A Special Presentation Coming & Today's Black-and-White Stencil Prints

A special technique for art made with the help of stencils will appear July 5, 6 and 7 on my other blog --

http://heartworkbycecilia.blogspot.com

--and will include step-by-step photos alongside directions.

Hope you can make a visit there!  And many thanks to my friends Mary Ann and Julie, whose talented hands will appear in these photos!

Today's post focuses on my own black-and-white prints made for a black-and-white art-making online class with Jane Davies.  

Note:  If you haven't yet bought Jane's new book on abstracts, burn rubber to get it!  The book covers topics valuable for both representational and abstract artists.  I think that Jane writes in a lucid way that's more easily understood than what you may find elsewhere.

This new book of Jane's concentrates on color, but today's prints are black and white because that's what I think we students will need for this particular online workshop.  (Jane offers a wide variety of workshops, both live and online.  Check out her website.)

For my prints today, I started with white paper.  I used a sponge brayer and black gesso to convert some of the papers to black.  Then, with either black gesso or Titanium White acrylic paint, I used the brayer to make these prints with stencils --

Above:  Most of the prints are shown here.  A few more are included in the close-ups below.

Above Left:2 prints with 4" x 4" Palm Fronds Silhouette Mini.  Right: Sassy Spray. 

4" x 4" stencil Palm Fronds Silhouette Mini. 

Above Left:  6" x 6" Palm Fronds Silhouette Small. Right: 4" x 4" Palm Fronds Silhouette Mini. 

6" x 6" Ferns stencil.

6" x 6" stencil Sassy Spray.

6" x 6" stencil Swatton Grid.

6" x 6" stencil Swatton Grid.

 6" x 6" stencil Swatton Grid.

6" x 6" stencil Swatton Links.

I'm guessing that in this workshop of Jane's, we may be creating additional black-and-white patterns, then cutting or tearing them for building collages.  

If it turns out I'm wrong, I'll be brayering over these prints with translucent acrylic paints to fill the white areas with rainbows of color.  The black areas will appear different, too, once they've been coated with translucent color.  Then they will become fodder for collage.

To see all my stencils, please visit here. 

Thanks for stopping by here today!

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Artist Gwen Lafleur and NOSEGAY STENCIL

Artist Gwen Lafleur, one of my fellow designers at StencilGirlProducts, has delighted me by choosing -- among many of the StencilGirl choices -- my 9" x 12" Nosegay Stencil in a unique way, which I'm happy to share here.


In the first shot below, Gwen shows her application of gold metallic acrylic paint through selected areas of my stencil; her surface is an elaborate artwork-in-progress showing intricate detail -- which she has created using several StencilGirl stencils. 

Above and below are close-up details showing flowers and stalks made with my stencil.

To see Gwen's full-length step-by-step demo of the technique she used to develop this gorgeous artwork, visit here.

Nosegay Stencil itself looks like this:

You can follow Gwen Lafleur here ... and you can see my full line of stencils here.

Thanks for your visit here today! 

They Wuz Framed!

They Wuz Framed!

Kids on summer vacation will want something to do on rainy days ... and alternatives to electronic games exist.

Papercraft picture frames, available online from retail outlets like Oriental Trading -- http://www.orientaltrading.com/diy-picture-frames-a2-48_1491.fltr?prodCatId=550188 -- come ready to be decorated.  The type I have on hand is an older style than what is pictured at the above link, with a sturdy cardboard back and a "puffy paper" front, and a built-in easel-prop in the back.  But the process of transformation is the same, regardless of the type of craft frame used.

My first step, shown above,  was to stuff a folded sheet of deli wrap into the frame to protect the inner area while paint is being applied.

Above:  I've used a 1-inch sponge brayer to apply a base boat of acrylic paint.

Looking for a stencil that would yield small areas of color, I auditioned two of my 6"X6" stencils, Marbles 6 (shown on the left, below) and Seaweed 6 (shown on the right, below.)




After choosing Marbles 6 (above left), I got out a color dauber as well as a selection of metallic acrylic paints.

Above:  I've started to apply metallic paint thru the stencil.

Above:  the frame after the first application of metallic acrylic paint.

Above:  A close-up shot during early stages in multiple applications of metallic paint.

Above:  This shot was taken later, as I continued applying paints.

Above:  The final product, after I subdued the metallic paints with another layer of the same acrylic paint used for the base color.  I've added decorative metallic self-adhesive strips and a handmade heart.  This was a birthday gift for a family friend who's an honorary aunt to my grandchildren.  Altho I'm an adult  -- at least in theory! -- this project could easily have been done by children.

