"Break the Rules" T-shirt by Sue Plumb

Hello Stencil Lover! It's Sue Plumb here today to share my Creative Team project for our "Wearables" theme. I love these sort of themes that push me to create something different to what I would usually do. I am sure we all have lots of amazing stencils in our stash that can be used for purposes beyond our normal use, and creating an item that can be worn is definitely one for me. 

Having thought about this theme, my decision was to create something for my (almost) teenage daughter. When she isn't in her school uniform she tends to live in shorts or jeans and t-shirts. (A bit like me, really.) When I considered what item she would get the most use out of (because I am all about practicality) I decided to do a t-shirt. I knew I could also easily match my design to her personality.

So I began with a plain white t-shirt, placed a sheet of cardboard inside it, and then clipped the t-shirt around it. I then used my 2" wide paint brush and the dry brush method to apply two different colours of acrylic paint to the focal area of the shirt.

Once I had some background colour down, it was time to whip out my stencils. I chose the Not Calling You Back stencil designed by Andrea Matus deMeng. This stencil was inspired by Hollywood legend Lauren Bacall, and it was the sassy look she has that drew me to it immediately (and made it perfect for my daughter!) I used black StazOn ink and a sponge dauber to stencil the image onto the shirt.

I also wanted the shirt to feature some text, so I paired the image with the If You Break All the Rules You Miss All the Fun stencil by Carolyn Dube, which was from the StencilClub release back in August 2018. (The entire set was called The Playtime Collection and was an exclusive for StencilGirl Club members.) I used the same ink and technique as I did for the focal image.

Next it was time to liven up my design, with some additional background detail. I drew on the theme of Hollywood star, and chose the Military Style Star stencil by June Pfaff Daley to add some stars to my background. I used the same ink technique, but this time switched to a teal ink, so that they would coordinate with the paint colour I had used. 

For my next step, I pulled out a white Posca paint pen and used it to add a few highlights to the face and hair. Although they don't really show up in my photos here, it allowed me to colour over some of the paint on the background to help the image pop more from the background.

At this point I thought my design was slightly lacking something, and decided to add some extra background detail in a different colour (purple). I knew my daughter would like the addition of the purple, but I didn't want to add it in such a way as that it would overwhelm the focal point of the design, so I chose one of my all-time favourite stencils - Organized Chaos by Cat Kerr to add the random style dots in amongst the structured shapes of the stars. 

Now I was finally happy with my design and I knew my daughter would be too! It turned out to be the  perfect custom t-shirt for my girl. 

I hope I have inspired you to look at the stencils in your stash a bit differently to see what else you could create to make the best use of them. Sometimes it is fun to get out of our comfort zones, isn't it?

Thanks so much for stopping by today so I could share this with you.

Happy stencilling!

StencilClub Voices Go for PLAYTIME

Our amazing StencilClub Voices Natalie Lewis, Margie Murphy, Beth Broadway, dove into Playtime with vigor! Up close, the textures and colors are quite fun.

Here's what they (and I) created with Carolyn Dube's PLAYTIME:

Natalie Lewis' Girl with Balloons

Natalie writes, "I used Tim Holtz Distress Oxide Inks and the resist spray on the background. Very cool texture. Stenciled the words and drew the girl, filled her in with markers. Used a glue stick to add words and girl to the background."

Margie Muphy's Retro Envelope

Margie recycled a StencilGirl® mailing envelope great for sending something cool to a friend or using as a gift certificate or gift card holder.

Margie writes, "I love retro anything, so the large stencil really spoke to me. The background is just roller marks from cleaning off my roller after using the Gelli plate!  Used the large and small stencils and acrylics, as well as BasicGrey “offbeat” line paper and stickers from my extensive stash."

Beth Broadway's Mixed Media Canvas Panel

Beth writes, "What a versatile set from Carolyn Dube. The possibilities are endless."

"I started with an 8x10 white canvas panel. Using the mini and 9x12 stencils, I created the base with black gesso and modeling paste. I used various acrylic paints and glazes for the background. I cut circles out with the 6x6 stencil from gelli prints I made using the stencil set on deli paper. Using tips from my recent class with Mary Beth Shaw, I tied them together. I added pink splatters and stabilo-all pencil with drippage. I applied black paint and white gel pen through the mini stencil for the sentiment and white splatters for the final touches."

Carol Baxter's Air Elemental

You never know what will fly in on the winds of a monsoon storm! This air elemental landed on my office closet door. 

I traced shapes from the small stencil on papers from my stash, including a blue security envelope, and then tore them out instead of cutting. I made "feelers" out of wire, and cut orange threads for the tail. I used the large stencil with yellow paint to make the top 3 feather wings.

Carolyn is a prolific designer and loves to play in her studio. You can find the wide variety of her stencils on our website. 

Don't miss out on Playtime and the tutorial Carolyn has created to go with these 3 member-exclusive stencils! Check out Carolyn's intro. Get the details on joining StencilCub HERE.

The August 2018 StencilClub Reveal: Playtime by Carolyn Dube

Explore composition and pattern as you use Playtime, the set of stencils Carolyn Dube designed exclusively for StencilClub.

Here's a peek at part of what Carolyn has in store for members with these stencils!

The large 9"x12" stencil was designed for borders and backgrounds.

Create an abstract vibe with the small 6"x6" is stencil.
The mini 4"x4" is a classic quote by Katherine Hepburn.

Remember playing jacks and marbles? There were rules for playing those games, but Carolyn only has 3 rules for stencil play and she'll share them in the exclusive stencil lesson she has created for members of StencilClub.

Click here if you can't bear to miss out on art journal and printing Playtime!

Already a member of StencilClub? Need Carolyn's past club sets?

Ideas

Sand and Sea