Float Stencils on Marbling Inks! Spoiler Alert!

I was experimenting with color combinations ... these are not my favorites, but I love how the stencil created its design.

http://www.interweavestore.com/marbled-fabric-surface-design-dvd , which I learned about from my friend Mary Ann Russo, goes into depth on the topic of floating stencils on the surface of marbling liquid to create a combination stencil-and-marbled look on pieces of fabric. 

I'm not into fabric arts, but I tried this idea on printing papers -- the type of paper recommended in this short online video --

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J410yQ7PI1E   Please do watch this short video, for complete directions.  I haven't included every detailed step in the photo captions below, but it all comes together once you see the video.

That recommended paper, copperplate paper, is a type of printmaking paper which can be found here, but is also available elsewhere:

http://www.dickblick.com/products/copperplate-paper/

And the marbling inks, Boku-Undo, can be found here:

http://www.dickblick.com/products/aitoh-boku-undo-suminagashi-marbling-kit/

The reason I went with this particular process and these particular materials was that I knew they would work well with my stencils, without creating a need to clean the stencils afterward.  (Yes, I'm lazy!)  There are many methods for marbling paper and fabric, with a
corresponding wide variety of liquids required for each marbling method.

This particular method uses plain water as the liquid upon which the marbling inks float.  That makes for quick preparation and quick clean-up -- leaving more time for having fun!

Spoiler alert:  Except for Maria McGuire's beautiful 6"X6" Stitch a Doily stencil-- http://www.stencilgirlproducts.com/product-p/s169.htm

Maria's doily stencil created this design.

-- and my 6"X6" stencil Kaleid --
 http://www.stencilgirlproducts.com/product-p/s085.htm
-- all of the other designs shown in this post are COMING SOON at www.StencilGirlProducts.com -- they can't be purchased yet, but they are on their way.  In one photo below, you will see the blue prototype for a new 6"X6" stencil of mine, Feathers -- but when the stencils come available, the real-deal stencil will be the usual translucent white.  (Feathers will have a "big brother" measuring 9"X12" featuring a different feather collection and design.)

Step 1 -- in the background you see the palate and brushes; in the foreground, the feather-designed prototype-stencil and basin of water.  The stains on the bottom of the basin are from acrylic paints used in a previous, different project.  The floating inks are not very visible in the above shot. 

Here in this close-up of a fresh water batch, the floating inks are more evident.  These trails of ink have been added by brush tips dipped in the inks, both pictured in the Step 1 photo.  The Blick video cited above shows how to add the inks to the water.  For me, this adding of the inks to the water is Step 2.
 Step 3, shown below, is to GENTLY float a stencil on the surface of the water, after the inks have been added.

 

Step 3 --This shot, taken at another time, shows Maria McGuire's doily stencil floating on the water in the basin.




Step 4:  Place the paper gently across the surface of the water, sandwiching the stencil between the paper ad the water's surface.  In the above shot, you see the paper from its bottom while its "face" is downward, resting on the floating stencil and the water under the stencil.  If you look closely in the upper left corner, you will see the imprint of the stencil.  This will show up clearly on the other side of the paper, when it is lifted from the water.  It will look like the photo at the start of this post, since here the 6"X6" Feathers stencil is being used.

Above is a close-up detail of a marbling print from my coming-soon 9"X12" stencil Two Fans.

Above is a marbled print using my 6"X6" stencil Kaleid.

Above is a marbled print using my coming-soon 6"x6" stencil Osprey Wings.

Above is a close-up of one of the osprey wings.  Click on any of the above images to enlarge them.

3 CAUTIONS:  (1) This particular method works best if you choose stencils designed with large openings, as opposed to stencils with finely detailed designs.  (2) It works best to use fresh, dry stencils for each and every dip.  Wet stencils don't float as well on the surface of the water.  So have a lot of stencils at hand! (3) As soon as the paper gets saturated -- a matter of seconds -- immediately lift it from the surface of the water.  Long soaks are not needed, and they tend to disrupt the stencil design.

