Part 2 of 2 -- Hit-and-Miss Techniques with Stencils -- Dry-Brushing Thru Stencils, and More Ideas

I learned a  new-to-me stenciling technique when I took an online class with Joan Fullerton.  All credit for this idea belongs to Joan, not to me!

To demonstrate, I'll use the same artwork recently featured in Part One of this two-part set.

The first color photo below shows part of my 9" x 12" stencil Blooming Where Planted.  (I had cut across this stencil to separate the large image from the two smaller images.)

Above:  I'd cut along the vertical line that separates the large image on the left from the two smaller ones on the right.

After separating this part of the stencil from the rest, I used masking tape to secure it to the canvas I was working on, as shown below.  Clicking on this image to enlarge it, you can see, on the left, the top of the brush I  used.  For dry-brushing, I always choose a brush with extra-stiff bristles.  Then I daub it into a little paint.  Before taking the paint to the canvas, I brush scratch paper or palette paper to take off most of the paint just added.  What I'm left with is very little wet paint; hence the term "dry-brushing."  The brush tips aren't totally dry, but very close to it.

The photo above -- especially when enlarged -- shows that dry-brushing means to move the brush across the stencil openings in a hit-and-miss way.  Not all of the underneath surface is covered.

When the stencil is lifted (see below) the results are unique; no other method of stenciling, as far as I know, achieves this look.

But there are two other ways to get hit-and-miss effects with stencils ...   I've yet to try them; they sound like fun.  One is to place a stencil on a substrate, then mist it  -- lightly -- with water.  The next step is to hold fine-grain sandpaper and watercolor pencils right over the stencil.  Now, rub the tips of the pencils against the sandpaper.  This should result in a scattering of color particles that will settle down onto the stencil.  The open areas of the stencil will allow those areas of the substrate to receive the color specks.  Any kind of powdered pigments probably would work just as well.  Brusho is one brand; other powdered pigments are available, too.

Returning to the topic of dry-brushing --

Above:  the stencil has been lifted off (it's still hinged with masking tape on the left side of the photo.)  It has left behind a hit-and-miss image across the canvas (on the right.)

This is not a perfect example of dry-brushing; a perfect example would show even less paint on the finished surface.  But I hope this suffices to get the general idea across.  Below is a close-up.  

The close-up was taken after I had later added a subtle layer of white over the dry-brushed area.  This addition was achieved with zinc white (translucent) acrylic paint that I had spread across the same stencil.  While the stencil was wet with this paint, I pressed it, wet-side-down, onto the surface.

Below is another close-up, showing a wider area of this artwork that was more fully explained in Part One of this two-part post. 

Below is a shot of the entire work -- while it was still in progress.

The photo above shows that dry-brushing was used in three areas -- upper left, far right central, and lower middle.

As shown (and explained) in Part One, this is the completed project --

Above:  final version.

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Part One of Two: Learning Something New with 9" x 12" Stencil BLOOMING WHERE PLANTED

Something interesting happened when I was working on this art (on stretched canvas)...

Above:  an early version.  Please click on it to better see detail.

The early version was developed in part with the dry-brush technique, which will be explained fully (with photos) in Part Two of this two-part post.

Another approach, in developing the early version above, included collage, using red and gray paper scraps previously printed with Ornamental Iron Curls stencil (6"x 6".)  The narrow vertical paper (red and gold) had previously been printed with a 9" x 12" stencil, Blooming Where Planted.  This latter stencil was used again in making layers of patterns across the upper left of the canvas, as well as at the central bottom area.

Shown below:  For the third time, I used part of the same Blooming Where Planted stencil -- this time, as a collage element.  The stencil was already stained from earlier projects.  I felt the stained stencil added more interest, as well as an area of flow-thru yellow.  I added it to the stretched canvas with extra heavy matte medium.

Above:  final version.

The interesting thing happened later, after the matte medium had dried.  For some reason that I can't explain, I decided to see what would happen if I were to pry off the stained stencil.  This wasn't hard to do.

To my delighted surprise, the acrylic paint that had stained the stencil remained behind on the canvas.  That's what you see in the image above.  

The stencil itself came cleanly off the canvas -- ready to be used again!

Feeling adventurous?  Try this yourself -- you may be in for a happy surprise!

Important note:  This will not work if you're using an art journal or any other kind of flexible, fragile surface.  The best substrate, instead, would be stretched canvas or any of the hard-board substrates sold at art supply stores.

Stencils used in today's post:

Blooming Where Planted (9" x 12")

Ornamental Iron Curls (6"x 6")

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GINKGO 6" x 6" Stencil

One of my older stencils, Ginkgo, remains a favorite.  Recently I made a new print with this 6" x 6" stencil ...

... using a sponge brayer loaded with heavy body orange-yellow and pale magenta acrylic paints.

My substrate was an old sheet of foreign newsprint that had already been used for a couple of paint experiments.

Now I plan to use this color combination more often!

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I'm happy to say that I've designed 70 stencils for StencilGirl.  The multiple web pages of my stencils start here.

