Celebrating Spring Flowery Stencils!

Although the glitter doesn't show up very well on the first art sample below, I'll launch today's post with it because making it helped in welcoming a long-awaited spring!  Before introducing the squeeze-bottle glitter-glue, I placed mt 6" x 6" stencil Budding Branches on a 6" x 6" greeting card blank and sprayed the surface with green watercolor in a mister bottle. 

The photo below shows a stretched canvas, this one imprinted with 9" x 12" Thistles as well as 6" x 6" Thistles Small.  The tall thistle prints (dark green) were muted with layers of paint added after the prints had been made.  The  prints made with 6" x 6" Thistles Small were made with yellow paint.

Still more flower prints ....

In making the print below, I first covered an old encyclopedia page with a layer of Golden Titanium White acrylic paint.  After that had dried, I used red-orange acrylic paint with my 6" x 6" stencil Silhouette of a Wildflower Bouquet.  In the very center of this image, you can see a subtle print of a flower that was an illustration in this pre-1923 encyclopedia.  (Clicking on the image below, you can enlarge it to better see detail.) 

Today's final pair of prints was made with two of my 9" x 12" stencils -- Mimosa and Thistles.  Foreign newsprint was my substrate; some of its lettering is still visible in both backgrounds below --

  

In its entirety, the 9" x 12" stencil Thistles looks like this --

Mimosa Stencil in its 9" x 12" version looks like this --

(Its companion, Mimosa 6 Stencil, measures 6" x 6".)

The art sample below started life as a sheet of newsprint that I was using to clean stencils after using them elsewhere.  But I liked the results, so I added a frame with the edge of a paint-loaded sponge brayer.  This print was made with part of my 6" x 6" stencil Swatton Flowers Version 1 ...

In its entirety, Swatton Flowers Version 1 looks like this --

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Note:  Golden isn't the only brand of acrylic paint that I use, but it's my favorite.  

More Flowers for Mikki!

Mikki's Flowers -- both Mask and Stencil -- were used in making the prints showing up here today.

Today's first print had started as a print made with the 9" x 12" Mimosa Stencil.  Over that, I used Mikki's Flowers Mask (6" x 6") with red acrylic paint.

 Likewise, the art sample below had begun as a print made with a 9" x 12" stencil -- this time, Twinship.  Again, Mikki's Flowers Mask volunteered to create a top layer of imagery; here, blue paint was used.

The print below was made on paper previously layered with several coats of paint.  This time, Mikki's Flowers Mask was used a little crookedly!  I wasn't looking at the bottom of the mask when I used it!  

 Another paper previously layered with acrylic paints came handy when I made the print below, switching to Mikki's Flowers Stencil (6" x 6".)

 Today's last art sample became the cover on a green greeting card.  Again, I used Mikki's Flowers Stencil in making the print with pale lavender on light blue background. 

Other stencils used in making the above prints --

Mimosa Stencil (9" x 12") ...

... and another 9" x 12" stencil, Twinship ...

My sincere thanks for your visit to my blog today! 

More art samples made with my April 25 releases will appear here tomorrow.  To follow this blog by email, please check the option displayed above right.

To scroll thru the pages of all my StencilGirl stencils, please start on this page. 

6" x 6" THISTLES SMALL Stencil with Other Stencils

In today's post, art samples show Small Thistles Stencil appearing with other stencils. 

In the first photo below, Thistles Stencil (9" x 12") was used on the left as well as the far right, both times with green acrylic paint.  The upper orange area stars the new 6" x 6" Thistles Small.  After these prints were made, I added thin glazes of acrylic paint over them.  

The print below was made on paper previously printed with my 9" x 12" Mimosa Stencil.  (This paper had started life as an old calendar page.)

Thanks for visiting today!  

To scroll thru the pages of all my StencilGirl masks and stencils, please start here.

Figure-Ground Contrast -- the Principle behind TANGLED PODS SMALL and DANGLED PODS SMALL

S582 Tangled Pods Small (6" x 6" stencil)

The principle of "figure-ground" contrast can be phrased as a question: “Which part of this silhouetted image is “figure” and which is “(back)ground?”  

When an image is printed with Tangled Pods Small (an example is shown below), spaces between the pods can be seen as the “negative” (“ground/background”), whereas the pods themselves can be seen as  the “positive” (“figure.”)  

