anne's Lace

Boxed Vines

Thanks for visiting!

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

Coincidence of the Keys

This month's StencilClub members have been delighted to receive a set of three stencils, all featuring beautifully crafted designs of keys and locks.

I was stunned by the coincidence that my first post for the New Year happened to be a sort of tip-toe trip around the same kind of theme! 

I've designed three borders stencils, each of them containing three borders and each measuring 9" x 12".  The middle stencil in this series, Swatton Borders # 2, has one border that I had designed for edges of art journal pages ...

And today's post shows two ways I've used this stencil's center border, keys.

Note:  When using my borders stencils, I find it's easier for me if I first cut each of the three stencils into three vertical borders, making sure that I leave ample margins around each strip of designs.

The first art sample below shows the border used in the way I'd originally envisioned -- as an accent edge for an art journal page.

The next image shows this stencil used three times on one page, creating what will become a background pattern ...

Although the keys are showing up brightly on the art journal page above, they will eventually be covered with more layers of paint and more stencil-prints.  But the original print will continue to show itself in areas across the page.

Thanks a lot for visiting here today!

To check out the multiple pages of my stencils, please go here.

Brayer-applied Images with Stencils

This print was made with Pair o' Parrots stencil (6" x 6").

Today's second print, below, started with my 9" x 12" Mimosa Stencil ... the original print was with a dark acrylic paint, probably green.  Over that I added a topcoat of red acrylic paint.

Then I painted a 6" x 6" square roughly in the center.

Atop that, I laid another stencil, Fern Fronds Silhouette Mini, which measures 4" x 4".  With this stencil, I used a sponge brayer loaded with two shades of green acrylic paint.

Below:  When using a sponge brayer with a stencil, I always use heavy body paint -- or, as in the example shown here, I use liquid/soft body acrylic paint that has been left out for awhile.  This increases its viscosity.  Highly viscous (heavy body) acrylic paints are less likely to cause stencil run-under.  But the amount of pressure applied with the applicator -- be it a brayer or any other kind of paint applicator -- is of even more importance than the viscosity of the paint.  It has taken me a lot of practice to learn the right amount of pressure for avoiding run-under!

I also used a sponge brayer loaded with heavy body paints to make today's top print as well as the print below ...

Above:  6" x 6" Heron stencil

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

Thanks for visiting my blog today!

A Quick and Easy Project to Make a Christmas Stocking Stuffer-Gift

How many ways can you use a jumbo wood clothespin?  In this post I'm showing it used to hold earbuds or headphones -- a handy way to keep the wires from tangling.  In the first shot below, the clothespin is still untreated, the way it was when I first brought it home.

In this project my first step, not shown, was to cover the clothespin with a base coat of light lavender acrylic paint.

Below, the now-painted clothespin is barely visible.  I've placed it on a "catch-all" sheet of paper (an old calendar page, used to "catch" all the paint that would otherwise fall onto my work surface.)  The green masking tape is helping hold the stencil in place on the clothespin.  This stencil (stained with pink paint from an earlier project) is a strip cut from my 9"X 12" stencil Swatton Borders #1.  (When using a stencil on narrow objects like this clothespin, I find it easier to have cut the stencil apart.)

Above:  The stenciled clothespin,in the upper part of the photo, can be better seen by clicking on this image to enlarge it.  Under it are my palette (a disposable foam plate) and (on the left) the stencil just used.

Below are two shots of the finished clothespin, now a holder for earphones.  But since this is to be a Christmas gift, it may be put to a different use in its new home ...

... since these jumbo clothespins can also be used as artwork hangers, refrigerator magnets, party decorations/favors, and display-holders for photos, greeting cards or kitchen recipes.    I bought this one at my local A. C. Moore, but they're also available at www.AmazonSmile.com.

This stencil in its entirety looks like this:

Swatton Borders # 1 stencil

The border on the far left of this stencil is the one I chose for today's project.  The stencil measures 9" x 12" and is one of three stencils in my series of borders stencils.

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

Thanks for visiting my blog today!

Two More Christmas Cards

Only ten days till Christmas Eve!

Today's post makes use of two identical prints made with my 4" x 4" stencil Fern Fronds Silhouette Mini -- 

For the top card, I glued one of the prints to a 6" x 6" white metallic-finish bi-fold blank greeting card (JamPaper.com); I then used a squeeze bottle of silver glitter (Ranger Industries) to add flourishes and dots of bling.

For the second card, I used the same kind of blank greeting card, this one made from bronze metallic cardstock.  And I used the same glitter glue.

Thank you for visiting my blog today!

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

Another Christmas Card!

I stumbled upon a treasure when I discovered "metallic"-sheened greeting card blanks at JamPaper.com  ... I always feel that when I start with a blank that's already coated with a pretty surface, I've been given a head  start. 

An added bonus is that these "metallic" cards are cut from sturdy cardstock that tolerates some serious art-making.  (No, I don't own stock in Jam Paper!)

I use the card blanks that are just slightly smaller than 6"x6" so that they perfectly fit my 6"x6" stencils.  But in this case, I used one of my 9"x12" stencils, Facets, because I wanted to create the illusion of a church window for a Christmas card cover.

First, I (masking) taped a stencil over the front of the card; then I traced the lines of the design with a black Sharpie pen.  

