IT'S (Still) A JUNGLE OUT THERE!

Today's post again throws the spotlight on my 9" x 12" stencil It's A Jungle Out There.

Like a number of my other stencils, this one has been altered ... I customized the stencil with Joyce Chen scissors -- perfect for stencil-cutting because they're sharp and have short blades. 

The first three prints below were made with a technique that I'm not at liberty to describe here, since it was shown on a video included in the June 2015 Stencil-of-the-Month package for StencilGirls' StencilClub members.  It can be back-ordered; directions are here. 

These first three prints are --

Going forward to the other prints for today, I need to mention that the subtractive technique was described in full detail, with photos, here. And here.

Above: Multiple layers of prints using a variety of techniques, especially the subtractive technique.

Above:  a print created by using the stencil-piece in the same way as a rubber stamp -- wetting it with paint, then turning it face down and pressing it onto the substrate.

Above:  The subtractive technique as well as the "rubber-stamp" technique were used in making these layered prints.

Above:  The subtractive technique as well as the "rubber-stamp" technique were used in making these layered prints.

The 9" x 12" stencil It's A Jungle Out There -- when not yet cut up! -- looks like this:

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IT'S A JUNGLE OUT THERE -- Another Example of a Stained Stencil used as a Collage Element

Above:  This is the full-sized sheet that started life as a Gelli Plate print; its circular designs came from a plastic support gismo made for holding paper plates at a picnic!  Over that background I added, as collage elements, pieces of It's A Jungle Out There, left over from a previous project that had stained them green-blue-aqua.  I also added a gold-stained piece of Map stencil by Mary C. Nasser.

Below is a close-up detail of one area; in this shot you can more clearly see the piece of reflective self-adhesive shell that I added as another collage element.  I bought this sheet of reflective shell years ago and can no longer remember its source.  I added a drop of alcohol ink to this piece of shell to heighten its color.

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Mixed-Media Wall Hangings DVD by MaryBeth Shaw and artwork by Donna Watson

Under Products at www.StencilGirlProducts.com, you can find (among many other goodies) MaryBeth Shaw's DVD Mixed Media Wall Hangings -- wherein, I'm delighted to say, two of my 6" x 6" stencils were used ... Seaweed and Mimosa 6.

And Seaweed was my stencil of choice when I made this Gelli Plate print --

-- as well as this simple collage:

Mimosa 6 also has appeared in other places besides this DVD by MaryBeth -- for example, in this lovely box made by artist Beth Watson:

 Beth did a fantastic job with this stencil; to better see details, just click on the above image to enlarge it.

The stencils themselves look like this:

MIMOSA 6

SEAWEED

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Return Visit with TANGLED PODS and DANGLED PODS Stencils

As I've scrolled thru old blog posts, I've noticed to my dismay that at times I've posted identical images more than once.  I run the risk of repeating that mistake with the first photo I'm posting today.  I created it with Tangled Pods stencil (9" x 12") on stretched canvas.  In making it, I followed directions given by Pat Dews in her DVD Designing Great Starts with Texture and Form.

Using the same stencil -- and sometimes adding the opposite-image stencil Dangled Pods -- I've created other artworks, including:

The last artwork here, shown directly above, is one of three similar pieces (all made with these two 9" x 12" stencils) that hung for a month in the gallery at my local guild, before being chosen to hang as one of our off-site locations.  In this case, it was Central Jersey Blood Center.   Having been a donor there myself, I know it's nice to have distractions of artwork to enjoy during the process.

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More of my Older Stencils, Making New Appearances

Today's top print is a layered piece, with Facets having been used with blue acrylic paint in the lower layer , and Vases put to use in the upper red layer.  Both stencils are 9" x 12".

Vases also volunteered for other recent prints.  The first print below was made by running a paint-loaded sponge brayer over the stencil ...

... and this second print, below, was made by flipping the paint-coated stencil upside-down and pressing it onto another sheet of paper.

