Fellow Stencil Designer Karen P. Johnson Honoring My Blog with her Art Today!

Today's featured stencil is my 9" x 12" Vintage Script. . .

I used this stencil when developing the collage below --

And artist Karen P. Johnson has delighted me by including this stencil in her stencil-tool-box when she created the two-page art journal spread below:

Karen and I ended up using the same basic color schemes.  Great minds think alike! 

Also included in Karen's StencilGirl.com collection is the StencilClub's June 2015 Stencil-of-the-Month 3-piece set, which I had the honor to design.  She used that -- along with other StencilGirl stencils -- in making the gorgeous two-page spread below.....

Be sure to visit Karen P. Johnson  to see her line of stencils!

To check out StencilClub, please go here. 

And to see the pages showing my full line of stencils, check here.

Thank you for taking time to come here today!

Easter Greeting Cards and More

My StencilGirl stencils include two that feature feathers -- one is 9" x 12" and the other is 6" x 6".  It's the smaller one that I'm featuring in today's post.  

Some time ago, at an estate sale, I had bought a collection of pre-1929 encyclopedias.  For the first segment in today's project, I decided to take out a page with an illustrated bird in one of the background illustrations.

The traditional sponge-daubing technique would have worked for this project; likewise, a Gelli Plate could have been used.

But I chose the method easiest for me -- loading a sponge brayer with a heavy-body acrylic paint and running the brayer over the stencil (while holding the stencil in place with my other hand.)
  

The print above is part of a series that emerged from the idea of using these old papers with theme-related stencils -- using this as a first step in creating collage papers for art journal pages.  After these prepared papers (used whole, or torn into pieces) are collaged into journal pages, more artwork is layered over them.

Following along in the same path, I decided that some of this year's Easter greeting cards could be made the same way...

After making these prints on floral-themed papers, I cut them out and collaged them onto the covers of 6" x 6" blank greeting cards (JAMPaper.com)

Stencils highlighted today include:

Feathers 6 Stencil (6" x 6")

Silhouette of a Wildflower Bouquet (6" x 6")

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To check out the multiple pages of my other stencils for StencilGirl, please visit here.  

Easter Greeting Card made with BUDS Stencil

 I used the 9" x 12" stencil Buds to make a full-page print; my substrate was a sheet of "catch-all" painted paper...

... then, I cut out part of the print, using Fiskars decorative-edge scissors, and used it in a collage on the cover of this Easter card --

"Catch-all" paper is what I call sheets of newsprint that I use for removing excess acrylic paint from my brush, before placing the brush into water.  This minimizes the amount of acrylic paint that ends up being washed down the drain...which is bad for the environment.

I save my "catch-all" papers for use as backgrounds, as today's post shows.

Buds stencil, in its entirety, looks like this--

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6" x 6" Stencil BAMBOO WALL (and 6" x 6" TRIVET C)

One of my pet-favorite stencils is 6" x 6" Bamboo Wall.  It's one of the stencils in my Asian series, which includes Tiger Lily, Bamboo Wall Stencil, Bonsai Tree Stencil, Two Fans Stencil and Ginkgo 6 Stencil.

Bamboo Wall was based on an ink drawing that I did, using a Chinese calligraphic brush.  

Below are some prints I made with my sponge brayer, loaded with heavy-body acrylic paint:

Above:  I used the brayer with brown paint to make the lower print.  Then I flipped the still-wet stencil over and pressed it to the old map right above the first print -- using the "inked" stencil as if it were a rubber stamp.

 

Above:  This print was created with Bamboo Wall, over an earlier print that I'd made with another 6" x 6" stencil, Trivet C.

Trivet C stencil, by itself, looks like this:

Above:  This is an example of how I load a sponge brayer with heavy-body acrylic paint.  For me, this method works better than a pouncing tool.  But it did take me some time to learn the right "touch" -- to add just enough paint thru the stencil, and to avoid adding too much.  

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 The multiple pages of my StencilGirl stencils start here.

Thanks for visiting my blog today!

Part 2 of 2 -- Hit-and-Miss Techniques with Stencils -- Dry-Brushing Thru Stencils, and More Ideas

I learned a  new-to-me stenciling technique when I took an online class with Joan Fullerton.  All credit for this idea belongs to Joan, not to me!

To demonstrate, I'll use the same artwork recently featured in Part One of this two-part set.

The first color photo below shows part of my 9" x 12" stencil Blooming Where Planted.  (I had cut across this stencil to separate the large image from the two smaller images.)

Above:  I'd cut along the vertical line that separates the large image on the left from the two smaller ones on the right.

After separating this part of the stencil from the rest, I used masking tape to secure it to the canvas I was working on, as shown below.  Clicking on this image to enlarge it, you can see, on the left, the top of the brush I  used.  For dry-brushing, I always choose a brush with extra-stiff bristles.  Then I daub it into a little paint.  Before taking the paint to the canvas, I brush scratch paper or palette paper to take off most of the paint just added.  What I'm left with is very little wet paint; hence the term "dry-brushing."  The brush tips aren't totally dry, but very close to it.

The photo above -- especially when enlarged -- shows that dry-brushing means to move the brush across the stencil openings in a hit-and-miss way.  Not all of the underneath surface is covered.

