Artist Tommy McDonell ...

 ... created this lovely print with her Gelli plate --

-- using my 9"X12" stencil Buds --  

 Tommy also used a 6"X6" stencil of mine, Silhouette of a Wildflower Bouquet. 

Thanks for choosing two of my botanical stencils, Tommy!

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.

PRAYER FLAGS Stencil -- Stained!

  
Unfortunately, this 9"X12" stencil is a little too large to fit onto my scanner bed, but the above image still shows how beautiful the stencil has become, now layered with paint and texture as result of having been used in numerous projects.  

When a stencil reaches this stage, I usually retire it as a stencil so it can be cut up and used in collages.  

I can always buy more Prayer Flag stencils ...

More Art with My New Stencil PRAYER FLAGS

I'm still working with my newest stencil, Prayer Flags :

ABOVE:  A CLOSE-UP OF AN ARTWORK MAKE WITH MY NEW 9"x12" STENCIL "PRAYER FLAGS"

ABOVE:  ANOTHER CLOSE-UP OF THE SAME PIECE.

ABOVE:  THE ENTIRE PIECE.  BESIDES "PRAYER FLAGS," I USED TWO OTHER STENCILS OF MINE ... DETAILS ARE BELOW.

ABOVE:  A CLOSE UP OF ANOTHER ARTWORK MADE WITH "PRAYER FLAGS."

ABOVE:  ANOTHER CLOSE-UP.

ABOVE:  THE SECOND ARTWORK IN ITS ENTIRETY.  

Prayer Flags plays nicely with two earlier stencils of mine --  

6"X6" Palm Fronds Silhouette Small

and 

4"X4" Palm Fronds Silhouette Mini

I used all three stencils on both artworks above, but prints of the smaller stencils are more visible in the first artwork, 3 photos down from the top of this post. 

The techniques I used in creating these pieces are available to StencilGirl StencilClub Members who order the June 2015 3-part stencil release Crop Circles:

PRAYER FLAGS are still waving!

Prayer Flags -- my newest 9"X12" stencil -- is taking the stage in today's post as a tool for creating still more greeting card covers.  (You can scroll down to see earlier cards that I posted recently.)


I started the same way as I had 2 days ago; after placing 2 flattened card blanks side-by-side, I taped the stencil over them so I could apply paint to both cards at once.

 This time, I chose thick gold metallic paint to spread thru the stencil, using an artist's spatula:

ABOVE:  THE STENCIL HAS BEEN LIFTED OFF THE STILL-WET PAINT AND THE 2 CARDS HAVE BEEN SEPARATED.

After the gold metallic paint had dried, I added a dollop of Golden Fluid Acrylic Quinacridone Burnt Orange:

Next, I used a terrycloth rag to spread the fluid paint across the surfaces of both cards; a close-up of one card is below:

After spreading Burnt Orange completely across the front covers of both greeting cards, I lifted off the stencil --

-- and I then quickly flipped the still-wet stencil over, using it to stamp a reverse image on another greeting card cover.  Two close-ups are shown below:

The 2 original greeting card covers now look like this:

Last of all -- after a day of several painting projects -- I decided to break my usual pattern and actually CLEAN the stencil!  I used Windex and a soft terrycloth rag.  Afterward, I liked the papers that had been underneath the stencil during cleaning; I'm keeping them to use in collages.

CLICKING ON BOTH IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM, YOU CAN SEE MORE DETAILS, INCLUDING A WRINKLED LOOK THAT GIVES THE PAPER MORE TEXTURE.

PRAYER FLAGS -- a Brand-New Stencil at www.StencilGirlProducts.com!

 
Today Mary Beth Shaw celebrates her birthday with a special event -- check here -- www.StencilGirlProducts.com -- and here -- www.stencilgirltalk.com. 

And, by way of coincidence, Mary Beth's Fractured Glass stencil goes perfectly with my brand-new stencil Prayer Flags.  Pair them up and see for yourself!

Or try it with Daniella Woolf's Feathers and Lace. 

In forming part of my background on the artwork below, I used three 9"X12" stencils from StencilGirlProducts --  Daniella's, cited above, as well as Crackle by Nathalie Kalbach and Large Hall stencil by Mary Beth Shaw.

Of several techniques that I used to create this artwork on canvas, the first technique was what I call the "stencil-and-stain" method.  Anyone who wants step-by-step details of this technique -- just visit StencilGirlTalk and check out the right sidebar.  Once a member, you can ask for the June 2015 StencilClub package, which will give you everything you need to know. 

Note:  Be aware that the stencil-and-stain technique will stain your stencils.  Altho some stain can be removed afterward, not all of it can.  This doesn't bother some of us, who end up with beautiful stencils that can be cut up and used as collage elements.

Below are two close-ups showing details in the artwork above--

Other canvases made with the same combination of techniques and the same Prayer Flags stencil are below --

COPYRIGHT 2015 CECILIA SWATTON -- ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

COPYRIGHT 2015 CECILIA SWATTON -- ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

COPYRIGHT 2015 CECILIA SWATTON -- ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

COPYRIGHT 2015 CECILIA SWATTON -- ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

***

In upcoming posts, I will be showing 4 greeting card covers made with this brand-new 9"X12" stencil Prayer Flags.  These posts will have step-by-step photos covering the methods I used; meanwhile, here's a sneak-peak at the finished cards --

Art-C Groove Tool with Stencils

To test my new Art-C Groove Tool with its brush head, I started with Carolyn Dube's  Scribble-Scratch Handwriting Stencil.

ABOVE: THE STENCIL HAS BEEN PLACED ON THE BLANK CANVAS.

 

ABOVE: RED ACRYLIC PAINT HAS BEEN APPLIED THRU THE STENCIL. 

I forgot to take an "after" shot of the canvas right after the stencil had been lifted -- trust me, it turned out great -- so I promptly reached for another canvas and another stencil.  This time I chose Maria McGuire's Doodle It Tornado Bloom and placed it on the second canvas, which was an artwork already in progress --

ABOVE:  MARIA'S STENCIL HAS BEEN PLACED ON THE CANVAS. 

 

ABOVE:  THE ART-C GROOVE TOOL HAS BEEN USED TO APPLY TITANIUM WHITE ACRYLIC PAINT. 

ABOVE:  THIS CLOSE-UP SHOWS THE AREA OF THE PAINTING WHERE I USED THE TOOL , AFTER MARIA'S STENCIL HAD BEEN LIFTED.  THERE WAS NO PAINT SEEPAGE UNDER THE STENCIL; THE DESIGN CAME OUT CRISP AND CLEAR.

My thanks to Cindy Powell, my friend in Utah, who went to a store in her area, bought the tool for me, and shipped it here to NJ! 

Since the Art-C Groove tool also comes with a sponge head and two abrasive heads, I plan to use it later in the subtractive technique -- using a stencil, of course. 

Below is a photo of the first canvas, after it was finished.  On the final layers, several times, I re-used Carolyn's Scribble-Scratch Handwriting Stencil .