Wrought Iron Gate is another 9" x 12" stencil that I designed a few years ago, and its many uses have included Christmas cards and birthday cards in which I've used individual vertical sets of curls to represent candles. 

The print below is not my best example, but it illustrates what I mean when I say that one vertical strip can be cut from a whole-image print and used to represent a candle.  I've cut many of these strips and have created collaged flames to sit atop each of them.

Wrought Iron Gate stencil in its entirety looks like this --

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A Few Older Stencils Make a Re-Appearance

A few of my older stencils have been clamoring for attention, so today they will be trotted out.

Below is a beautiful artwork-in-progress, showing my 6" x 6" Feathers 6 stencil in action; and all credit goes to Kymona Tracey, a beautiful young woman who can be followed on her blog Kreative Kymona.

Now a complete change of pace:  Below is a print made with (left) Swatton Links stencil (6" x 6") and (right) Swatton Grid stencil, also 6" x 6".

Above is a 6" x 6" greeting card cover, a simple green background and a cut-out marbled fan print that I'd made using Two Fans stencil.  The stencil measures 9" x 12" and its two fans range in size.  The stencil itself is shown below -- 

Today's post ends with a simple print I made using Silhouette of a Wildflower Bouquet, a 6" x 6" stencil -- 

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Elise Bky and Lisa Dobry and Jill McDowell!

The art-making of Lisa Dobry (who used my 9" x 12" stencil Clustered Leaves with orange paint) and Elise Bky (who used my 6" x 6" stencil Heron with blue) has resulted in this striking image, which demonstrates the powerful impact of using complementary colors together --  

Using Clustered Leaves with soft colors and a black pen, Elise created this dazzling artwork, shown below in three views --

My hat is way, way off to Elise -- she has immense patience and skill that leaves me in awe!

And check out this watercolor-like print developed by Lisa Dobry (use again used Clustered Leaves) in tandem with Jill McDowell (who used Heron stencil.)  

This art has a "looseness" that's exciting; and the frame/background for this print is absolutely perfect!  


I'll close today's post with one final piece crafted by Lisa Dobry -- and it's another winner in my eyes.  Once more, Lisa used Clustered Leaves -- showing both her versatility as an artist and the versatility of the stencil itself.

Many, many thanks to Elise Bky, Lisa Dobry and Jill McDowell for allowing me to post their artwork here!

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BORDERS stencils and their Prints

Above:  Borders # 2

Above:  Borders #3 Stencil

In making today's prints, I started with Borders # 2, one of my three 9" x 12" stencils (each of which holds 3 separate borders.)

Still making prints, I turned next to Borders # 3 stencil --

Above:  a close-up detail of the border directly above.

I made these prints on foreign text newspaper sheets, some of which were stained in advance.  I used a sponge brayer loaded with heavy-body acrylic paints.

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Canterbury Art Show and Other Art Shows

One of the artworks I'll be taking to the Canterbury Art Show, Labor Day weekend, is Before Long, shown below.

In creating this artwork on stretched canvas, I used the StencilGirlProducts Line Waves stencil, designed by artist Trish McKinney.  I've ordered several of these identical stencils and have cut them into pieces.

Most of this art was created following directions given in Pat Dews' DVD Designing Great Starts with Texture and Form.  I used Golden Fluid Acrylics and Golden High Flow Acrylics.

My last step was to add stained pieces of the stencil itself, letting them become collage elements.

In the artwork below, I followed the same method as far as the first step, using the same acrylics.  In this art, titled Unravel, I didn't add any of the stencils themselves.

The stencils I used were StencilGirlProducts Line Waves stencil, designed by artist Trish McKinney, and Curves, by MaryBeth Shaw.

This second artwork was finished just in time to be entered in the July Summer Painters Show at the Guild of Creative Art, Shrewsbury, NJ.

Previously at the Guild, in another month-long show, I'd displayed yet another artwork I had created with this favorite stencil by Trish McKinney -- 

Above:  Matrix is the title of this multi-layered art on stretched canvas.

  
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