Monday, April 30, 2018

6" x 6" THISTLES SMALL Used with Other Stencils


In today's post, art samples show Small Thistles Stencil appearing with other stencils. 

In the first photo below, Thistles Stencil (9" x 12") was used on the left as well as the far right, both times with green acrylic paint.  The upper orange area stars the new 6" x 6" Thistles Small.  After these prints were made, I added thin glazes of acrylic paint over them.  




The print below was made on paper previously printed with my 9" x 12" Mimosa Stencil.  (This paper had started life as an old calendar page.)






Yesterday's post described what I call "catch-all" paper.  This kind of paper was used again in making the two-step print below.  My first step was to use green acrylic paint with  Thistles Stencil (9" x 12"); after that dried, I used light lavender paint to add one of the flowers that make up Thistles Small.




I used the same approach, and same 2 stencils, in making the two art samples below.








Thanks for visiting today!  I'll be posting more art tomorrow, as I continue to show art samples created with newly released stencils and mask at StencilGirl.com.

Sunday, April 29, 2018

6" x 6" stencil THISTLES SMALL


Small Thistles, a 6" x 6" stencil, was developed to provide a larger version of some of the stencil silhouettes that made up the big sister stencil, 9" x 12" Thistles.

The first photo below shows the stencil used "as-is" (as opposed to using it in a different way, illustrated in today's second photo.)  The background on this first art sample is a page from an old calendar.





On the artwork below, I used Small Thistles in a way that's new for me -- instead of printing the three figures side-by-side, as they appear on the stencil, I printed each of the thistles separately, placing the stencil at a tilt and lining up the stems.  Between each print, I lifted the stencil and allowed the just-made print to dry.  I used the traditional daubing technique, with heavy body acrylic paint and Sofft Art Sponge.

Another new approach, for me, was to use an Exacto knife to scrape off dried paint in some areas.  This was to help achieve a rustic look.  Also it was helpful in reducing the impression that a stencil had been used, because I scratched thru the areas on the stems and flowers where a gap appeared, due to the stencil's design.  This can be seen better by clicking on the photo below to enlarge it.





In making the print below, I went back to using the stencil as-is.  This print was made on "catch-all" paper -- the scrap paper that I use when painting; before placing my brush into a water jar, I swipe off as much excess paint as possible, onto scrap paper.  It "catches" all my excess paint, to keep wet paint from building up in the water.  This is one of the ecologically-smart ways to work toward protecting the water supply. 





One of my reasons for developing a 6" x 6" Thistles was that I still make my own greeting cards.  Below are two of them.



Above:  This card was made in two steps.  The bottom print was allowed to dry before the top print was made.




Thanks for visiting my blog today!  In tomorrow's post I'll trot out more art samples made with one of my newly released stencils and mask.

Saturday, April 28, 2018

6" x 6" SMALL TANGLED PODS



Today's post features the 6" x 6" stencil Tangled Pods

















Any questions?  Just leave them in the Comments and I'll reply.

Tomorrow's post will bring even more new art made with one of the April 25 releases.  Thanks for stopping by! 

Friday, April 27, 2018

6" x 6" MIKKI'S FLOWERS STENCIL


Today's art prints feature the new 6" x 6" stencil Mikki's Flowers.  All of them were made on papers previously printed with other stencils.



Above:  Mikki's Flowers Stencil and Blooming Where Planted (9" x 12") -- this print was done on holographic giftwrap.

Above:  Mikki's Flowers Stencil and Bamboo Wall (6" x 6")

 Above:  Mikki's Flowers Stencil and Blooming Where Planted (9" x 12")

Above:  Mikki's Flowers Stencil and 9" x 12" stencil Swatton Borders #2.

Above:  Mikki's Flowers Stencil  and Twinship Stencil (9" x 12".)

Each stencil that created the backgrounds above look like this in its entirety:


Twinship


Bamboo Wall (6" x 6")
9" x 12" stencil Swatton Borders #2

Blooming Where Planted (9" x 12")

Thank you for visiting here today!  Tomorrow I'll be posting more new art made with one of the April 25 releases.

Thursday, April 26, 2018

6" x 6" MIKKI'S FLOWERS MASK in New Art


Continuing to show art created with my new releases of yesterday, I will focus today's post on one of them -- Mikki's Flowers Mask.



Above:  This print was made on paper previously printed with botanical imagery.



Above:  this print was made with Mikki's Flowers Mask  atop an earlier print that'd been made with my 9" x 12" stencil Facets.


Above:  this print was made with Mikki's Flowers Mask  atop an old calendar page.



These prints were made using a sponge brayer, loaded with heavy body acrylic paint, as shown in the two examples below.  







Altho I've used a brayer, similar prints can be achieved with a Gelli Plate.

Thanks for visiting here today!  Tomorrow's post will show more art made with these five new releases.

Wednesday, April 25, 2018

Five New Releases Today -- Stencils and a Mask


Happy to announce today's release of  five new 6" x 6" stencils --Tangled Pods Small, Dangled Pods Small, Thistles Small, Nikki's Flowers Stencil and Mikki's Flowers Mask!

Today's post describes the new releases, with art samples of each.  (More art samples will appear in tomorrow's post.)



The Japanese Pagoda Tree has long thin arms, tapering down into fingers that lovingly tangle together.  From them dangle ripe, heavy seedpods of delightful shape. 