Made with Small Tangled Pods (6" x 6".)

  
S581 Dangled Pods Small

Again, the principle of "figure-ground" contrast can be phrased as a question: “Which part of this silhouetted image is “figure” and which is “(back)ground?”  

When an image is printed with Dangled Pods Small (an example is below), the pods are the “positive” (or “figure”), whereas the spaces between the pods are the “negative” (or “ground/background”.)

 Made with Small Dangled Pods (6" x 6".)

Each of these new 6" x 6” stencil resembles-- but doesn’t replicate -- its big-sister measuring 9” x 12” – Dangled Pods Stencil and Tangled Pods Stencil. 

Tangled Pods Stencil (9" x 12")

Dangled Pods Stencil (9" x 12")

The little sister and big sister stencils work well together.  All four stencils work together even better!

Today's post uses mostly the two 6" x 6" versions, which are brand-new.

Above:  Two prints made with Small Tangled Pods.    Method:  After using this stencil in the traditional way, daubing acrylic paint thru the stencil with Sofft Art Sponge, I immediately flipped the stencil over and, using it like a rubber stamp, pressed its still-wet paint into scrap papers.

Below:  I used the same method here, in repeated layers, alternating between the two new stencils -- Small Tangled Pods and Small Dangled Pods.  The top layer of zinc white paint was made with Small Dangled Pods.   

The fact that these two 6" x 6" stencils are exact opposites makes it lots of fun to use them together!  

Below is another example of combination usage, slightly more complicated.  This is a close-up showing imprints made with Dangled Pads Small, Tangled Pods Small (both 6" x 6") and Tangled Pods Stencil (9" x 12".)

Have questions about figure-ground contrast? -- please leave them in Comments; I will reply.

More art samples made with my April 25 releases will appear here tomorrow.  To follow this blog by email, please check the option displayed above right.

Thanks for visiting my blog today!

To scroll thru the pages of my full line of StencilGirl stencils, please start here.

More Art Made with MIKKI'S FLOWERS MASK

Continuing to show art created with my new releases of yesterday, I will focus today's post on one of them -- Mikki's Flowers Mask.

Above:  This print was made on paper previously printed with botanical imagery.

Above:  this print was made with Mikki's Flowers Mask  atop an earlier print that'd been made with my 9" x 12" stencil Facets.

Above:  this print was made with Mikki's Flowers Mask atop an old calendar page.

These prints were made using a sponge brayer, loaded with heavy body acrylic paint, as shown in the two examples below.  

Altho I've used a brayer, similar prints can be achieved with a Gelli Plate.

Thanks for visiting here today!  Tomorrow's post will show more art made with these five new releases.

To scroll thru the full collection of my StencilGirl stencils, please start on this page.

Announcing New Stencils -- and a Mask!

Happy to announce today's release of  five new 6" x 6" stencils --Tangled Pods Small, Dangled Pods Small, Thistles Small, Nikki's Flowers Stencil and Mikki's Flowers Mask!

Today's post describes 4 of the 5 the new releases, with art samples of each.  

S582 and 583 (Tangled Pods Small and Dangled Pods Small)

The Japanese Pagoda Tree has long thin arms, tapering down into fingers that lovingly tangle together.  From them dangle ripe, heavy seedpods of delightful shape. 

Tangled Pods and its reverse, Dangled Pods, already exist at StencilGirl as 9” x 12” stencils.  

But some projects and some creative moods call for 6” x 6” stencils similar to -- though not identical with -- their big cousins.

Above:  Art made with Small Tangled Pods (6" x 6")

Above: Art made with Small Dangled Pods (6"x 6") and 9"x 12" Tangled Pods Stencil.

s604 and s605

Mikki’s Flowers (Mask and Stencil) evolved from a design I developed years ago –- long before the launch of StencilGirl.  It had never seen the light of day until now.

This design is a tribute to the love I have for someone very dear to me … a person I'll cherish forever. 

Above:  Art made with Mikki's Flowers Mask (6" x 6".)

Above:  Art made with Mikki's Flowers Stencil (6" x 6")

Thanks for your visit here today!

To scroll thru the pages of my StencilGirl stencils and masks, please start here.

Tomorrow -- StencilGirl Releases New Stencils (and a Mask) of mine!

