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I do not sell anyone's email address, period.  I don't like it when mine gets sold and I live by the Golden Rule! 

Left:  6" x 6" Heron s175.  Right:  Partial print of 9" x 12" Steampunk L201  

 ANNOUNCEMENT:  Because the Feedburner team has released a system update, this blog's email subscription service will end.  After July 2021, the automated emails to blog subscribers will no longer be supported.

If you want to continue subscribing to this blog by email, please leave a Comment giving your email address.  Comment options are given at the end of each blog post.  Since I have Comment Moderation, I can read comments but prevent them from being published on the blog.  In other words, your email addresses will not appear here on my blog.  Rather, I will be collecting them and creating my own private list.  

I do not sell anyone's email address, period.  I don't like it when mine gets sold and I live by the Golden Rule! 

6" x 6" Garden at Nemours Mask s658

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If you want to continue subscribing to this blog by email, please leave a Comment giving your email address.  Comment options are given at the end of each blog post.  Since I have Comment Moderation, I can read comments but prevent them from being published on the blog.  In other words, your email addresses will not appear here on my blog.  Rather, I will be collecting them and creating my own private list.  

I do not sell anyone's email address, period.  I don't like it when mine gets sold and I live by the Golden Rule! 

6" x 6" Heron s175 (modeling paste) and 9" x 12" Feathers L228 (marbled paper)

Sylvia Lokhoff de Bruijn, a Netherlands artist, has floored me repeatedly with the ways she has used a number of my StencilGirl stencils and masks.  Today's post happily brings out a number of artworks by this prolific member of StencilGirl's StencilClub.

Brace yourself for a feast for the eyes!

Above: With colors that boldly catch the eye, Sylvia has created a background using my 9" x 12" Garden Montage.  In the foreground she's used Deconstructed Cluster of Lilies Mask and Stencil as well as Deconstructed Lily Mask and Stencil, both designed by Traci Bautista.  I'm happy to say that I had the pleasure of meeting Traci years ago in Red Bank, NJ.  Note:  This is not the final version of Sylvia's artwork.  Keep scrolling down.... 

These are the steps Sylvia took in creating the artwork above:

Above: The final artwork. Under the quote is a print made with Pam Carriker's Journal Notes 6 Stencil.  Sylvia used a rubber stamp to add the quote.

Above and below:  a work in progress by Sylvia.  The top photo shows an earlier stage that this richly textured piece went thru.  The photo below shows the piece as it's been further developed.  Among the StencilGirl stencils and masks Sylvia used was L490 Dangled Pods Stencil (9" x 12").  Also used: August 2014 StencilGirlStencilClub set and another stencil that I can't identify, altho I'm sure it's available at stencilgirlproducts.com.

Above:  Notice how beautifully the rich purple goes with the metallic gold; notice also that Sylvia has used the purple to create the impression of a frame that emphasizes her focal area.  The metallic gold paint that Sylvia chose was gold gesso.

Sylvia used Distress Inks and my 6" x 6" mask Tiger Lily in designing the cheerful artwork below that takes advantage of the hot color palette --

Above:  Tiger Lily was used on the left art journal page and on the right, Maria Maguire's 4" x 4" Live Your Beautiful Life. 

Below:  Sylvia Lokhoff de Bruijn's next masterpiece made my smile bright with her usage of ATC Mixup Swatton #2, a sturdy Mylar 9" x 12" sheet that holds 9 Artist Trading Card-sized stencils plus bonus masks.  

Above:  Sylvia's neutral grays and monochromatic blues are delightful together!

Sylvia clearly had fun the day she ran off the variety of Gelli Plate prints displayed in the photo below.  Among the StencilGirl stencils and masks that she chose for her printing were my 6" x 6" Ferns 6, 6" x 6" Flowers Version 1 Swatton stencil, 6" x 6" Sassy Spray, 6" x 6" mask Tiger Lily and 9" x 12" Palm Fronds Silhouette Large.  Also, in the lower left of the photo below, Celtic Spirals Mask by Valerie Sjodin was used beautifully with gold, green and blue paints.