Coming soon:  Another idea -- also from my friend Mary Ann Russo -- using marbling inks with stencils.  It's going to create a completely different-looking finished piece of art.  And it will be fun!


 

Ode to StencilGirl

Presenting my abstract artwork Ode to StencilGirl, which was created on Yupo using Mary Beth Shaw's Web Stencil ...

 

http://stencilgirlproducts.com/stencils-9x12/view/261

 

... and my Kaleid Stencil ...

http://stencilgirlproducts.com/stencils-6x6/view/705

 

... among others.

 

I started with the stencil-and-stain technique detailed elsewhere on this blog ...

 

http://heartworkbycecilia.blogspot.com/2013/02/flowers-v-1-comes-to-center-stage.html

 

... and finished with overlays of acrylic paint, applying it with brushes, rubber stamps, spray, and the kind of paint transfer called a monoprint.

 

Ode to StencilGirl copyright 2013 Cecilia Swatton with all rights reserved

 

Stencil Girl 2 ...

... is the title of this artwork, finished just today, on Yupo:

I used liquid watercolors and gouache (a thick, opaque form of watercolor).  My first step was the stencil-and-stain technique which I showcased in my March 4 post.  My four 6"X6" stencils were two of my own design -- Kaleid --
http://stencilgirlproducts.com/stencils-6x6/view/705
and Grid
http://stencilgirlproducts.com/stencils-6x6/view/696

-- as well as Wendy Aikin's Intersections --
http://stencilgirlproducts.com/stencils-6x6/view/551

and Wendy's Crazed Stencil --
http://stencilgirlproducts.com/stencils-6x6/view/537

After my stencil-and-stain step had dried, I used masking tape to block out a freestyle but geometric-shaped border, filling in the outer edges with white gouache using a sponge applicator.

To add the two top-layer yellow shapes (small upper right triangle and lower left geometric shape), I used more masking tape and brushed in a yellow-white gouache mix, then stamped both shapes while the paint was still wet, using a homemade rubber stamp.  This stamping step lifted out some of the yellow-white paint, enough so that some of the bottom layer shows through.

This close-up shows the upper right triangle; click on the image to enlarge it.

 After creating the two yellow-white shapes, I added the focal point area (part of which is visible in the two photos below.)  For this I used a sponge-topped applicator, masking tape, Wendy's Intersections stencil and three layers of gouache -- gray-white, purple and white -- allowing dry-time between each layer application.

 

Repeating Designs in Abstract Fine Art thru Stencil Use

Above is a close-up of a mixed-media collage I will be bringing to my April 15 demo at Monmouth Festival of the Arts ...

http://monmouthfestivalofthearts.com/festival-information/brochure/

... wherein I will show a number of fine-art applications using stencils from StencilGirlProducts.com.

Like many of the techniques I use, this one that I call "stencil-and-scrape" is not entirely original.  I did discover it by way of happy accident -- but shortly afterward, I saw that someone else had made the same discovery and posted it on the Internet.

After using masking tape to secure a stencil to my substrate, I use more tape to add a sheet of translucent paper over the stencil.  I use deli wrap paper, but tracing paper or many other substitutes will work as well.  With a credit card or an artist's spatula, I then scrape acrylic paint over the paper atop the stencil.  This is simply a "wet" version of making a rubbing, an old technique that I described in a much earlier post.  It is much faster and easier than the traditional dry rubbing method.  When I do it, I'm careful to stroke the loaded scraper in one direction only.  I use several strokes, moving from left to right across the paper atop the stencil.

I remove the translucent paper and set it aside to dry.  After dry-time, I cut it into desired shapes and add it to my mixed-media collages, as shown above:  The far left shows a paper that was scraped over my Kaleid stencil, using a combination of gold and white acrylic paints.

The pink middle section was created with one of my other favorite stencils from StencilGirlProducts.com, using the tried-and-true method of simply sponging on paint thru the stencil's openings.

The aqua right side was created with the addition of a second dried piece of "stencil-and-scrape" paper, this one having been scraped with aqua acrylic paint.