When the stencil is lifted (see below) the results are unique; no other method of stenciling, as far as I know, achieves this look.

But there are two other ways to get hit-and-miss effects with stencils ...   I've yet to try them; they sound like fun.  One is to place a stencil on a substrate, then mist it  -- lightly -- with water.  The next step is to hold fine-grain sandpaper and watercolor pencils right over the stencil.  Now, rub the tips of the pencils against the sandpaper.  This should result in a scattering of color particles that will settle down onto the stencil.  The open areas of the stencil will allow those areas of the substrate to receive the color specks.  Any kind of powdered pigments probably would work just as well.  Brusho is one brand; other powdered pigments are available, too.

Returning to the topic of dry-brushing --

Above:  the stencil has been lifted off (it's still hinged with masking tape on the left side of the photo.)  It has left behind a hit-and-miss image across the canvas (on the right.)

This is not a perfect example of dry-brushing; a perfect example would show even less paint on the finished surface.  But I hope this suffices to get the general idea across.  Below is a close-up.  

The close-up was taken after I had later added a subtle layer of white over the dry-brushed area.  This addition was achieved with zinc white (translucent) acrylic paint that I had spread across the same stencil.  While the stencil was wet with this paint, I pressed it, wet-side-down, onto the surface.

Below is another close-up, showing a wider area of this artwork that was more fully explained in Part One of this two-part post. 

Below is a shot of the entire work -- while it was still in progress.

The photo above shows that dry-brushing was used in three areas -- upper left, far right central, and lower middle.

As shown (and explained) in Part One, this is the completed project --

Above:  final version.

The pages showing my full line of StencilGirl stencils start here.

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Part One of Two: Learning Something New with 9" x 12" Stencil BLOOMING WHERE PLANTED

Something interesting happened when I was working on this art (on stretched canvas)...

Above:  an early version.  Please click on it to better see detail.

The early version was developed in part with the dry-brush technique, which will be explained fully (with photos) in Part Two of this two-part post.

Another approach, in developing the early version above, included collage, using red and gray paper scraps previously printed with Ornamental Iron Curls stencil (6"x 6".)  The narrow vertical paper (red and gold) had previously been printed with a 9" x 12" stencil, Blooming Where Planted.  This latter stencil was used again in making layers of patterns across the upper left of the canvas, as well as at the central bottom area.

Shown below:  For the third time, I used part of the same Blooming Where Planted stencil -- this time, as a collage element.  The stencil was already stained from earlier projects.  I felt the stained stencil added more interest, as well as an area of flow-thru yellow.  I added it to the stretched canvas with extra heavy matte medium.

Above:  final version.

The interesting thing happened later, after the matte medium had dried.  For some reason that I can't explain, I decided to see what would happen if I were to pry off the stained stencil.  This wasn't hard to do.

To my delighted surprise, the acrylic paint that had stained the stencil remained behind on the canvas.  That's what you see in the image above.  

The stencil itself came cleanly off the canvas -- ready to be used again!

Feeling adventurous?  Try this yourself -- you may be in for a happy surprise!

Important note:  This will not work if you're using an art journal or any other kind of flexible, fragile surface.  The best substrate, instead, would be stretched canvas or any of the hard-board substrates sold at art supply stores.

Stencils used in today's post:

Blooming Where Planted (9" x 12")

Ornamental Iron Curls (6"x 6")

The pages showing my full line of StencilGirl stencils start here.

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To subscribe, please use the email option on the upper right.

GINKGO 6" x 6" Stencil

One of my older stencils, Ginkgo, remains a favorite.  Recently I made a new print with this 6" x 6" stencil ...

... using a sponge brayer loaded with heavy body orange-yellow and pale magenta acrylic paints.

My substrate was an old sheet of foreign newsprint that had already been used for a couple of paint experiments.

Now I plan to use this color combination more often!

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I'm happy to say that I've designed 70 stencils for StencilGirl.  The multiple web pages of my stencils start here.

PRAYER FLAGS and other Stencils

Because of the sharp angles in their designs, I've sometimes paired my 9" x 12" stencil Prayer Flags with another 9" x 12" stencil of mine, Mimosa.  Below are three close-ups showing imprints on stretched canvas; in all three, Mimosa was used first, then Prayer Flags was imprinted over it.

These first three, above, were created with a technique demonstrated in the Absentee Artist chapter of Creative Paper Art by Nancy Welch; also it's shown in Pat Dews' DVD Designing Great Starts with Texture and Form (available at Cheap Joe's Art Supplies.) 

Below is an imprint using the full Prayer Flags stencil.  My substrate was an old calendar page which I first painted with translucent green gold acrylic paint.  After that dried I placed the stencil over it.  Then I loaded a sponge brayer with heavy-body gray paint and ran that over the stencil.  

Today's post closes with two more close-ups of Prayer Flags imprints on stretched canvas.  This time, I used the subtractive/reductive technique to make prints.  I've posted step-by-step directions for this technique, with photos, here.  

To see all of my stencils, please visit here.

Thank you for visiting my blog today!

To follow this blog by email, please use the option in the upper right.

I'm happy to say that I've designed 70 stencils for StencilGirl.  The multiple web pages of my stencils start here.