Monday, January 29, 2018

Jill McDowell and 6" x 6" FERNS 6 STENCIL


Last summer StencilGirlProducts.com held a contest, asking for artists to submit artwork created with SG stencils; the winner was Jill McDowell, as reported here.

I'm happy to say that, among her many artworks created with stencils, Jill chose to include a piece made with my Ferns 6 Stencil--




-- and I love her results!

The stencil itself measures 6" x 6" and looks like this ...





While I'm on the subject of 6" x 6" stencils, I want to mention that in the past I've posted greeting cards of this size and cited JamPaper.com as the source of the greeting card blanks.  These fold-over card blanks are still sold at JamPaper, but the white "pearlized" cards that I've often shown here are no longer available.  Other metallic colors are still available in this card size (as well as other sizes.)

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

Friday, January 26, 2018

Flowers in January? Yes, with Stencils ...


... thanks to the magic of stencils, flowers can bloom any time, any place!

Before Queen Anne's Lace was a 9" x 12" stencil at StencilGirlProducts.com, it was a silkscreen.  I had the screen made by a professional; then I used it on stretched canvas in a layered painting.  The design is essentially the same, as you can see below.




Above:  the silkscreen print.

Blooming Where Planted is another of my floral-themed 9" x 12" stencils; below, I've used part of this three-section stencil as a collage element.  It's a stencil section that had been stained as result of a number of earlier art projects.  I began to like the stained version so much that I decided to mat it....








The original stencil looks like this:



Blooming Where Planted


Today's third floral image -- above -- is on the cover of a greeting card.  Its background was made with Prayer Flags (9" x 12") and its blue foreground is a partial print that I made with yet another 9" x 12" stencil of mine, Thistles.


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To follow this blog by email, please use the option in the upper right.

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




Wednesday, January 24, 2018

HOT AIR BALLOON STENCILS & MASKS as Giftbag Decorations


At Christmas, I bought a bundle of white gift bags ... with the original plan of stenciling right onto the bags themselves.  This plan got scrapped when I realized the wrinkles under the bags' handles wouldn't cooperate well with stencils.  But then I came up with an approach that works, using a glue-stick to add stenciled prints onto the sides of the blank bags.  

After making some Christmas gift bags, I decided to make two more for any occasion.  For these, I chose two of my Hot Air Balloon prints ...






After using the glue-stick to adhere the prints to the bags, I placed the bags under stacked books overnight, just to make sure the glue job became permanent.  

To see all my stencils, please visit here.

And thanks for visiting this blog today!

Tuesday, January 23, 2018

HOT AIR BALLOON STENCILS AND MASKS Used in Even More Projects


Today's post continues the showing of art made with Hot Air Balloon Stencils and Masks.

For a full description of this new set, please scroll down to bottom of this post.


  

The piece above was created on a map from an old encyclopedia.  All I did was to hold down the two masks from this set, while with the other hand rolling over the entire page with a sponge brayer loaded with heavy-body blue acrylic paint. 

Very similar results could be achieved using a Gelli Plate -- by placing the masks on the plate, then brayering paint across the surface of the place and masks; and, as a final step, pressing a map (face-side down) onto the surface of the plate. 

After I had created the above print, I decided to use my heart-shaped Marvy hole-punch to create little paper hearts to be added to the balloons --




Then I cut out the 6-inch square, as shown above; collaged it onto the cover of a blank 5.75"square blank greeting card (JAMPaper.com); and added an "I Love You" sticker in the upper right.

I made two more greeting cards the same way --
 


Above:  This card was made with the two masks.

Above:  This card was made with a stencil-print that I'd made on a page from an old encyclopedia.  After the print dried, I cut it out, added it to the card, and finished with another paper heart.



Above is my next-to-last stencil-print for the day.  I made it on a paint-speckled sheet of foreign newsprint, using the stencil from the 6" x 6" stencil-and-mask set of Hot Air Balloon Stencils and Masks. .

