THISTLES in the Artistic Hands of Jenny Marples

Artist Jenny Marples has done a blow-my-mind job with the three-dimensional artwork she created --

Feel free to click on this image to enlarge it, so you can better see the details of this work!

The front image in this dimensional work was created with my 9" x 12" stencil Thistle--

This particular design is also available in a 6" x 6" size --

Small Thistles

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

Visit Jenny's blog here! -- to learn how she created today's fabulous artwork.

Thanks for stopping by today!  

Leftover Paint paired with Stencils!

When working on any painting, I always have leftover acrylic paints, which I could try to save for the next painting session.  But I find that I get better results when I use up all of each day's paint and start fresh with the next time I bring paint to canvas.

So I use a sponge brayer, stencils and collage papers (leftovers from earlier projects) to use up this extra paint, rather than try to save it. 

Above:  a sponge brayer being loaded with leftover acrylic paint.

Above:  a loaded brayer being run across my 6" x 6" stencil Sassy Spray.  Note the stencil has been secured to the substrate  with green masking tape.  This is to keep the stencil in place while the pressure of the brayer rolls over it.

Some prints I've made with leftover paints:

Made with 6" x 6" stencils Pressed Leaves and Feathers 6.

Made with 9" x 12" stencil Wrought Iron Gate.

Made with 6" x 6" stencils Quilted Flower Garden and Small Dangled Pods.

Made with 6" x 6" stencil Swatton Links.

Thanks for visiting here today!

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

CLUSTERED LEAVES, LOOPY LADDERS and other StencilGirl Stencils in an Art Journal

Please visit here to see StencilGirl Creative Team Member Louise Nelson showing a plethora of photos to describe the creative work she did in an art journal.  

I'm delighted that, among other StencilGirl stencils, Louise chose to include two of my 9" x 12" stencils, Clustered Leaves and Loopy Ladders.  

 Clustered Leaves 

Loopy Ladders

Curious to see these two stencils used in other applications?  Below is a work-in-progress of mine.  Its pale background has been established with acrylic paints and Loopy Ladders....

And ....

The above photo shows another background -- this time a dark one -- created with Loopy Ladders, while the foreground has been created with three leaves cut from a Clustered Leaves stencil; after cutting them free from the stencil, I added them as collage elements over the background.  

Stencils can be used in so many ways!

Thank you for visiting here today!

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

Step-by-Step Photos

Today's post focuses on a 3-dimensional project that's still in the works.

Its base is a stretched canvas that I coated with two colors of acrylic paint.

After that paint had dried, I used masking tape to secure two of my stencils to the canvas; then, with a plastic artist's spatula, I spread molding paste thru both stencils.  (A credit card works just as well for this step.)  

Above:  the top stencil is Mimosa 6, which measures 6" x 6", and the  bottom stencil is its "big sister" stencil, Mimosa, which measures 9" x 12".

Below:  the stencils have been lifted off the canvas and placed into a basin of water, to keep the paste from hardening on them.  Later, I would lift the stencils from the water and wipe them clean with paper towels.

After the paste has had time to dry completely -- and no longer feels "cool" to the touch -- I used the spatula to place opaque white acrylic paint and orange acrylic paint onto a disposable plate.  I mixed the two colors only slightly.  With the same spatula, I spread this paint across part of the raised images, as shown below.

The photo above shows that my next step was to start brushing green liquid acrylic paint onto selected areas.

Below, another photo shows more green being introduced, this time in the form of Golden High Flow Acrylic paint.

The photo above shows a close-up of the artwork at this stage of its progress.  The photo below is another close-up, of a different area --

I diluted white acrylic paint and spattered it across part of the surface.  Two close-ups below show this spatter --

This is as far as the work has progressed.  Now I've set it aside to await further inspiration!

Many thanks for visiting my blog today!

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

Artist Janis Graham and CATS

Artist Janis Graham created the greeting card below using "Stencil Guts" that had come from the making of my 6" x 6" stencil Cats.  To get these figures, the traced around the "Stencil Gut" on the back of a sheet of marbled paper.

The Cats stencil looks like this --

It was the Cats stencil itself -- along with other StencilGirl stencils --that Janis used in making two of the ATCs in the photo immediately below:

Please click on this photo to enlarge it and better see detail -- my special favorite is the upmost card.

Above:  Another artwork by Janis.

Many thanks to Janis for sending me this photo showing her ATCs!

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

Thanks for stopping here today!