Above:  A print made with Branching Blossoms Silhouette (9" x 12") takes center stage in this shimmering gold-and-lavender artwork.  Its enhancing frame was designed using  two other StencilGirl stencils/masks.

Here are my stencils and masks showing up in today's post:

9" x 12" Garden Montage

Branching Blossoms Silhouette (9" x 12")

L490 Dangled Pods Stencil (9" x 12")

6" x 6" mask Tiger Lily

ATC Mixup Swatton #2

6" x 6" Ferns 6 Stencil

9" x 12" Palm Fronds Silhouette Large

6" x 6" Sassy Spray

6" x 6" Flowers Version 1 Swatton stencil

Many thanks for stopping to check out my blog today!  To scroll thru the pages of my StencilGirl stencils and masks, please start here.

Announcement:  Because the Feedburner team has released a system update, the email subscription service will be discontinued.  After July 2021, the automated emails to blog subscribers will no longer be supported.

If you want to continue subscribing to this blog by email, please leave a Comment that gives your email address.  Comment options are given at the end of each blog post.  Since I have Comment Moderation, I can read comments but prevent them from being published on the blog.  In other words, your email addresses will not appear here on my blog.  Rather, I will be collecting them and creating my own private list.  

I do not sell anyone's email address, period.  I don't like it when mine gets sold and I try to live by the Golden Rule!  

 ANNOUNCEMENT:  Because the Feedburner team has released a system update, this blog's email subscription service will end.  After July 2021, the automated emails to blog subscribers will no longer be supported.

If you want to continue subscribing to this blog by email, please leave a Comment giving your email address.  Comment options are given at the end of each blog post.  Since I have Comment Moderation, I can read comments but prevent them from being published on the blog.  In other words, your email addresses will not appear here on my blog.  Rather, I will be collecting them and creating my own private list.  

I do not sell anyone's email address, period.  I don't like it when mine gets sold and I live by the Golden Rule! 

Trivet B s167  and bleeding tissue paper on cardstock

 ANNOUNCEMENT:  Because the Feedburner team has released a system update, this blog's email subscription service will end.  After July 2021, the automated emails to blog subscribers will no longer be supported.

If you want to continue subscribing to this blog by email, please leave a Comment giving your email address.  Comment options are given at the end of each blog post.  Since I have Comment Moderation, I can read comments but prevent them from being published on the blog.  In other words, your email addresses will not appear here on my blog.  Rather, I will be collecting them and creating my own private list.  

I do not sell anyone's email address, period.  I don't like it when mine gets sold and I live by the Golden Rule! 

s394

 ANNOUNCEMENT:  Because the Feedburner team has released a system update, this blog's email subscription service will end.  After July 2021, the automated emails to blog subscribers will no longer be supported.

If you want to continue subscribing to this blog by email, please leave a Comment giving your email address.  Comment options are given at the end of each blog post.  Since I have Comment Moderation, I can read comments but prevent them from being published on the blog.  In other words, your email addresses will not appear here on my blog.  Rather, I will be collecting them and creating my own private list.  

I do not sell anyone's email address, period.  I don't like it when mine gets sold and I live by the Golden Rule! 

M267

For today's post I've started with 140-lb. hot press (smooth surface) watercolor paper and covered it with dark gold "metallic" acrylic paint.  My goal is to create a luminous background because this luminosity goes beautifully with alcohol inks.  Here I've used the Golden brand; other brands are available.

After the paint dried, I added stencils and masks, holding each in place with masking tape --

The stencils and masks used above are:

on the far right, my 9"X 12" Borders #2 L221 stencil -- 

at bottom left, a portion of my 9"X 12" Boxed Vines L247 stencil;

my 6"X 6" Mimosa s126 stencil (upper left);

my 6"X 6" Kaleid s085 stencil (middle top.)

