9"X12" stencil TANGLED PODS

 
 I often fall back on old favorite stenciling techniques, including the use of a Sofft Sponge to apply heavy-body acrylic paint thru the openings.  I usually do this as a second step, having first created a background.  Over the background already established on the canvas below, I've used my 9"X12" stencil  Tangled Pods to apply acrylic paint thru it, with this sponge. 

After using the stencil a first time , I often add spray paint.  The spray reinforces the layered look that's already begun -- and it's useful for hiding areas where paint may have bled under the stencil.  I often use Adirondack color wash spray from AmazonSmile.  Other times, I use my own acrylic paint in a mister bottle, thinned with water and a few drops of airbrush medium.

On the current painting, I decided to add some opaque paint to part of the canvas, creating a base for the spray technique.  This is not always necessary but it was what I wanted to do this time.  See below:

Below is a close-up of the stencil taped to the canvas, ready for me to apply the spray paint.  (Notice I have cut the outside border off the stencil, which is stained from having been used earlier with burgundy paint.) 

Detail close-up

After spraying paint thru the stencil, I lifted the stencil, leaving what you see in the close-up below. 

Detail close-up

Another old favorite technique that I often fall back on is to use the reductive (also called subtractive) approach:  First, I paint a layer of new color in a limited area.

While this layer is still wet, I place a stencil over it.  Holding the stencil in place with one hand, I use the other with a paper towel or soft cloth to rub off still-wet paint in the areas that are exposed in the openings of the stencil.  The results are shown below -- where I have used the reductive technique on both the left (purple) and right (aqua) lower sections.

Below is a close-up of the left lower corner where the reductive method was used:

 Next, I painted the upper right area of this painting, again applying acrylic paint thru the stencil.  See below.

Below is a close-up of this upper right area:

After the burgundy paint had dried on the upper right area, I secured the stencil to the canvas with green masking tape, shown below.  Notice again that I've cut off the stencil's outer border.

Once more, I used water-thinned green acrylic paint in a mister to spray thru the stencil.  After I lifted off the stencil, the central right area appeared as shown below.

Below is a full view of this painting, further developed -- what I've done:  (1) I painted out the left-middle section with opaque green paint; (2) over the green layer, I applied full-strength pink paint thru the Tangled Pods stencil; (3) I weakened the lower part of this imprint by lightly covering that area with green spray paint.  At this point, this painting is nearly finished.

Below is the painting, finished.  The final touch was to add part of the cut-up stencil (now painted purple) along the left side.  This meant cutting the stencil almost completely apart and reassembling it as I collaged it onto the canvas.  This artwork is entitled The Beans because my friend Vicky Culver gave that joking title to the dangling pods that inspired me to create this stencil.  At our local art guild, Vicky parks her car near these pods, which hang from a tree that goes by three names --  take your choice -- Sophora japonica; Japanese Pagoda Tree; Chinese Scholar Tree.  The pods resemble strands of pearls.

 These are only a few ways I've found to use my 9"X12" stencil Tangled Pods. 

Below is another painting on canvas, in which I've used the same combination of techniques with the same stencil:

In the lower left corner, I've added a strip of burgundy paint and collaged over it the remaining stencil, stained green and burgundy -- with its outer border removed.