Still More MIKKI'S FLOWERS Stencil Prints

One idea leads to another; I've been on a roll with my new 6" x 6"stencil Mikki's Flowers.  New greeting cards are today's focus ....

The greeting card above shows a double-print.  First I covered an old encyclopedia page with translucent purple acrylic paint.  After that dried, I used Mikki's Flowers with a darker purple paint.  Following a little more drying time, I came back to use heavy-body white acrylic paint thru the same stencil.  Once that layer had dried, I used Pan Pastels to add color to the flowers and leaves.

For the card below, I used the same white paint and stencil to make a print atop an earlier print.  The earlier, green print had been made with another 6" x 6" stencil, Ski Lift Works.

Still using white paint and Mikki's Flowers, I made a print on an old blue monoprint.  This monoprint had a white area across the bottom; I wanted to experiment to see what it would look like to have the flower stems leading down into overall white.  After adding the monoprint to the greeting card, I decided to use glitter glue to add a wavy frame.

The greeting card above was made on a blue-to-green background paper.  After the white-painted stenciled print had dried, I used Pan Pastels to add color to the flowers.

The stencil Ski Lift Works looks like this--

Today's cards were made on greeting card blanks measuring 5 3/4" x 5 3/4".  These blanks came from JAMPaper.com, which also sells 6" x 6" envelopes.

When I first started using card blanks that worked well with my 6" x 6" stencils, white metallic card blanks of this size were available at JAMPaper.  All of their metallic blank cards (like the blue ones appearing in today's post) are beautiful, but white had been my favorite.

Now that JAMPaper no longer makes this size in white, I've decided to try white card blanks by lcipaper.com.  LCI offers two white blanks, one measuring about 5 1/2" x 5 1/2" -- a little too small to go with some of my stencils -- and 6 1/4" x 6 1/4".  They sell 6 1/2" x 6 1/2"envelopes for these cards.

Both types of cards require additional postage.  I use two first-class Forever stamps on each envelope; this does the trick.

I haven't yet received my order from LCI but I look forward to trying these new-to-me cards; they are made from 150-lb. cardstock, which will be the heaviest I've ever used.  Long ago, when I used 5" x 7" cards, they were cut from 140-lb. watercolor paper.  I like working on heavy cardstock since it can take a lot of treatments, including 3-dimensional stencil-prints made with light modeling paste.

Thanks for visiting my blog today!  More art samples made with my April 25 releases will appear here tomorrow.  To follow this blog by email, please check the option displayed above right.

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Ready for More PODS? -- 6"x 6" and 9" x 12" Together

On April 25, when my new stencils (and one mask) were released at StencilGirlProducts.com, I posted several art samples I'd created using these new stencils.  One of them was this --

This was created with 6" x 6" Small Dangled Pods Stencil and 9" x 12" Tangled Pods Stencil.

After looking at this piece for awhile, I decided to layer translucent zinc white acrylic paint over the bottom and far-right areas.

Next, I chose a different set of colors and used them -- with Small Tangled Pods (6"x 6") stencil -- atop what had developed so far.  

My last step was to cut apart the newly paint-stained Small Tangled Pods stencil and use two pieces as collage in two areas of the art --

I learned this technique from two other artists, Nancy Welch (reading the chapter Absentee Artist of her book Creative Paper Art) and Pat Dews (watching her DVD Designing Great Starts with Texture and Form.)

Altho I had the pleasure of meeting Pat Dews several years ago, I have not yet taken a live workshop with her.  This sad situation will be rectified in August, when she will be giving a three-day workshop in Island Heights, NJ.  Can't wait!  And I would have missed out on this opportunity if my friend Mary Ann Russo hadn't alerted me to it!

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More art samples made with my April 25 releases will appear here tomorrow.  To follow this blog by email, please check the option displayed above right.

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

More Art made with Brand-New 6" x 6" Stencils

Today's art prints feature the 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! 

More art samples made with my April 25 releases will appear here tomorrow.  To follow this blog by email, please check the option displayed above right.

To see the pages of my newly released stencils and all earlier stencils, please check here.

More New Prints made with 6" x 6" TANGLED PODS STENCIL SMALL

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

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

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

To scroll thru the pages of all my StencilGirl stencils, please start on this page.

6" x 6" THISTLES SMALL Stencil

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.

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To scroll thru the pages of all my StencilGirl masks and stencils, please start on this page.

Small Pods -- DANGLED & TANGLED

It's fun to play around with stencils to see what different looks can be achieved! 

The first image below began as a print made with my 9" x 12" stencil Facets.  My next step was to use Dangled Pods Small (6" x 6") and a sponge brayer loaded with heavy-body Titan Buff acrylic paint (by Golden Paints.)  I like the complexity of this art as well as the combination of two colors that I wouldn't normally use together.  The light value of the Titan Buff sets off the dark value of the purple, and vice versa.

For the piece below, I started with a white-and-gray Gelli Plate print, also made with my 9" x 12" stencil Facets.  Over this, I placed the 6" x 6" stencil Tangled Pods Small, and applied another sponge brayer loaded with heavy-body acrylic paint in a rich gold color.  Again, I'm pleased with the way the final product shows the best of both layers.