"Swatton Flowers Version 1 Stencil"

Somewhere, flowers are still blooming ... and I made this birthday card to celebrate them, using part of one of my 6"x6" flower stencils:

Available here:http://www.stencilgirlproducts.com/product-p/s078.htm

 To section off part of this stencil, I used masking tape, covering the areas I didn't want to print--

Above:  Click on this photo to enlarge it, to better see the area masked off.  The remainder of the stencil extends past the greeting card cover, resting under the lid of the light modeling paste (upper right corner.)

I chose to use white modeling paste, right from the jar, but had I wanted a colored paste, I would have mixed acrylic paint with the light modeling paste before spreading it over the stencil.

The photo below shows the final greeting card, given the final touches of glitter glue and a butterfly cut-out. 

Thanks for visiting!

New Ways to use Your Stencil-Printed Papers

Looking for new ways to use your beautiful stencil-printed papers? 

See Gwen Lafleur's post here:

 http://www.stencilgirltalk.com/2015/10/gwens-gems-october-2015.html!

Or consider going in a completely different direction, with the quick and easy technique of fan-folding.  Photos below show, step by step, a fan-folding project that used a print made with my stencil Nosegay.

Above: a narrow strip of self-adhesive metallic tape is used to bind the bottom of the fan-fold.

Above:  The taping is finished and the fan is ready to be glued to its green cardstock background.

Above:  heavy gel is applied with a cotton swab (far right) to the back of the fan.

 Above is the finished project -- glued to a cardstock background, the fan is added to the top of a wooden box, spray-painted black in advance.

TANGLED PODS ... a Stencil to Celebrate the Bauty of the Japanese Pagoda Tree

Tangled Pods remains one of my all-time go-to stencils.  Below are 5 close-ups of a canvas I just completed.  Under the 5 close-ups is a shot of the entire piece.

To create this artwork, I started with the stencil-and-stain technique that I love, relying on my faithful Golden High Flow acrylics.  I used that technique as well as the reduction/subtractive technique to build up layers.  More layers were added with the use of Krink and Shiva pigment crayons.  And still more layers were added when I cut a heavily-stained Tangled Pods stencil into several pieces, then added them (with heavy matte medium) as a next-to-last layer.  My very last step was to come in with acrylic paints to do touch-ups on the collaged stencil pieces. 

Here is one of my earlier posts showing the stencil-and-stain technique step-by-step; at that time, I used liquid watercolors.  Those watercolors work beautifully, but now I rely on Golden High Flow acrylics because, being acrylic, they don't re-hydrate nearly as much as watercolors will. 

The subtractive/reductive technique has been demonstrated here.  And here.  And here.  As these earlier posts show, the basic technique is the same, but there are many ways to introduce variety.  Besides Jenn Mason, another artist who has taught me this technique is my friend Cindy Powell.

My 9"X12" stencil Tangled Pods looks like this before it's been stained and cut into pieces:

The view above is actually a sideways view (of the pods that hang from the Japanese Pagoda Tree) but like all stencils, Tangled Pods can be turned in any direction.

Unique Twist on Using Stencils

The first image here is a greeting card cover ...

And the second image is the stencil I used ...

KALEID

 The process was simple:  I held the stencil up next to a window, positioning it so that sunlight cast a pattern thru the stencil and onto a sheet of green paper that I had secured nearby.  This stretched the stencil's design into an angle that interested me.  I snapped a photo, printed it, and used it as a greeting card cover -- embellishing it with a curl of glitter in the upper left corner.

Drop Me a Line ...

...or draw me one.  And make it 3-dimensional!

 The 2 greeting cards below were created in several steps, using my new 9"X12" stencil Prayer Flags.  The cards were created on 6"X6" greeting cards blanks cut from dark bronze cardstock (available at www.jampaper.com.)     

Click on the above image to better see the 3D lines -- yellow on the left card cover and copper on the right card cover.

First, I  used masking tape to secure the stencil Prayer Flags into place over the covers of the 2 greeting cards. Clicking on the photo below to enlarge it, you can see that I'd lined up the greeting card blanks, side-by-side.  This way, I can use 1 stencil to do the groundwork for 2 cards -- at the same time.

Note:  In these photos you see a pale blue stencil being used.  This is an advance prototype sent to designers at StencilGirlProducts.  When you order your own stencils, they will be white.

Next, I used a plastic artist's spatula to spread thick white metallic paint thru each of the stencils.  

ABOVE:  A CLOSE-UP OF THE WHITE METALLIC PAINT STILL HELD ONTO THE CARD COVER WITH GREEN MASKING TAPE (AT TOP OF PHOTO.)