PRAYER FLAGS and other Stencils

Because of the sharp angles in their designs, I've sometimes paired my 9" x 12" stencil Prayer Flags with another 9" x 12" stencil of mine, Mimosa.  Below are three close-ups showing imprints on stretched canvas; in all three, Mimosa was used first, then Prayer Flags was imprinted over it.

These first three, above, were created with a technique demonstrated in the Absentee Artist chapter of Creative Paper Art by Nancy Welch; also it's shown in Pat Dews' DVD Designing Great Starts with Texture and Form (available at Cheap Joe's Art Supplies.) 

Below is an imprint using the full Prayer Flags stencil.  My substrate was an old calendar page which I first painted with translucent green gold acrylic paint.  After that dried I placed the stencil over it.  Then I loaded a sponge brayer with heavy-body gray paint and ran that over the stencil.  

Today's post closes with two more close-ups of Prayer Flags imprints on stretched canvas.  This time, I used the subtractive/reductive technique to make prints.  I've posted step-by-step directions for this technique, with photos, here.  

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I'm happy to say that I've designed 70 stencils for StencilGirl.  The multiple web pages of my stencils start here.

6" x 6" Stencil ORNAMENTAL IRON CURLS in Multiple Roles

Ornamental Iron Curls is a 6" x 6" stencil that gets used often in my house!

The first two artworks below were made following techniques given in the Absentee Artist chapter of Creative Paper Art, a book by Nancy Welch.  The same technique is demonstrated in Pat Dews' DVD Designing Great Starts with Texture and Form --
  

Below are two Ornamental Iron Curls stencils, side by side, that have become stained after having been used in another art project ... 

The stencils above were later cut up and used as collage elements.  Photos of that work will be posted here later.

Below is a print made with Ornamental Iron Curls and my 9" x 12" stencil Prayer Flags...

These two stencils look like this:

Prayer Flags

Ornamental Iron Curls

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I'm happy to say that I've designed 70 stencils for StencilGirl.  The multiple web pages of my stencils start here.

TANGLED PODS 9" x 12" Stencil

Tangled Pods (9" x 12") remains one of my favorite stencils.  It's turned out to be more versatile than I had ever expected. 

Above is the collage-card I gave my husband for our last anniversary.  Because of his love for sailing, I used a nautical map as the background for the (vertical right-side) print made with blue acrylic paint and Tangled Pods.  (The other papers are pre-made collage papers, a gift from my sweet stepdaughter Christina.)  The heart embellishment is a crafter's wooden heart covered with a scrap of painted paper.

Below is another greeting card, this one printed with Tangled Pods on a round mini Gelli Plate.  After that print dried, I framed it with a few pieces cut from the stencil itself, which had become stained during earlier art projects.  For this kind of collage, I use Pioneer Embellisment Glue Stick.  

Today's next Tangled Pods piece brings back memories of last fall's colors.  I created it on stretched canvas using a technique from the Absentee Artist chapter in the book Creative Paper Art by Nancy Welch.  This technique is also demonstrated on Pat Dews' DVD Designing Great Starts with Texture and Form, available online at Cheap Joe's Art Supplies. 

Today's last artwork, below, is a matted portfolio piece.  Its background is a sheet of Yupo drenched in blue and magenta.  The foreground is a piece of a Tangled Pods stencil that had been heavily stained during earlier projects.

Tangled Pods in its entirety looks like this--

Tangled Pods has a mirror-image stencil, Dangled Pods.  It looks like this --

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I'm happy to say that I've designed 70 stencils for StencilGirl.  The multiple web pages of my stencils start here.

Geometric Stencils from StencilGirlProducts.com

So far, I've developed this painting-in-progress (on stretched canvas) with these stencils from StencilGirlProducts.com --

Blueprints of Archaeological Treasures (9" x 12")

Blueprints of Archaeological Treasures Small (6" x 6")

Intersections Stencil (9" x 12")

Rafters Stencil (9" x 12")

Squared On Stencil (9" x 12")

I'm using Golden High Flow acrylics.  Lots of fun to see the Titanium White "float" over darker background colors!

My technique comes from the Absentee Artist chapter of Creative Paper Art by Nancy Welch; it's also shown on Pat Dews' DVD Designing Great Starts with Texture and Form (available at Cheap Joe's Art Supplies.)

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I'm happy to say that I've designed 70 stencils for StencilGirl.  The multiple web pages of my stencils start here.

Jill McDowell and 6" x 6" FERNS 6 STENCIL

Last summer StencilGirlProducts.com held a contest, asking for artists to submit artwork created with SG stencils; the winner was Jill McDowell, as reported here.

I'm happy to say that, among her many artworks created with stencils, Jill chose to include a piece made with my Ferns 6 Stencil--

-- and I love her results!

The stencil itself measures 6" x 6" and looks like this ...

While I'm on the subject of 6" x 6" stencils, I want to mention that in the past I've posted greeting cards of this size and cited JamPaper.com as the source of the greeting card blanks.  These fold-over card blanks are still sold at JamPaper, but the white "pearlized" cards that I've often shown here are no longer available.  Other metallic colors are still available in this card size (as well as other sizes.)