Next, I very lightly pounced thru the stencil openings with a Ranger alcohol ink applicator and just a few drops of Ranger alcohol inks, pictured below. 

 

Below is the sheet of gilded paper after the stencils were lifted off.

Since the photo above can't capture the luminosity of these prints, please take my word for the fact that the "metallic" paint shimmers thru the colors of the alcohol inks.  

Another "metallic" paint that works well as background for alcohol inks is the pearl "metallic" acrylic paint.  Below is an example printed using part of my 9" x 12" stencil Boxed Vines L247.

In its entirety, Boxed Vines L247 looks like this--

Thanks for visiting!  To scroll thru the pages of my StencilGirl stencils and masks, please start here.

ANNOUNCEMENT:  Because the Feedburner team has released a system update, my blog's email subscription service will end after July 2021. 

Want to continue subscribing to this blog by email? -- please leave a Comment giving your email address.  Comment options are available at the end of each blog post.  

Since I have Comment Moderation, I can read Comments, yet prevent them from being published on the blog. I will be collecting email addresses and creating my own private list.  

I do not sell anyone's email address, period.  I don't like it when mine gets sold and I live by the Golden Rule! 

2 Approaches to Using 9" x 12" Mask CLUSTERED LEAVES

Artist Kathy Waldo, a member of StencilGirl's StencilClub, has used the Club's May 2017 stencil set (designed by Pam Carriker), along with s657 (designed by Wendy Brightbill) as well as my 9" x 12" mask Clustered Leaves L433 --

Clustered Leaves (9" x 12") L433

Here is the eye-catching, bold artwork that Kathy Waldo created using this 3-part StencilGirl collection --

Click/tap on over to this issue of StencilGirl's The Scoop -- you'll find a how-to video by Amy Shawley Paquette.  The video features an artwork of Amy's that stars one of my pet-favorite stencils by Trish McKinney, Bare Branch Thicket.  I'm delighted that Amy also chose one of my 9" x 12" stencils, Clustered Leaves L433, shown at the top of today's post.

The photo below is just one of many that Amy shows in her in-depth write-up for StencilTalk that accompanies her video.

To scroll thru the pages of my StencilGirl stencils and masks, please start here.

Thanks for visiting my blog today!

To see more about Amy, check out the links below --

                                Website: www.amyshawley.com

Amy's book: www.warrenferrypress.com

YouTube: www.youtube.com/c/amyshawley

Facebook: facebook.com/amyshawley

Instagram: www.instagram.com/amyshawley

Announcement:  Because the Feedburner team has released a system update, the email subscription service will be discontinued.  After July 2021, the automated emails to blog subscribers will no longer be supported.

If you want to continue subscribing to this blog by email, please leave a Comment that gives your email address.  Comment options are given at the end of each blog post.  Since I have Comment Moderation, I can read comments but prevent them from being published on the blog.  In other words, your email addresses will not appear here on my blog.  Rather, I will be collecting them and creating my own private list.  

I do not sell anyone's email address, period.  I don't like it when mine gets sold and I try to live by the Golden Rule!  

One of Many Approaches to the Resist Technique -- using Stencils

For today's post, I decided to re-visit one of several versions of the resist technique -- a technique nearly as old as dirt; but I hadn't yet tried it with pencils.  

The first photo below shows a white Caran d'ache, which I used to fill in leaf-shaped openings on my 9" x 12" stencil Ivy Frame.  My substrate was a sturdy sheet of white paper. 

 

Below:  With the same stencil, on a new sheet of sturdy paper, I used a white grease pencil.  These are also called China markers and the brand I happened to buy was Phano.  (I bore down too hard and broke off the tip!)  

After filling in a number of the ivy leaves, I poured some black gesso into a disposable foam plate and got out an old credit card.  I dipped the card into the pool of gesso, then scraped the card across my substrate, as shown below.

Close-ups are below --

Above:  grease pencil as a resist.

Above:  grease pencil as a resist.

Above:  grease pencil as a resist.

Above:  Caran d'ache as a resist.