 While the paint was still wet, and while the stencil was still in place, I sprayed one of the cards with a water-based paint.  Keeping the stencil in place during the spraying step is important to prevent the spray paint from landing on areas where I didn't want spray to land.  See below:

Quickly but gently, I lifted off the stencil and -- since I had used thick paint -- I cleaned the stencil.  (When I use thin media, I seldom bother to clean a stencil after use.)

ABOVE:  A CLOSE-UP OF THE GREETING CARD COVER THAT WAS ALLOWED TO REMAIN WHITE; THE STENCIL HAS JUST BEEN LIFTED OFF.

Once the 2 greeting card surfaces had dried, I placed translucent resist paper over them, and got out my dimensional paints in squeeze bottles.  I used deli wrap paper, but plain wax paper would have worked.  

Holding the deli wrap in place with one hand, I used the other to start drawing lines along the lines of the stencil design.  I was careful to keep the dimensional paint flowing, leaving no gaps in the network of lines. 

When the dimensional paint had dried, I carefully lifted it off the resist paper, pulling the networked lines free just a little at a time.

I painted both greeting card covers with a coat of gloss gel medium.  While the medium was still wet, I placed a network of dimensional lines across the surface of each.  I used copper paint for the still-white card and yellow for the blue-sprayed card:

Click on the above image to better see the 3D lines made with dimensional paint from a squeeze bottle.

CROP CIRCLES

Below is a ghost print made with one of my 3 June StencilClub Crop Circle stencils -- for its background, I used an old collage.  I call it a "ghost" because I pressed the still-wet stencil to the old collage as an afterthought, just to clean off the excess paint after having used the stencil in another project.

StencilClub members can still order the Crop Circle set; to become a member, just check out the right sidebar here:  www.stencilgirltalk.com.

I've worked on a number of stenciling projects over the last 5 weeks, but since I'm recovering from shoulder surgery, I can't take any photos yet.  It requires being able to lift both hands, to use either my phone or my camera.  That's beyond me, now.  But around mid-September, maybe sooner, I will be taking photos of these projects and posting them.

About the Tote Bags with my Designs at Pixels.com....

I haven't yet had time to poke around at Pixels.com to see if there is a way I can add a more helpful description of their merchandise bearing my designs.  As far as I know, Pixels.com doesn't provide this information on its own. 

Having ordered Pixels.com tote bags of my own, I can say this:  

The tote bag is made from sturdy polyester.  The fabric exterior is bonded with a layer of flexible plastic on the inside of the tote.  I suspect the inside is waterproof because it looks that way, but I haven't tested this to see. 

I've also ordered a T-shirt from Pixels.com and found the material to be of good quality -- not that cheap flimsy stuff that you sometimes find in some souvenoir shops.    

6'x6" GINGKO Stencil, used in a Recent Project ...

In taking another rewarding online workshop facilitated by Jane Davies, I had an assignment to do something in a monochromatic color scheme -- my least favorite scheme.  I floundered around for quite awhile, before my eye fell on an old Gelli Plate print that had not turned out well.  I had used my 6"X6' stencil Gingko --

-- and as you can see, the resulting blue print was anything but sharp; I have had trouble all along with the paint drying too fast on my Gelli Plates.  But I tried to improve this particular blue print by spraying it with droplets of monochromatic blue.  (You can better see this by clicking on the top image to enlarge it.)  

When this old print caught my eye, I decided in relief to use it as the basis for a new greeting card cover.  (My 6"X6" blank greeting cards come from JAM.)  

With deckle-cut Friskar scissors, I clipped off edges from the original print, before gluing it to the greeting card cover.  Then I added the cut-offs as narrow strips across the upper left of the card.  Below that, I added two more collage elements, blues in two shades, cut from old catalogs and calendar pages.

The final artwork is far from a masterpiece; I was happy enough to finally come up with something that meets the requirements of this segment of Jane's weekly assignment-list.  As many of us know, the words "masterpiece" and "workshop" go together like oil and water.  The goal of a workshop is to equip ourselves with knowledge that will serve us in the future.  

What I personally learned from this segment of an assignment is that I will most likely never choose a monochromatic color scheme for any of my artworks.  Others can pull this off beautifully ... and my hat is off to those artists!  :-)

LABOR DAY WEEKEND 2015

You are cordially invited to attend St. George’s-by-the-River 4th Annual

                       Canterbury Art Show -- 

            A Tapestry of the Arts 2015 Art Show and Sale

*********All proceeds benefit St. George's and and the many local charitable organizations to which it contributes *************

 Friday, Saturday and Sunday     September 4, 5, and 6 

$10 general admission

For further information, visit

www.canterburyartshow.com

St. George’s church is located at 7 Lincoln Avenue, Rumson, NJ 07760