PRAYER FLAGS Stencil & SKI-LIFT WORKS Stencil

My painting below was developed with layer after layer of stencil applications.  Here in its final version, it still shows subtle use of Prayer Flags Stencil (9" x 12") and Ski-Lift Works Stencil (6" x 6") ...

At other times, I use the Prayer Flags Stencil in less subtle ways --

Today's other stencil, Ski-Lift Works, was used with brown paint in this work-in-progress by Tommy McDowell, an artist known for the complexity of her works -- 

To keep tabs on Tommy McDonell, check out her website here.

Ski-Lift Works Stencil (6" x 6") in its entirety looks like this --

Prayer Flags Stencil (9" x 12") looks like this --

Thanks for stopping here today!

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

Nancy Sanderson Curry!

Sufficient superlatives escape me, when trying to describe artwork by Nancy Sanderson Curry!  She just gets better and better with those Pinata alcohol inks of hers!

She's still honoring me by using my stencilGarden Montage -- and doing me proud!

Above:  a close-up detail from the matted art directly above.

Another matted piece of Nancy's--

And you can click HERE to see a short, fun video made by Nancy herself. 


Garden Montage, a 9" x 12" stencil, looks like this--

Nancy Sanderson Curry commands more than one area of artistic expertise!  She has also made a video for StencilGirl Studio to demonstrate the making of prints with Citra Solv cleaning solution.  Be sure to check that out here!

Thanks for visiting my blog today!  To scroll thru the pages of all my StencilGirl stencils, please start here.

Still Celebrating a Holiday of Love

My last post showed a card with a background of textured gold metallic paper.  Today's Valentines use the same gold paper, but now I've cut the paper into heart shapes. 

I used a freehand drawing to make a heart pattern on  scratch-paper.  I cut out that pattern and traced along its edges on the back-side of the gold textured paper.

With two larger heart patterns, I traced another pair of hearts onto red paper, cut them out, and glued them behind the gold hearts to create red outlines.  

Above:  To the right of the heart, I used a portion of my 6" x 6" stencil Swatton Flowers Version 1.

Above:  Around the heart, I used my 6" x 6" stencil Ivy Frame 6.  (This design also comes in a 9" x 12" stencil.)

The above greeting cards were made with 6" x 6" card blanks but since I can no longer find white cards of this size online, I'll eventually be changing to slightly smaller greeting cards.  My 6" x 6" stencils will still work, altho in some cases I'll be modifying them, either with scissors or with masking tape.  I'll also be using white cards that measure larger than 6" x 6".  All of the cards of this square shape, and approximate size, require additional postage for mailing.  I use two Forever stamps on each envelope.

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

In creating today's Valentine shown at the top of this post, I used the right side of this stencil, masking off the rest with masking tape.

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

Thanks for your visit to my blog today!

Can You Make a Valentine from THAT Stencil Print?

Valentine's Day, for me, means making cards ... and I get a lot of fun out of developing cards with stencil-prints not normally associated with this holiday that celebrates love.

Above:  Central heart cut from a print made with Quilted Flower Garden.

Quilted Flower Garden measures 6" x 6" and looks like this in its entirety --

The rest of today's red-and-white print was used in making another card, shown below ...

The central red mini-heart was created with one of the paper-crafting  shape-punches by Marvy.

The greeting card blanks that I've used here came from JamPaper.com, but this company no longer offers a 6" x 6" greeting card blank in the metallic white version I'm showing here.  Other colors are still available in this size at JAMPaper.

Below is another paper printed with the help of a stencil -- this time, I used part of my 9" x 12" Swatton Borders # 2 Stencil.

The right edge of this red-and-white print will be cut into hearts with my Marvy heart punch.  The hearts will be collage elements on Valentines; the caption on each card will read,  "You hold a key to my heart."

Below you can see, in its entirety, Swatton Borders # 2 Stencil. ...

The above stencil is one in a series of three 9" x 12" borders stencils that I've designed.  To make them easier to use, I've cut each stencil into three separate strips.

Thanks for visiting my blog today!

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

Still More Unconventional Valentine Ideas

 At my house (and many others, from what I gather) there exists no shortage of papers printed with stencils!  It's that time of year, for me, to create unique Valentine collages made with cut-outs from stencil-printed papers .... 

Stencils used in making these prints --



6"X6" MIMOSA 6

9 x 12" BOXED VINES

6"x 6" SEAWEED

6" X 6" KALEID

Heaping thank-yous for visiting my blog today!

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