Tangled Pods Small  also loaned itself to the making of the print below.  Its background was paper coated with blue acrylic paint that shifted from medium to light blue.

Dangled Pods Small came back into play when I made the print below.  Its substrate was a page from an old calendar.  Since the calendar photo had a striped pattern going vertically, I decided to use this stencil to create another striped pattern, this one going horizontally.  I like the play of one against the other.  I also like this calendar page and will be looking for more like it!

Today's last print was made with Tangled Pods Small and heavy-body purple paint loaded onto a sponge brayer.  Here, the background was imagery I was developing back when I created the 9" x 12" stencil Boxed Vines.  The final version of that stencil was slightly different, as shown in the image below today's last print.

The stencil Boxed Vines:

The other 9" x 12" stencil used in today's post:

Facets ...

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More art samples made with my April 25 releases will appear here tomorrow.  To follow this blog by email, please check the option displayed above right.

To scroll thru the pages of all my StencilGirl stencils, please start on this page.

PODS, PODS & More PODS!

Dangled Pods Small (6" x 6") was the stencil used on the first three prints below.  The first two were done on old calendar photo-pages and the third one was done on "catch-all" paper.

Tangled Pods Small (6" x 6") was the stencil I used in making the two prints below.  The first one, on watercolor paper, was done with a sponge brayer loaded with heavy-body blue acrylic paint.  The watercolor paper had been previously stained with a loose spill of purple watercolor.  I liked the combination.

Each of these new 6" x 6" stencils has a big sister measuring 9" x 12" .  The designs are similar, yet not identical.  

Thank you for stopping by today!

More art samples made with my April 25 releases will appear here tomorrow.  To follow this blog by email, please check the option displayed above right.

To scroll thru the pages of all my StencilGirl stencils, please start on this page.

MIKKI'S FLOWERS STENCIL and MIKKI'S FLOWERS MASK

Since s604 Mikki’s Flowers Stencil and  S605 Mikki’s Flowers Mask are exact opposites, they beautifully complement each other; used together, they develop more complex artworks -- the mystery deepens with each mix-or-match layer.

The first photo below show a print made with S605 Mikki’s Flowers Mask alone.  (I made this print on a background previously printed with a variety of line-markings.)

And here are 2 prints made with s604 Mikki’s Flowers Stencil alone.  

 I made the above print on a page from an old encyclopedia that had previously been coated with Titan Buff acrylic paint.  The green margin had also been previously created.

The photo above shows a print made on an old calendar page that had previously been printed with the same stencil, then covered with a layer of light green acrylic paint. The photo below shows art on a stretched canvas that was created with both the stencil and the mask.  The most prominent mask-printed area is on the upper right.  The stencil-printed area is on the lower left.  Both were stencil and mask used repeatedly across the entire piece, layer upon layer, in muted tones. 

Also used:  my 9" x 12" stencil Queen Anne's Lace.  Its prints appear in the upper left (Titan Buff on pale orange background) and in the middle-right (pale orange against a pinkish background.)

Queen Anne's Lace in its entirety looks like this:

Thanks for your visit today. 

More art samples made with my April 25 releases will appear here tomorrow.  To follow this blog by email, please check the option displayed above right.

To scroll thru the pages of all my StencilGirl stencils, please start on this page.

6" x 6" Stencil THISTLES SMALL

Today's first art sample repeats a theme from yesterday's post, in that the background here was a previously printed paper (purple on yellow, created with the 9" x 12" stencil Facets.)  Over that, I used pink acrylic paint to make a print using Thistles Small (6" x 6".)

Switching to purple paint, I made another print with the same stencil, this time on a background that'd been developed with my 9" x 12" Mimosa Stencil.

Below is a close-up detail of a Thistles Small print made on sheet music that had been coated with translucent green paint.

The 9" x 12" stencils used in today's post ...

Thistles ...

... and Mimosa Stencil ...

Above:  This stencil also comes in a 6" x 6" version.

... and 9" x 12" Facets:

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To scroll thru the pages of all my StencilGirl masks and stencils, please start on this page.

Season of Flowers

It had been awhile since I'd used spray paint with stencils or masks.

Time to do it again!  For today's project, I chose one of the new releases of April 25 -- Mikki's Flowers Mask.

Important Note:  When using this delicate mask with spray paints, I discovered it's best to place a very small piece of masking tape -- looped in on itself so that it's sticky on all sides -- under one of the larger flower-shapes, before placing the mask onto the substrate.  This little curl of tape will keep the mask in place.  Without the tape, the force of the sprays might move the mask. 

The first and third greeting cards below are near-twins; all three were made the same way.  The watercolor sprays gave me the muted, subtle finish that I'd been looking for.

The middle card below was actually my first.  But I was too heavy-handed on the spray paints with this one!  So, with decorative-edge scissors, I cut out the part that was salvageable; used a gluestick to mount it to a dark green background; and with that gluestick, added the combination to the cover of a greeting card blank (JAMPaper.com.)

A hearty thanks to everyone visiting this blog today!

More art samples made with my April 25 releases will appear here tomorrow.  To follow this blog by email, please check the option displayed above right.

To scroll thru the pages of all my StencilGirl stencils, please start on this page.