The over-stamp of gold paint on the right side of the photo was a "ghost print" --  elsewhere on the same artwork, I had just used a stencil in the traditional way of applying (gold) paint thru a stencil with a sponge-topped stipple brush.  While the leftover gold paint on the stencil was still moist, I pulled the stencil off the substrate, flipped it over and pressed it to this area, over the aqua collage paper.

This ghost print method is a form of monoprinting, stamping and transfering; I've seen all three labels applied to it.  It keeps paint-waste to a minimum and it serves the purpose of helping create unity in the artwork by repeating a pattern ... doing so without using the exact same image, which could become boring to the viewer's eye.  The flipping over reverses the original image; the fact that the paint is just leftovers creates the "ghost" effect, which further changes the design in a way that is likewise subtle.  I like to make my artwork interesting in every part of the surface -- not equally interesting; I almost always want the focal point to stand out -- but I do want to "entertain the eye everywhere," to borrow a wonderful phrase from some other artist whose name I wish I could remember!

Altho it may not be immediately apparent, the gold ghost print was created using the same stencil (my Kaleid stencil, available at www.StencilGirlProducts.com) as what had been used earlier in creating the "stencil-and-scrape" collage paper on the far left.  The viewer's eye may not immediately grasp this similarity, but the vaguely similar pattern will give the viewer a sense of satisfaction.  The goal of unity in an artwork is, I think, to achieve this satisfaction.

The Finished Canvas



 

Above: The finished canvas that was shown in part in an earlier post, wherein I detailed the techniques behind its creation. (The final product as pictued above has had one element -- the handwriting -- digitally added.) All stencils used in creating this canvas are available at www.StencilGirlProducts.com.  

Black Lava and Modeling Paste with Stencils

How I started one of my mixed-media pieces on stretched gallery-wrap (wraparound) canvas:

Above:  A close-up of my first step in starting a new canvas.  Using my Kaleid stencil, I scraped two types of gel media onto the canvas:  light modeling paste and black lava.

Above:  A view of the entire canvas just after Step One; clicking on the image will enlarge it and better show details.

Once the gel dried, the canvas was ready for me to add color.

All stencils used are available at www.StencilGirlProducts.com.  

Stencil, Scrape & Stamp

 

Above is the start of a new painting, created with 4 stencils from www.StencilGirlProducts.com -- two stencils designed by Mary Beth Shaw and two that I designed.  I used high-viscosity (heavy-body) gold metallic paint thru the stencils as the first step.  I gave these imprints dimension by being generous with the amount of paint.  The red shape came next, followed by another application of gold.

In adding that red "backbone" for the composition, I used a flat paintbrush in some areas but for the most part, I applied the red paint with a scrape-tool -- an old credit card.  Below is a close-up showing the white of the original canvas, and the stenciled-on gold pattern, showing thru the red paint.  This layered look is easily accomplished with the scraping method.

 

Below is the painting at a later stage; I've been repeating the same process of adding paint with a scraper.

 

Here are two later-still-stage close-ups showing more scrape effects:

 

 

Altho not shown here, something more that I often do is to use a stencil as a "stamp," immediately after it has been used with heavy-body paint.  I lift the stencil off the substrate, turn it over, and press the still-moist paint into the substrate, usually in an area far removed from the area of original use.  I like to work toward unity in an artwork by repeating some elements across the substrate, and this method of twice using a stencil, before placing it into a soak-basin, provides a quick and easy way to work in that direction.

A Technique using my KALEID Stencil available at StencilGirlProducts.com

Stencil, Gel & Chalk:

Secure the stencil to the substrate of choice, using masking tape.  (I recommend Frog Tape -- sold at Lowe's, Amazon.com, etc.) With a palette knife or old credit card, spread heavy matte gel through a stencil.  

Allow the gel to dry completely (several hours, give or take, depending on thickness of gel that was applied.)   

Rub blending chalk (not sidewalk chalk -- that's too hard) across the ridges of the dried gel. 

If desired, spray with a fixative like Krylon.  Or use dollar store hairspray.

The stencil used to create this artwork is available at StencilGirlProducts.com ...

to reach my StencilGirl web-page --

http://tinyurl.com/ae3x6us