Texture Anyone?

Above:  I've used masking tape to secure a stencil by Carolyn Dube onto a canvas previously marked off into sections (and previously painted with gesso, into which I had placed burlap scraps.)

After securing Carolyn's stencil Use Your Words, I spread modeling paste thru the sections of the stencil that I had masked off with tape.



Above:  a close-up of the modeling paste having been spread thru Carolyn Dube's 9"X12" stencil Use Your Words.

Previously, on another area of the same canvas, I had gone thru the same process with another 2 stencils -- Crazed Invert by Wendy Aikin --

-- and  Kaleid, one of my 6"X6" stencils --


 After the modeling paste had dried, I applied washes of water-thinned acrylic paints to bring color to selected areas across the canvas:

 

This piece is not yet finished but it's on its way.

Thanks for stopping by!

Another Ghost Print ...

... following on the tail of the ghost print in my post of a new minutes earlier, here is another ghost print, this time using my 6"X6" Bamboo Wall stencil:

This print was made on a previously halfway stained sheet of watercolor paper.  I plan to add more stain later.

Asian Imagery via Stencils

In one of my two posts of earlier today, I wrote about having made a mix of Golden's Payne's Gray acrylic paint with matte medium, to use in stenciling, with Ink Sweeper as my applicator.  (Thank you, Mary C. Nasser, for having reminded me of Mary Beth Shaw recommending this applicator in her recently released book Stencil Girl -- Mixed Media Techniques for Making and Using Stencils!)

Below, you can see I used my 6"X6" Bamboo Wall stencil twice, facing in different directions and placed side-by-side to create one overall pattern.  My background was a Gelli Plate print -- but before making my stencil imprints with the Bamboo Wall stencil, I had created another layer of color on the Gelli Plat print, by making a pale blue crayon rubbing (with the help of another stencil of mine, placed under the paper.)  The reason I include this picture is to point out that, unlike oil pastel crayons, Art Bar crayons allow you to use acrylic paint over them. 

 

I used the same acrylic paint-matte medium mix in making the two fan imprints above.  Both fans were created with the use of my 9"X12" stencil Two Fans.  The top fan was made directly onto color-stained  Asian newsprint, applying the paint thru the stencil.  The lower fan is a ghost print, made with the same stencil; while the paint was still wet, I lifted it from the color-stained newsprint and placed it top-side-down onto another sheet of Asian newsprint; then I cut it out to increase the contrast between the ghost print and a white background. 

A Take-Off on one of the Techniques by Jane Davies

I plan to take two workshops with Jane Davies in October -- one in S. Orange, NJ, and one online.

On Jane's blog --

http://janedavies-collagejourneys.blogspot.com/

-- you can find fantastic You Tube videos and lots of photos showing her projects and artwork.  Totally inspiring!  (Her DVD is great, too!)

I've taken the liberty of lifting one of her ideas and tweaking it, for experimenting with my 6"X6" stencil Bamboo Wall...

  ... and here is how that project went:

I started with two previously painted background papers, one mauve and one Magnesium Blue by Golden Fluid Acrylics.  Over each background, I used heavy-body yellow paint with an Ink Sweeper to twice-stencil Bamboo Wall, using the stencil in opposing directions; the next three photos show this step-by-step on the mauve background --

After the paint dried, I placed Post-It notes in selected areas across the stenciled imprints on both the blue and mauve backgrounds:

Next, I used the Gelli Plate to add a layer of translucent magenta to both pieces of paper.

When I lifted these papers off the Gelli Plate, the Post-Its remained on the Gelli Plate -- but that didn't matter; the results had been achieved.

One of the papers was, at this point, finished -- it's the blue-background one at far-left in my final photo.

I took the mauve-background paper a step further.  I added more Post-Its in a different design --

 

-- then, I used a sponge with a mix of matte gel and Golden's Payne's Gray acrylic paint to add a final layer in areas not masked by the Post-Its.
After I removed this second set of Post-Its, the paper was (at least for now) finished.

The results from the two Post-It experiments --

 




 

STENCILS ... plus ...