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To follow this blog by email, please use the option in the upper right.

I'm happy to say that I've designed 70 stencils for StencilGirl.  The multiple web pages of my stencils start here.

Flowers in February? Yes, with Stencils!

Thanks to the magic of stencils, flowers can bloom any time, any place!

Before Queen Anne's Lace was a 9" x 12" stencil at StencilGirlProducts.com, it was a silkscreen.  I had the screen made by a professional; then I used it on stretched canvas in a layered painting.  The design is essentially the same, as you can see below.

Above:  the silkscreen print.

Queen Anne's Lace

Blooming Where Planted is another of my floral-themed 9" x 12" stencils; below, I've used part of this three-section stencil as a collage element.  It's a stencil section that had been stained as result of a number of earlier art projects.  I began to like the stained version so much that I decided to mat it....

The original stencil looks like this:

Blooming Where Planted

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Making Faces -- Still More Happy Scrapping!

Following on the heels of my last post, here are more stencil-made prints that have been cut up and -- this time -- assembled into a wacky, fun face.  

I tested the face against two dissimilar backgrounds before gluing down the pieces:

The top background of the face -- and the nose -- were cut from a print made with Two Vases (9" x 12") stencil.

Each eye was cut from a different print, both prints having been made with Medallion (6" x 6".)

The faces's lower background was cut from a double print -- a yellow bottom layer made with Mimosa Stencil (9" x 12") and a gray top layer made with Sprigs (6" x 6".)  The smiling red mouth was cut from a print made with Medallion (6" x 6".)

Assembling a face using bits of stencil-prints is every bit as much fun as building paper dolls with them!

I used free-hand cut-outs, but for anyone who wants to use a stencil, I suggest this one by Andrew Borloz --

Kunst Mask 2 -- which looks like this: 

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To see my full line of stencils, please check here.

Another Fun Way to Use Prints made with Stencils

I created today's project with free-hand cut-outs, but if you want, you can trace shapes using the 9" x 12" stencil Kunst Puppen Set A, by Andrew Borloz --

-- to make "paper doll collages" cut from a stash of stencil-printed papers:

The hat on the left figure is cut from a print made with Ornamental Iron Curls (6" x 6").  Her lavender blouse comes from a print created with Pavilion Shadows (6" x 6".)  Her skirt is cut from a print made with 9" x 12" Mimosa Stencil.

The middle figure wears a hat and blouse cut from two prints made using my 6" x 6" stencil Medallion.   Ornamental Iron Curls (6" x 6") made the print that was used to form her skirt.

On the far right, the figure head and hat were cut from a print made with Kaleid (6" x 6") stencil.  Her blouse was cut from a print made with two 9" x 12" stencils -- Facets and Mimosa Stencil.  Her skirt came from a print created with Mimosa Stencil (9" x 12") and Sprigs (6" x 6".)

I encourage anyone with a pile of stencil-printed papers to give this a try -- it's fun!

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To see my full line of stencils please check here.

FACETS & MIMOSA 9" x 12" Stencils

At an estate sale, I bought an ancient set of encyclopedias -- gaining a plethora of vintage papers as well as a number of green marble-patterned end papers.
I've used of those end papers to make a print with yellow acrylic paint and my 9" x 12" stencil Facets... 

Some of those vintage pages got painted over; below is one example.  Its first coat of acrylic paint was a bright gold.  For its second layer, I again used Facets, with red paint.  After that dried, I chose a translucent white (Zinc White mixed with extra-heavy matte medium) to add a top layer with the 9" x 12" version of my Mimosa stencil (which also comes in 6" x 6".)

The Facets stencil looks like this --

-- and  the 9" x 12" Mimosa stencil looks like this --

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To see all my stencils, please visit here.

Mary Amendola-Marle and CLUSTERED LEAVES Stencil

Artist Mary Amendola-Marle has kindly granted me permission to post her artwork here.  I was delighted that Mary chose my 9" x 12" stencil Clustered Leaves --

-- among other stencils from StencilGirl.com, in creating the art below ...

Be sure to check out all of the tree-themed stencils at StencilGirlProducts.com -- they are top-drawer!  Just type "trees" into the Search box on the StencilGirl home page -- you'll be glad you did!

Gift Bags created with HOT AIR BALLOONS STENCILS AND MASKS

At Christmas, I bought a bundle of white gift bags ... with the original plan of stenciling right onto the bags themselves.  This plan got scrapped when I realized the wrinkles under the bags' handles wouldn't cooperate well with stencils.  But then I came up with an approach that works, using a glue-stick to add stenciled prints onto the sides of the blank bags.  

After making some Christmas gift bags, I decided to make two more for any occasion.  For these, I chose two of my Hot Air Balloon prints ...

 After using the glue-stick to adhere the prints to the bags, I placed the bags under stacked books overnight, just to make sure the glue job became permanent.  

To see all my stencils, please visit here.

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