Good News --

-- well, okay, it can't rival the news wrapped in the gift of Christmas, but it's a joy for me to announce the release of three new stencils of my design at STENCILGIRL(TM) Products:

Wrought Iron Gate--

http://www.stencilgirlproducts.com/product-p/l224.htm

Feathers 9--

http://www.stencilgirlproducts.com/product-p/l228.htm

Feathers 6--

http://www.stencilgirlproducts.com/product-p/s178.htm

And, while you're on the STENCILGIRL(TM) website, check out the new stencils by Lizzie Mayne!  After I pulled my envious eyes back into their sockets, I placed these stencils at the top of my wish list!

Below is Wrought Iron Gate stencil, which measures 9"X12"--



Above is a faint print that I created with this brand-new stencil.  Here, I used the stencil to enliven the background in a much larger painting.  I layered Wrought Iron Gate over an orange print from one of the 3 borders on my Borders 1 stencil --

http://www.stencilgirlproducts.com/product-p/l220.htm

-- and you'll be seeing more examples of my Wrought Iron Gate stencil in days to come.

Above is a "re-run" image, showing a water-and-ink marbled print created with my Feathers 6 stencil (measuring 6"X6".)  See my 11-27 post -- which appears below this post -- for the quick-and-easy steps taken to make these marbled prints.

I plan to use these two brand-new Feathers stencils in composite artworks that will include the use of my bird series of stencils:

Heron --

http://www.stencilgirlproducts.com/product-p/s175.htm

-- and Osprey Wings --

http://www.stencilgirlproducts.com/product-p/s176.htm

 

Not Another Re-Run!

Announcing my new 6"X6" Feathers stencil, available at www.StencilGirlProducts.com --

The above image shows my 6"X6" Feathers stencil -- but waiting in the wings is my 9"X12" Feathers stencil, which will differ from its 6"X6" little sister.

 

The above image was created using my brand-new 6"X6" Feathers stencil.

 

I'll start this re-run of an earlier post by providing a link --

 

http://www.interweavestore.com/marbled-fabric-surface-design-dvd ,

 

-- which advertises a DVD that goes into depth on the topic of floating stencils atop marbling liquid, creating a combination stencil-and-marbled look on 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 online, 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 generating 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!

 

To continue reading this post, please click on Older Posts below and scroll down to October 8, 2013.  The Search feature in the sidebar might get your there, too.

Is It Just Me?

Okay, I've already admitted I'm a heavy-handed artist.  But does anyone else agree that the little foam "mittens" that come with the Pan Pastel applicator will wear out before you're finished with even the very first usage?  I switched almost immediately to using a blending stick, a.k.a., blending stump (carried by Jerry's Artarama, Dick Blick Art Supplies, and many others) as well as the type of cotton swab that has one or both ends pointed (such as the Fran Wilson Makeup Eye-Tees.)  It's true, too, that foam-topped plastic makeup applicators can be found in some dollar stores -- but those proved as flimsy, for this purpose, as the one that came with the Pan Pastels. 

The top image above shows two greeting card covers cut from marbeled printmaking papers (first shown in their entirety in my posts of October 20, when I listed the steps to take in marbling paper previously stenciled with white modeling paste.)

Second in place is a close-up of a heron-cover greeting card.  This shows the effect achieved using the tools I've listed above, with Pan Pastels.

Back when the heron first emerged from the marbling bath, it resembled the heron in the similar print below:

Both herons were created via spreading white modeling paste across my 6"X6" Heron stencil, letting it dry, and dipping the printmaking paper into marbling solution.  And in both cases, the marbled background held so little contrast with the white heron that the resulting image was too subtle for my liking.  This is the reason that I have now outlined the uppermost heron in pink, using a wide-tipped Sharpie, before going in with Pan Pastels -- I wanted to create contrast to make the heron "pop."  

In the top photo you can see the white oil pastel crayon that I used to highlight areas of the heron.  If you click the heron to enlarge the image, you can see where the ridges of the dried modeling paste have formed texture that "caught" the white of the oil pastel crayon.

The right-side greeting card, in the top photo above, was created with the same modeling paste, applied thru my 9"X12" Steampunk stencil onto printmaking paper; after the paste dried, the paper was marbled.  (For full details describing that process, scroll down to click on OLDER POSTS, then scroll to the multiple posts dated October 20.)

The 6"X6" Heron stencil is available here:

 http://www.stencilgirlproducts.com/product-p/s175.htm

The 9"X12" Steampunk stencil is available here:

http://www.stencilgirlproducts.com/product-p/l201.htm



 

Double-Dip Time for STENCILGIRL (TM) stencils!

Click on the above image to enlarge it.

Maria McGuire's beautiful 6"X6" Stitch a Doily stencil--http://www.stencilgirlproducts.com/product-p/s169.htm
-- was used twice on this piece of marbled paper, along with another 6"X6" stencil, Lizzie Mayne's Fibonacci --
http://www.stencilgirlproducts.com/product-p/s143.htm
-- both available at STENCILGIRL (TM). 

In my October 8 post, I included the close-up photo below, showing printmaking paper after it had received its first treatment, wherein I used Maria's stencil the first time around.  In that post, I described the stencil-float-on-marbling-inks technique that I used to create this look:

After this printmaking paper had completely dried, I went to step two:  I placed both Maria's Stitch a Doily stencil and Lizzie's Fibonacci stencil atop the paper which had already been marbled once.  I used an artist's plastic spatula and Liquitex modeling paste to spread a thin layer of this paste thru both stencils.  I immediately lifted the stencils and placed them in a basin of water, letting them soak while awaiting a cleaning rinse.  My goal was to create a resist so that, after the next dip into marbling inks, a more complex image would result.  And it did -- it's shown in the photo that appears at the top of this post, where you can see two images created by Maria's doily stencil, one on the far right and one on the far left.  Before the second dip into marbling inks, I waited for the modeling paste to become fully dry.
 

Modeling Paste Resist & Marbling with STENCILGIRL (TM) Products' "Waterways" Stencil by Wendy Aikin

Ever so slowly, I am still in the process of posting results from my "marbling play date" at the home of my friend Mary Ann Russo.

Above is a paper that I will eventually use either as part of a large, multi-image mixed-media collage, or as a greeting card background.

I started with a sheet of glossy cardstock and did a monoprint with Golden Phalto liquid acrylic paint, slightly water-diluted and spread on a sheet of Plexiglas (TM).*  After brayering the paint-water mix across the Plexi, I placed the cardstock -- glossy side down -- atop the paint and used a rocking motion as I lifted the print off the Plexi.  This rocking motion created the horizontal ridged pattern that you can see if you click on the above image to enlarge it.

After the monoprint had dried, I created a central area of vertical ripples, using Wendy Aikin's stencil Waterways --

http://www.stencilgirlproducts.com/product-p/s051.htm

-- and white modeling paste.  This created a subtle resist on the cardstock.  (I placed the stencil in a basin of water immediately after using it, to keep the modeling paste from becoming part of the stencil forever!)

The modeling paste dried within an hour, becoming ready for the next step, marbling.  I used the blue Boku-Undo marbling ink (available at Dick Blick and perhaps at other venues) along with Yasutomo Black Sumi Ink, swirled together on my marbling base of plain tapwater in a shallow basin.  It was the black ink that created the dark gray areas in the image above.  The effects of the blue ink are more subtle.  I can see them when looking "in person" at the cardstock, altho they may not be easy to find in the above JPG.

 www.stencilgirlproducts.com

*The same results would have come from using a Gelli Plate.  I created this background paper long ago, before buying my Gelli Plate.

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!