... red cardstock; paintbrush and silver acrylic paint; Ink Sweeper and heavy-body Payne's Gray acrylic paint ...

equals --

Above:  my 6"X6" stencil Bonsai Tree was used.

Above:  the stencil used was my 6"X6" Heron.

Above:  I used my 6"X6" stencil Osprey Wings.

 

Bonsai Tree, the first of the three stencils used above, bears a 3-word Chinese message, so it is best used with the bonsai leaning to the right, as shown here.  But it's not limited to Asian-themed art -- it can also be used as a Christmas tree on a 6"X6" greeting card, with dots of bright glitter glue along its branches.

Heron, the 6"X6" stencil used in the middle image above, captures the grace of these majestic, bigger-than-life waterfowl.  It's been used to make greeting cards with the blurb "HERON earth did I forget your birthday?"

Osprey Wings, third of the three above-used stencils, evokes the splendor of these majestic seahawks that soar above sunlight-glittered waters. This stencil pairs beautifully with the Feathers stencils as well as other bird stencils here at www.stencilgirlproducts.com.

Re-Published

Today I learned I've been re-published by Stampington & Company in their new book-like publication Digital Inspiration (First Edition 2014.)  Both these digital images of mine were first published in a couple of issues of Somerset Digital Studio, by the same parent company.

Flipping thru the pages of my complimentary copy, I was reminded of the days when I was neck-deep in creating digital imagery.  A trek down Memory Lane....

And before that, it was art rubber stamps, many of which I still hang onto, altho most, if not all, of the companies that bought them for manufacture, now have faded from sight.

It's been an interesting journey.

Tomorrow brings a new stepping stone in that journey -- a day-long workshop with facilitator Sarah Bush at the Center for Contemporary Art in Bedminster, NJ.  I will be bringing along some of my stencils along with other supplies, ready to learn.  There is always more to explore -- one of the main reasons I love art-making.

Happy weekend, everyone!

A Follow-Up Free Webinar ...

http://www.createmixedmedia.com/editors-picks/stencil-girl-free-webinar-q-a-with-mary-beth-shaw is where you can catch up with Mary Beth Shaw this coming Thursday, to see and hear answers to questions that arose after her earlier and recent webinar.  I'm signed up!

Love that "Curvie Lattice" stencil!

I've used Mary Beth Shaw's 6"X6" Curvie Lattice stencil twice today; it's in one of my earlier-today posts, below; and it appears again here ...

Above:  I've used masking tape to secure a piece of cardstock to my working surface.  I've placed the stencil over that, and have used more tape to mask off its center area.  My next step will be to use a wedge-shaped cosmetic sponge to apply several acrylic paints -- green, yellow, white and red.

Above:  The finished greeting card -- and I love how these 6"X6" stencils are perfect fits for 6"X6" blank greeting cards.  The "Happy Anniversary" blurb was created on my PC and added with a glue stick.

 

Think in Layers

Using Photoshop has taught me to think in layers.  Now I'm applying the same approach to making greeting cards.

For this project I've used my 9"x12" STENCILGIRL(TM) stencil BoxedVines ... and a couple of the images will be repeats of images shown in earlier posts. 

The first step I suggest taking is to use this stencil as a guide in cutting out individual vines.

I took the option of cutting out my vines freehand, so they aren't identical with the stencil's vines. 

But for anyone who doesn't have a Matisse-ish bone in her body, I recommend using masking tape to secure the stencil onto colored paper; then, to trace lines along the edges of the vines you like.  You can use colored pencils that match the colors of these papers.

(Here is a link with a helpful example of using a stencil to trace its shapes:  http://www.stencilgirltalk.com/2014/03/stencilgirl-guest-designer-gina-rossi.html.)

Your Boxed Vines tracings will show the "bridges" used in stencil-design (needed to hold the stencils together) but these small gaps will disappear as you cut out the vines.  I recommend using cuticle or similar fine-detail scissors.

On the 2 greeting card covers below, the vine cut-outs are the textured purple vine in the top card, and in the lower card, the orange and navy vines.