Below is a collaged 6" x 6" greeting card that has a base printed with my 6" x 6" stencil Tiger Lily.  The red print on foreign newspaper was made with the stencil from the 4" x 4" set of Hot Air Balloon Stencils and Masks.




The stencils and masks themselves are shown below -- identical in design, but coming in two sizes, 4" x 4" and 6" x 6".


Above:  Hot Air Balloons and Masks

They come as you see them here -- with a stencil (left) side-by-side with a mask (right).  They arrive in two sheets, one measuring 6" x 6" and the other measuring 4" x 4".

A mask "masks" (hides) whatever is under it, when paint is applied.  A stencil differs in that it provides details, such as the hanging gondola under the balloon and the three vertical stripes that form the balloon itself.  A stencil hides part of the background but not everything behind it, as a mask does.

Thanks for visiting my blog today!

To see my full line of 72 stencils, please check here.

 

Monday, January 22, 2018

HOT AIR BALLOONS AND MASKS on Pre-Printed Background Materials


Today's post shows more of my art made with my new four-part release, Hot Air Balloons and Masks.  This new release comes in two sheets -- one 6" x 6" sheet and one mini-sheet measuring 4" x 4".

Although these two sheets come in two sizes, the stencils and masks are identical in design, as shown here --


Above:  the stencil is on the left.  The mask is on the right.

Note:  A mask "masks" -- that is, hides -- everything that you place under it.  The function of a stencil, on the other hand, is to give you an imprint of an image that can contain more details than a mask can.  In this case, the image is a hot air balloon with three vertical stripes.

Each of today's pieces was created on papers that had been prepared in advance with a variety of methods, all explained below.

Above:  This background was created on Yupo, a thin synthetic material with a slippery surface.  I used this sheet of Yupo to make a monoprint with white, blue and lavender watercolors.

Above: This background was created with a large rubber stamp that I had carved, imitating a design I had seen online; the original design was created by Sherrill Kahn. 

Above:  This background was made with spatter paint and my 6" x 6" stencil Ornamental Iron Curls.


Above:  This background was made with my 6" x 6" stencil Webbed Medallion.

Above:  This background was likewise created on Yupo, a thin synthetic material with a slippery surface.  I used this sheet of Yupo to make a monoprint with blue watercolors.

Thanks for visiting my blog today!  

To see the multiple pages of my 72 stencils, please visit here.

Sunday, January 21, 2018

HOT AIR BALLOON STENCILS AND MASKS Artwork


Today's post features five more pieces I've made using my new four-part release, Hot Air Balloons and Masks.  This new release comes in two sheets -- one 6" x 6" sheet and one mini-sheet measuring 4" x 4".

Although these sheets come in two sizes, the stencils and masks are identical in design as you can see here --


Above:  the stencil is on the left.  The mask is on the right.

Note:  A mask "masks" -- that is, hides -- everything that you place under it.  The function of a stencil, on the other hand, is to give you an imprint of an image that can contain more details than a mask can.  In this case, the image is a hot air balloon with three vertical stripes.

Except for the fifth and last piece showing today, the pieces in this post were made using a sponge brayer well-loaded with heavy-body acrylic paint.  The traditional sponge-daubing method would have worked, too.  Likewise, this could have been achieved with Gelli Plate printing.  All three approaches would yield the same results.

The first print below was created with the 4" x 4" mask and the 6" x 6" mask.  The patterned background had existed first -- initially it had been an art-covered page from a foreign newspaper; then I'd imprinted it with orange acrylic paint and my 6" x 6" stencil Swatton Grid.

My next step was to place both masks from Hot Air Balloon Stencils and Masks onto the paper.  I could have tried to hold them in place with my fingers but decided instead to add small curls of masking tape to the undersides of the masks; this held them securely in place on the paper. Then I loaded a sponge brayer with translucent aqua acrylic paint and rolled it over the entire surface.  