Please watch this space tomorrow!

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Sherry Canino with SWATTON FLOWERS VERSION 1 6"x6" Stencil

Want a treat?  You can visit artist Sherry Canino here and here.

At the first stop above, StencilGirl Talk blog, you can watch Sherry's how-to video, made when she was creating this two-page spread in an art journal --

Among other StencilGirl stencils, Sherry chose to use the very first of many flower stencils that I've designed -- my 6"x 6" stencil Swatton Flowers Version 1.  

The stencil itself looks like this --

If visiting upstate NY in the Finger Lakes area, be sure to stop in at Canino's Artistic Cafe! -- 106 Metropolitan Pk. Drive, Liverpool, NY.

Thanks for stopping by at my blog today!

To scroll thru the pages of all my StencilGirl stencils, please start on this page.

VINTAGE SCRIPT in the Hands of Melissa Johnson

Melissa Johnson has had a fascinating tutorial on the StencilGirl StencilTalk blog; please check it out --- http://www.stencilgirltalk.com/2018/02/guest-designer-melissa-johnson.html

Melissa has stepped out-of-the-box to showcase how stencils can be used in 3-dimensional artwork, encouraging all of us to let our art-journal pages become springboards out into the bigger world all around us.

Among other StencilGirl stencils, Melissa chose to use one of mine, Vintage Script, measuring 9" x 12".

Below are two photos that show her finished artwork, back and front. (But don't forget to check out her full tutorial, with step-by-step photos, at the link above.) 

Above:  Melissa's artwork from the back.  Please click on this image to enlarge it.  My 9"x 12" stencil Vintage Script has been used in black across the middle of this piece; it has also been used with white paint on the upper right.

   

Above:  Melissa Johnson has used Vintage Script stencil in the upper left and lower right.

Vintage Script stencil itself looks like this:

Thanks for visiting my blog today!

To see my full line of StencilGirl stencils, please visit here.

Jill McDowell with 6" x 6" OSPREY WINGS & HERON Stencils

Older artwork by StencilClub member Jill McDowell has just recently come to my attention, and I'm delighted to share it here, albeit belatedly!

In developing the piece below, Jill has used my 6" x 6"  stencils Heron and (in the far upper right) Osprey Wings.

These stencils themselves look like this --

Heron

Osprey Wings

Thanks for visiting here today!

To scroll thru the pages of all my StencilGirl stencils, please start on this page.

3D Stenciling ... and More!

Collected in my files are a few photos of art made with stencils not highlighted here in a while ...

First in line, below, is a greeting card cover created with my 6" x 6" stencil Pressed Leaves.  I used light molding paste, spreading it thru the stencil openings with a credit card.  After the paste had dried, I used a sponge brayer to add a light coating of white paint across both the raised figure and its background.  

For step-by-step photos of this technique, with directions, check here.  

(Note:  I clean stencils immediately after I've used molding paste or any other thick, three-dimensional medium.) 

Second in line today is a collage -- shown below -- created on stretched canvas.  I used several 6" x 6" stencils (better seen when you click on the image below to enlarge it)--

Upper left (green and blue background):  Ski Lift Works

Upper right (green and blue background):  Ornamental Iron Curls

Lower left (green and blue background):  Pavilion Shadows 

Lower right (green and blue background):  Swatton Grid Stencil

Aqua and orange-red collage papers:   Swatton Grid Stencil and Ornamental Iron Curls.

Last in line, in today's post, is a greeting card cover with three collaged pieces.  The top piece was made with my 6" x 6" stencil Cats as well as another 6" x 6" stencil of mine, Tiger Lily ....

Cats

 Tiger Lily

To scroll thru the pages of all my StencilGirl stencils, please start on this page.

Thanks for stopping by today!

Lisa Dobry and QUEEN ANNE'S LACE Stencil

Artist Lisa Dobry used my 9" x 12" stencil Queen Anne's Lace in creating part of the background in her art below --

-- and Lisa has my hearty thanks for granting permission to re-post the artwork here in my blog.

During the summer a few years ago, I used the same stencil to make this sun-print ...

It wasn't a perfect print but I liked it anyway!  

The Queen Anne's Lace (9" x 12") stencil itself looks like this ...

Thank you for taking time to stop here today!

To see the multiple pages of my StencilGirl stencils, please visit here.