Next, I dropped the alcohol inks over the stencil and let them run and mix at will, with a little drop-by-drop encouragement of rubbing alcohol.  (For some reason, the blending solution that comes with the alcohol inks didn't work.) 

Next time, I'll use the dauber tools that are meant to be used with alcohol inks, but this time around, I wanted to experiment with just dropping on the inks and letting them dry.

I made the mistake of letting them dry TOO much.  So the stencil stuck to the card surface and, when lifted, it made a tear in the upper right area, above.   (This was repaired, after the above scan, using a layer of liquid gloss medium.)

Thanks for your visit today!

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

Never Too Many Christmas Cards!

Here's an idea that I've used in the past to make Christmas cards.

For this project, I recommend wearing disposable gloves and gathering just a few supplies:  iridescent Shiva Paintstik oil crayons; a stencil; thin, dark papers; and an  X-acto knife.  I used black and other dark mulberry papers because of their thinness.  The best iridescent Paintstik colors to use on dark papers are silver, white, and light gold.  For this projects, I chose gold and silver.

Just before use, a Shiva Paintstik needs to be "primed" because, when not in use, it naturally forms an outer "skin" which must be removed. This is easily done with an X-acto knife -- but it should be done by an adult, never a child; these knives are sharp.

The stencil I'm using here, in Project One, is my 4"X 4" stencil Fern Fronds Silhouette.

The stencil is held secure with one hand, while the other rubs across the top of the stencil with the Paintstik -- held flat on one side, as shown below --

The above photo shows that all spaces in the stencil design have been completely filled with a layer of metallic Paintstik crayon.  In the photo below, the stencil has been lifted off the paper and placed above the imprint.
  

Above:  The oil crayon-coated stencil is at the top; under it is the imprint.
Below is a close-up of an imprint made this way.

At this point, the stencil is heavily coated with leftover oil crayon.  To create another imprint of a different kind, without using more crayon, the stencil is placed on fresh paper and held in place with one hand, while the other uses a soft rag or a paper towel to rub across the stencil and the open areas of the stencil --

An imprint made this second way is shown close-up below.

More than one "ghost print" can be made in the way I just described, until most of the crayon has been removed from the stencil.  Then the stencil can be completely cleaned with an alcohol wipe.

Now comes Project Two, using the same materials. 

The first step is to slide the stencil under a fresh sheet of dark, thin paper.

Above:  the stencil is being pushed under the paper.

The second and last step is to rub the sideways oil crayon across the paper, pressing into the outlines of the hidden stencil below.  Below is one rubbing created in this way:

One place to purchase these oil crayons is --

http://www.dickblick.com/products/shiva-iridescent-artists-paintstik-oil-colors/.

Another vendor is --
http://www.dharmatrading.com/markers/shiva-paintstiks.html

The second link, for Dharma Trading, takes you to a webpage where you can watch a video of these oil sticks being used to make rubbings on fabric.  I'm not into fabric arts, but I suspect that when these oil crayons are used on fabric, there are follow-up steps for setting the color permanently.  Dharma would have information on this. 

The stencil used in this post, Fern Fronds Silhouette, is available at www.StencilGirlProducts.com. 

Thanks for visiting my blog!

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

Foil Christmas Cards, Embossed with Help from Stencils

From time to time, I like to remind myself of past projects that I've done in the Christmas spirit.  Today's post features one of those ...

Above is one of the Christmas cards I've made using Inkssentials self-adhesive foil from Ranger Industries.  Foil is very difficult to photograph, but I love working with this surface because embossing it is so easy and quick.  The results are subtle, not flashy (unless alcohol inks are introduced.  Something for me to try, one of these days!) 

My first step was to measure the foil needed to cover the front of a blank greeting card--

Then, I placed my 4"x 4" stencil Fern Fronds Silhouette Stencil Mini atop the foil, holding it in place as I traced the openings with a stylus, as shown below.  (A no-longer-working ballpoint pen will handle this job as well as a stylus.)

Note: this stencil is stained green as result of a previous project.  Click on the image to enlarge it and better see the embossed lines made with the stylus.)

My 4"x4" Fern Fronds Silhouette Stencil Mini is what I chose to use this time, but the greeting card blank was large enough for me to've used  any 6"x6" stencil.  I buy these sturdy, square greeting card blanks from JamPaper.com.


After I lifted the stencil, its embossed outlines were revealed, as shown below.

After this, I introduced Titanium White acrylic paint -- 

 -- which I brushed across the surface.  While the paint was still tacky, I removed most of it with a paper towel.  This method was called "antiquing" back when I first learned it.  The goal is to leave a hit-and-miss look, with foil showing thru in most areas, but with most of the paint remaining in the embossed areas:

Click on the above image to better see the remaining white paint.

Next, I got out the glitter glue.  Below are two photos showing the border I created this way:

Now I wanted to add some color, so I used red glitter glue to apply dots--

Above:  These dots are easier to see in the finished greeting card, shown at the start of this post.

Once the glitter dried, I peeled off the foil's white backing paper and applied the foil to the front of the Christmas card -- as shown in the top photo in this post.

Check with the Postal Service before mailing 6" x 6" greeting cards -- there is a non-machinable surcharge for sending mail of these dimensions.  I use two Forever stamps, for convenience.

Thanks for visiting my blog today!

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