The backgrounds on these two greeting cards were created as Gelli Plate prints using the Boxed Vines stencil.

Yet another kind of collage for a greeting card cover:

 In the above image, 3 irregular-shaped background-papers have been stacked; over them, I've added a collection of vines in assorted colors. 

Again, I've cut these vines freehand -- but for those who prefer, the technique works equally well if vines are traced onto colored papers using my Boxed Vines stencil as a guide. 

When using my stencil as a guide, you can achieve more variety for your hand-cut individual vines if you flip the stencil over:  Your next tracings will be horizontally flipped versions of your first set of tracings. 

Remember to use cuticle or other fine-detail scissors to cut out the vines.  If you accidentally lop off a leaf, re-attach it as you're gluing down the final collage; nobody will know.  Promise!

2 tips: 

Cardstock is the best paper I've found for cutting out these individual vines.  I've tried "softer" texture-embossed papers but they don't work as well.

TowBow glue sticks work especially well in creating these collages.  I will soon be auditioning a Zig glue pen for the individually cut-out vines.  It may work even better.

My 9"X12" stencil Boxed Vines is available here: 
http://www.stencilgirlproducts.com/Boxed-Vines-Stencil-Cecilia-Swatton-p/l247.htm

Dimensional Fun

My 6"x6" Gingko stencil was taped to a pre-stretched canvas; the next step was to scrape across the stencil with modeling paste.  I removed the stencil and cleaned it right away.  After the modeling paste dried (which didn't take long since this was a thin layer) I painted over the three-dimensional image.  Later I may go over it with Pan Pastels or blending chalks or a dry brush technique to bring out the form more than it currently is.  Or I may decide to keep this subtle version.

This stencil is available here: http://www.stencilgirlproducts.com/product-p/s076.htm

Thanks for stopping by!

A Caboose for the Last Post

One more laminated piece, to go with my last post -- it was made using two 9"X12" stencils, Trivet A9 and Mimosa  --

-- and someday it, too, will be cut or torn up to become part of a collage.

True Confessions...

 

Confession:  I have a lot of trouble making Gelli Plate prints that I really like.  For that reason, I've long been in the habit of saving my not-up-to-my-liking prints for future re-printing.  I've now got a stack that would rival Jack's beanstalk! 

 

Yesterday I cut up some white tissue paper (by Lineco; similar to "dry" wax deli paper but lacking any shine) and made a series of prints on it.  After they dried (a very short wait) I laminated most of these prints to sheets of the earlier Gelli Plate prints (which had been on newsprint, cardstock, etc.)

 

I chose to use matte gel medium to do this laminating, knowing it would leave a slightly "cloudy" layer between the tissue prints and the earlier prints on sturdy papers.  Next time, just to see the difference, I will use gloss gel medium.  It will dry totally transparent so the whitish nature of the tissue will completely disappear.  Either finished "look" is merely a matter of personal preference.

 

The above two pieces are now officially collages thanks to the laminating, but they still have a longer journey ahead.  They will be cut or torn into pieces for future collages on canvas, or for greeting card covers.

 

For the top piece I used my 9"X12" stencil Mimosa.

 

The second piece was created with my 9"X12" stencil Marbles9.

 

Thanks for stopping by!

Just One This Time...

 

This is a recent Gelli Plate print, made with two of my 9"X12" stencils, Two Vases and Boxed Vines.

 

I'd love to have time for making lots more Gelli Plate prints ... and I'm sure that day will come ...

 

At the moment I'm working on a large collage with other previously prepared papers, including one paper made with the stencil-"scraping" technique I've described in earlier posts.  The above print will someday be torn or cut into pieces to be used in the same way.

This and that...

The above greeting card was made with a STENCILGIRL(TM)Products stencil --
Curvie Lattice by Mary Beth Shaw.   I masked off the central area before using a dauber to add assorted acrylic paints.

Above is a Gelli Plate print  created with my 9"X12" stencil Boxed Vines

 Below is another Gelli Plate print created with the same stencil:

 

Thanks for stopping by!