Above:  Caran d'ache as a resist

Ivy Frame comes in two sizes, the size used today (9" x 12") --

-- and the 6" x 6" Ivy Frame 6 Stencil, which looks like this --

To scroll thru the pages of my StencilGirl stencils and masks, please start here.  Thanks for visiting my blog today!

3 Artists Tell Us How They Created These Artworks using Stencils

Today's post brings another round-up of artists who've delighted me by using some of my StencilGirl stencils and masks in creating unique artworks, and I thank them for their generous permission to post those photos here.

First up:  Jackie Giammarco.  In in the first art sample below, Jackie has used the Artist Trading Card-sized stencil Hot Air Balloon, one of the 9 stencils and bonus masks that are included in my 9" x 12" ATC Mix-up Swatton # 1.

ATC Mix-up Swatton # 1

Above: Artist Jackie Giammarco has had the brilliant idea of using the stencil on pre-printed paper; and adding the blurb is a second stroke of genius.  I'm always happy to see artists like Jackie use my stencils and masks in ways that had never occurred to me when I'd designed them.

Second up: Kathy Waldo, a StencilGirl StencilClub member, has shared with us her method for developing these two tags, charmingly antiqued --

  

Kathy started with un-gessoed craft paper tags.  She imprinted them using Small Thistles s583 and Payne's Grey acrylic paint.  After letting that dry, the artist used a large, damp brush to apply Deco Arts Transparent White acrylic paint -- purposely leaving some areas unpainted.  Having allowed another period of drying time, Kathy then used the stencil again, with the same gray paint, but moved the stencil a little off the original placement.  Following another drying period, Kathy edged the tag with black (Liqorice) Gelato and smudged that with a damp finger.  It was the random swipes of white paint and the Gelato edging that combined to give these tags their delightful antiqued look.  

Small Thistles s583 (6" x 6") looks like this in its entirety --

Above: This is the 6" x 6" size. Similar, but not identical, thistles are 9" x 12" Thistle and an Artist Trading Card-sized stencil included in ATC Mixup Swatton #2.

 

To shine the spotlight on today's third artist, I gladly present Suzanne Clover, who has used my stencils in several of her artworks.  My 6" x 6" Heron stencil has been trotted out more than once.  

In developing the glimmer-rich hanging art below,

Suzanne went thru a step-by-step process.  She used Heron to stencil an image on a sheet of Wonder Under. Next, she paired that sheet of Wonder Under with a sheet of the matching size.  Between these two sheets she added a layer of light molding paste on cheesecloth as well as a layer of Angelina fibers.  The two pieces of Wonder Under became the outer layers of a sandwich that she secured together with the help of the metal spiral embellishment.  Her last step was to use painted ribbon, attached with fusible web, to hold the eyelets for the ties.

Suzanne also used Heron in developing Calm Waters, below; it's an acrylic painting on cradled board --

Blooming Where Planted, a 9" x 12" mask I've designed for StencilGirl, was what Suzanne Clover used in making this spectacular work of art:

Above:  Moonstone Pebbles by Suzanne Clover

Blooming Where Planted, in its entirety, looks like this:

Blooming Where Planted (9" x 12" mask)

 

I've enjoyed visiting Suzanne Clover's Pinterest page, and invite everyone else to share in that same treat.

Thanks to all who came to check out my blog today! To scroll thru the pages of my StencilGirl masks and stencils, please start here.

Announcement:  Because the Feedburner team has released a system update, the email subscription service will be discontinued.  After July 2021, the automated emails to blog subscribers will no longer be supported.

If you want to continue subscribing to this blog by email, please leave a Comment that gives your email address.  Comment options are given at the end of each blog post.  Since I have Comment Moderation, I can read comments but prevent them from being published on the blog.  In other words, your email addresses will not appear here on my blog.  Rather, I will be collecting them and creating my own private list.  

I do not sell anyone's email address, period.  I don't like it when mine gets sold and I try to live by the Golden Rule!