Botanical Designs -- with Stencils, Masks and Ready-made Appliques

Any quick skim thru the pages of my StencilGirl stencils and masks -- starting here -- quickly highlights my love for botanical designs.  

Below:  The black background is my freehand painting-sketch of a very special personal favorite, bamboo.  The over-print in pale green was made with acrylic paint pressed thru my 6" x 6" stencil Bamboo Wall.  I had to trim the print so as to fit onto the front of a 5" x 7" greeting card ....

.... so I decided to use the leftover scrap as a decoration on the left side of the card's matching envelope:

My love for botanical designs stretches beyond my own creations.   Recently I discovered a source of botanical laser cut-outs that add dramatic punch to greeting cards that I'd created farther back in time--

Above:  The original print was made on Chinese Joss Paper using my Artist Trading Card-sized stencil Ginkgo which is one of nine stencils included in ATC Mixup Swatton 2.  The white lace edging and leafy sprig were late additions -- using a gluestick -- that really sparked life into the overall image.

Above:  Likewise, this original print was made on Chinese Joss Paper using my Artist Trading Card-sized stencil Ginkgo, one of nine stencils included in ATC Mixup Swatton 2.  The white leafy sprig is a late addition -- adhered with a gluestick -- that really sparks new life into the overall image.

Above:  The original print was made on a blank tag using my Artist Trading Card-sized stencil Sprigs, which is 1 of 9 stencils included in ATC Mixup Swatton 2.  The white flower-and-bud sprig is a final-step addition; I believe I'd already added the butterfly (created with a paper punch.)



Below:  a variety of prints (some with close-ups) made with my 9" x 12" Winter Berries Mask and my 9" x 12" Winter Berries Stencil ....

The topmost photo was done with Winter Berries Mask with a base coat of pale yellow acrylic paint on a 9" x 12" stretched canvas.  Having lifted off the mask and allowed the paint to dry, I placed strips of masking tape across some areas, giving myself guidelines for creating vertically slanted areas of various colors and shades.  (I carefully pulled off the masking tape after applying paint.)  Next, I used the patterns of the imprint itself to guide me in developing horizontal, wavy sections that, likewise, varied in color and shade.   

  

Thanks a (botanical) bunch for visiting my blog today!  To scroll thru the pages of my StencilGirl masks and stencils, please start here.