The artwork below was created in the same way.  But instead of using Swatton Grid in my first step, I used the 6" x 6" Hot Air Balloon stencil twice in creating the background. After that paint had dried, I added the two masks with bits of masking tape curled back on itself.  Heavy-body green acrylic paint was my choice when I loaded a fresh sponge brayer and ran it over the entire surface.
   



The above piece helps to demonstrate the different between masks and stencils.  Notice how the two background images are solid shapes, except for the vertical lines that indicate stripes in the balloons.  On the other hand, the two masks used in the second step were used to mask out the parts of the background that the masks covered while they were taped in place.

The artwork below started life as a blue and red print made with my 6" x 6" stencil Tiger Lily.  After that paint had dried, I used masking tape curls to secure the two Hot Air Balloon masks to the paper, then rolled over the entire surface using a sponge brayer loaded with heavy-body green acrylic paint.




The first step in making the artwork below was to repurpose an old calendar page using a thin coat white paint.  Next, I printed it with both the 6" x 6" and the 4"x 4" Hot Air Balloon stencils, one in blue and one in green.  Then I placed the 6" x 6" Hot Air Balloon mask over an old painting and traced around its shape.  After cutting out the shape, I collaged it onto the surface in the lower left.





Today's final piece is below --




Here, I used the two masks from Hot Air Balloon Stencils and Masks.  I placed the masks on glossy white paper -- this time, leaving out the curls of masking tape, so that some of the color would seep under the masks.  Once the masks were in place, I added spritzes of water to the paper, then dropped some acrylic inks into the wet puddles.  I allowed the paper to dry for a while -- but before letting it dry completely, I lifted off the masks.  If I'd allowed the surface to dry all the way, the masks probably would have stuck to the paper.  After the paper did finally dry, I put the masks back in place and traced around them to better bring out their shapes.

Thanks for visiting here today!

If you want to see the multiple pages of my stencils, just go here.

Saturday, January 20, 2018

New Prints Made with HOT AIR BALLOON STENCIL AND MASKS!



Today's post features five pieces I've made using my new four-part release, Hot Air Balloons and Masks.  This new release comes in two sheets -- one 6" x 6" sheet and one mini-sheet measuring 4" x 4".

Although these sheets come in two sizes, the stencils and masks are identical in design as you can see here --


Above:  the stencil is on the left.  The mask is on the right.

Note:  A mask "masks" -- that is, hides -- everything that you place under it.  The function of a stencil, on the other hand, is to give you an imprint of an image that can contain more details than a mask can.  In this case, the image is a hot air balloon with three vertical stripes.

Here are today's art samples:









If the clouds above look three-dimensional, it's because they are.  I've cut them from white felt!

Thank you for visiting here today!

To see all my stencils please check here.

If you have any questions about artwork shown above, please leave them in the Comments and I will reply. 

Friday, January 19, 2018

A Fun Way to Use HOT AIR BALLOONS STENCILS AND MASKS...


Today's post features art I've made using my new four-part release, Hot Air Balloons and Masks.  This new release comes in two sheets -- one 6" x 6" sheet and one mini-sheet measuring 4" x 4".

Although these sheets come in two sizes, the stencils and masks are identical in design as you can see here --


Above:  the stencil is on the left.  The mask is on the right.

Note:  A mask "masks" -- that is, hides -- everything that you place under it.  The function of a stencil, on the other hand, is to give you an imprint of an image that can contain more details than a mask can.  In this case, the image is a hot air balloon with three vertical stripes.

Today I'm sharing an "out-of-the-box" fun way to use  Hot Air Balloons and Masks.

The photo below shows, on the left, a print I've just made with the 6" x 6" stencil.  I made it using a 6-inch-wide soft rubber brayer loaded with heavy-body acrylic paint.

Immediately after making the first print I made a second one (on the right, below). 