Tangled Pods and its reverse, Dangled Pods, already exist at StencilGirl as 9” x 12” stencils.  

But some projects and some creative moods call for 6” x 6” stencils similar to -- though not identical with -- their big cousins.


Above:  Art made with Small Tangled Pods (6" x 6")

Above: Art made with Small Dangled Pods (6"x 6") and 9"x 12" Tangled Pods Stencil.

S583
When the Thistles 9” x 12” stencil appeared at StencilGirl, the response showed me that I'm not alone in seeing this spiky bloom as beautiful, despite a silly notion held by some that it’s only a weed.  Wanting to repeat the design in a 6” x 6” stencil, I developed a new version that resembles – yet doesn't exactly duplicate – the original, larger stencil.


Above:  Art made with 6" x 6" Thistles Small (upper left, yellow and green) and 9" x 12" Thistles Stencil (central, purple.)


s604 & s605
Mikki’sFlowers (Mask and Stencil) evolved from a design I developed years ago –- long before the launch of StencilGirl.  It had never seen the light of day until now.


This design is a tribute to the love I have for someone very dear to me … a person I'll cherish forever … and will see again someday. 


Above:  Art made with Mikki's Flowers Mask (6" x 6".)

Above:  Art made with Mikki's Flowers Stencil (6" x 6")

Coming in tomorrow's post -- more artwork made with today's five releases.

Thanks for your visit here today!

Saturday, April 21, 2018

The Countdown Starts Now!


On April 25, my new StencilGirl stencils will be introduced here!

Tuesday, April 17, 2018

9" x 12" Stencils THISTLES & PRAYER FLAGS


I created this piece while taking an online class with Joan Fullerton

Part of Joan's painting process involves using stencils.  So in developing the background for today's piece, I used Prayer Flags stencil, shown here:





When it came time to build up a focal area in the painting, I chose another 9" x 12" stencil, Thistles --





-- but, rather than use the stencil as-is, with spaces between flowers and stalks, I decided I wanted an overlapping image.

So I used this stencil three times, lifting after each imprint.  After giving each imprint time to dry, I placed the stencil back onto the same area, bringing the images together ... the way they would appear if this were a bouquet being held in someone's hand.

The result:






To check out all of my StencilGirl stencils, please visit the web-pages that start here.


Thanks for visiting here today!


Saturday, April 14, 2018

3D Art with Melissa Johnson using 9" x 12" Stencil VINTAGE SCRIPT



Melissa Johnson has had a fascinating tutorial on the StencilGirl StencilTalk blog; please check it out --- http://www.stencilgirltalk.com/2018/02/guest-designer-melissa-johnson.html

Melissa has stepped out-of-the-box to showcase how stencils can be used in 3-dimensional artwork, encouraging all of us to let our art-journal pages become springboards out into the bigger world all around us.

Among other StencilGirl stencils, Melissa chose to use one of mine, Vintage Script, measuring 9" x 12".

Below are two photos that show her finished artwork, back and front. (But don't forget to check out her full tutorial, with step-by-step photos, at the link above.) 



Above:  Melissa's artwork from the back.  Please click on this image to enlarge it.  My 9"x 12" stencil Vintage Script has been used in black across the middle of this piece; it has also been used with white paint on the upper right.
   
Above:  Melissa Johnson has used Vintage Script stencil in the upper left and lower right.

Vintage Script stencil itself looks like this:





Thanks for visiting my blog today!

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

Wednesday, April 11, 2018

Sandra Duran Wilson with TANGLED PODS and FANTASIA



I'm delighted to post this link --

-- because I own and cherish books by Sandra Duran Wilson!  So you can imagine how delighted I was to see her using two of my 9"x 12" stencils! 

One of them, Tangled Pods, is Big Sister to Tangled Pods Small (6" x 6") -- the small version will be released April 25.

Thanks for visiting my blog today!

To scroll thru the multiple pages of my other StencilGirl stencils, please start here.

Monday, April 9, 2018

Jill McDowell with 6" X 6" stencils HERON, FERNS & OSPREY WINGS


Older artwork by StencilClub member Jill McDowell has just recently come to my attention, and I'm delighted to share it here, albeit belatedly!

In developing the first piece below, Jill has used my 6" x 6"  stencils Heron and (in the far upper right) Osprey Wings.





And in creating the collected artworks below, Jill has used a number of StencilGirl stencils, including (lower right) my 6" x 6" stencil Ferns...




... and I don't at all mind saying that what she did with  Ferns is far prettier than anything I've ever achieved with it!

In more recent art, Jill McDowell again used Osprey Wings as one of the tools to achieve her completed work, shown here --




These stencils themselves look like this --


Ferns

Heron
Osprey Wings

Thanks for visiting here today!

Tuesday, April 3, 2018

Does Anyone Know? Artist who Used SASSY SPRAY 6" x 6" Stencil



Once in a while I make the embarrassing mistake of forgetting to record the name of the artist who used one of my stencils in making artwork that catches my eye with its beauty.

I'm sad to say it's happened again!

Anyone who happens to know the name of the artist whose art appears here today, please let me know, in the Comments.  Thanks!










The Sassy Spray (6" x 6") stencil itself looks like this --




Thank you for stopping by this blog today!

To see the multiple pages of my 70+ StencilGirl stencils please check here.