Two 9" x 12" ATC Sheets of Stencils and Masks--Available Now at StencilGirlProducts(TM)!

Newly Released: a brand-new collection of 18 images -- mostly stencils, with several bonus masks included -- all sized for creating Artist Trading Cards!  

ATC Mixup Swatton # 1  (9" x 12")

ATC Mixup Swatton #2 (9" x 12")

These brand-new 18 images -- mostly stencils, with several masks included as a bonus -- are sized for creating Artist Trading Cards, but in playing with them, I've decided to explore a wider range of possibilities -- bookmarks, gift-tags, collage elements, embellishments for art journal pages, hanging ornaments, and even refrigerator magnets!

A word about the masks that come with my 9" x 12" ATC Mixup 1--Swatton and ATC Mixup 2 --Swatton....

It's important to carefully separate these masks from the rest of ATC Mixup 1--Swatton and ATC Mixup 2.--Swatton  It helps to use fine-detail-cutting scissors, or a plastic cutting mat with knife .

Here's another way that I haven't yet tried:  a new-to-me product that may be just right for this kind of delicate cutting.  It's a ceramic bladed knife "pen."

Pictured above: a paint-stained mask from ATC mixup 1--Swatton.  Now that the paint has dried, I'll be adding a round magnet to the underside and using it as a refrigerator magnet.  The magnet cited above comes with a self-adhesive surface, but, for those who want a stronger hold, it can be reinforced with a strong glue like heavy gloss gel medium.  I'll be adding the magnet right behind the darkest area of paint, to keep it from being visually obvious, since the paint-stained mask is somewhat translucent.

ATC Mixup 1--Swatton offers you these images; and it's the 9"x 12" sheet that today's post features:

ATC Mixup 1 -Swatton (9" x 12")

Top row L to R--

Diagonal Mania

Desert Blooms

Unfurling Leaves

Middle row L to R—

Ski Lift Works

Cat 1

Cat 2

Bottom row L to R—

Cat 3

Fantasia

Hot Air Balloon

Some of those images are similar to full-sized stencils and masks that I'd designed previously.  But in every case, the designs are different in many ways so as to stand alone as independents.

Below is a greeting card cover embellished in layers.  The top layer was made with another image in ATC Mixup 1--Swatton.  Desert Blooms is its title.  To create it, I used masking tape to secure the stencil to a sturdy paper (in this case, paper I had previously painted aqua and gold.)  My next step was to use an old credit card in spreading high-viscosity "pearlized" white paint thru the stencil.  (High-viscosity = heavy body.  And I use the term "pearlized" to describe paint that has a metallic sheen.  "Iridescent pearl" is another label that I see used in describing this paint.)

Immediately after using any kind of high-viscosity (thick) media with a stencil, I clean the stencil -- or at least, place it in a basin of water to keep the medium soft so I can easily clean it later.  I don't bother to clean stencils or masks that become stained with thin paints.  But the thick paints and gels can dry to clog up some of the stencil's openings, so I don't let them dry on the stencils.

For the Valentine-themed ATC below, I followed the usual steps -- using masking tape to secure the stencil on the tag, then getting out an old credit card to scrape a medium thru the stencil.  This time, I chose crackle paste, which you can better see by clicking on the image below to enlarge it.  After it had dried, I painted it with blue acrylic paint and embellished it with purple paper additions.  The blue-and-white background-border was cut from a print I'd made with my 4" x 4" mask Fern Fronds Silhouette Mini.  

With the art sample above -- using another image (Fantasia) from ATC Mixup 1--Swatton -- my approach was to start with a sheet of 140-lb. watercolor paper that fully dried, after having been dipped into water topped with bubble-blowing bubbles tinted purple with an acrylic ink.

I scraped heavy modeling paste thru the stencil, then placed the stencil into a basin of water for easy cleaning later.  

After the paste dried, I dry-brushed across the tops of the shapes with gold metallic acrylic paint.  Once the gold had dried, I rubbed the entire area with water-thinned dabs of Golden Micaceous Iron Oxide acrylic paint.   Again, you can click on that image to enlarge it and better see details.

Fantasia -- a brand-new ATC stencil from ATC Mixup 1--Swatton -- was derived from my 9" x 12" original stencil Fantasia.  This ATC stencil was also used in printing the central image below.  Its base was a tag.  Details about its heart embellishment and its bottom border embellishment are below.  Since it has a heart, I'm calling it a Valentine! 

Below is yet another image from ATC Mixup 1--Swatton.  After printing the hot air balloon and waiting for the blue paint to dry, I used a gluestick to add an embossed foil embellishment.  These Dresden embellishments are available on Etsy, from several sellers, as well as here on AmazonSmile.

  

Today's post is the tip of the tip of the tip of the iceberg!  I'll be posting lots more art samples here, continuing to celebrate the release of these two new 9" x 12" stencils.

Here's another piece of info -- I've discovered that there are 2 DVDs on making ATCs!  You can find them here.

Thanks for your visit here today!

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