For today's purposes, these prints themselves aren't the goal.  Instead, the goal is to load the soft rubber brayer with (1) plenty of heavy-body acrylic paint and (2) a strong imprint of part of the stencil design.

Right after making the second print, run the brayer over a second sheet of paper --





Above is my first set of results.  It's not the hot air balloon image, but rather, a repeating design that creates a border.  For me, this discovery was a lot of fun!

Below is my second set of results.  Notice, at the bottom of the photo, the brayer I'm using.  These soft rubber brayers are the kind that I prefer.  Since I haven't tried this kind of printing with a hard rubber brayer, I can't say whether or not it would work.





To better see this soft rubber brayer, you can click on the above image to enlarge it.

Below are another two fun prints that I made this way. 








Thanks for visiting my blog today!

To see all my stencils, please visit here.

Thursday, January 18, 2018

HOT AIR BALLOON STENCILS AND MASKS Released Today!


Today's post announces my new four-part release, Hot Air Balloons and Masks.  This new release comes in two sheets -- one 6" x 6" sheet and one mini-sheet measuring 4" x 4".

Although the two sheets come in two sizes, the stencils and masks are identical in design, shown here --


Above:  the stencil is on the left.  The mask is on the right.

Note:  A mask "masks" -- that is, hides -- everything that you place under it.  The function of a stencil, on the other hand, is to give you an imprint of an image that can contain more details than a mask can.  In this case, the image is a hot air balloon with three vertical stripes.

Today I'll show one way I've used these stencils and masks together.  Although I have used a sponge brayer, the traditional sponge-pouncing method would work just as well.

First, I'll show the final photo -- this shows what I'm going to end up with, following a method that I learned from Mary Beth Shaw:





 These are the steps I took to get there:




The above photo shows a black substrate.  On it I've placed both the masks.  Next, I loaded a sponge brayer with heavy-body white paint.  With the brayer I added a layer of this paint over the masks.  While rolling the brayer over each mask, I held each in place with one finger.  You can even see my forefinger mark in the middle of the larger mask above!

Below you can see the results after the two masks have been lifted --





After the white paint had dried, I started my next step on the left side of the print, covering the left masked-imprint with the stencil of corresponding size (6" x 6".)  As you can see below, it was at this point that I started to use masking tape -- to make sure that the stencil had been placed exactly where I wanted it, lining it up with the masked-imprint below.





At this point, it was time to carefully mask off the mask half of this new stencil set.  This was to prevent the hole of the punched-out mask from showing up in my final image.  To mask off the mask-hole, I used a different kind of masking tape.  This yellow tape has a low-tack sticking surface -- making it easier to remove and far less likely to damage the print underneath.





You can click on the above photo to enlarge it and better see the way I shaped pieces of the yellow masking tape to cover the mask-hole on the far right.  On the left, you can see my sponge brayer loaded with a bright pink heavy-body acrylic paint.

The photo below is a close-up of the stencil now that the pink heavy-body paint has been brayered over it.  Notice how the yellow masking tape on the right has prevented the paint from imprinting the right area of the substrate.





Not shown is a view of the pink hot air balloon that appeared when I lifted the stencil.

My following step was important to note:  While keeping the Hot Air Balloon stencil taped in place, I waited for the pink paint to dry.  

After testing the pink paint to make sure it had dried, I placed my 6" x 6" Sprigs stencil atop the stencil.  (The pink imprint is still underneath this stack of two stencils.) 

Holding Sprigs with one hand, I used a fresh brayer to add a white layer of heavy-body acrylic paint.  See below: 




 The photo below shows the results after I had lifted off the masking taped "sandwich" of the Sprigs stencil and the Hot Air Balloon stencil.




  
And the photo below shows, once again, the results after I had repeated this step-by-step process with the 4" x 4" size--





Thank you for visiting here today!  More art samples will be posted here tomorrow.  You can follow this blog by email using the option in the upper right column.