Guest Designer: Andrea Garvey

Hi, everyone! Andrea Garvey here! I'm so excited to be on the StencilGirl® Talk blog today!

Here's a look into one of my art journal spreads that I created with some of my favorite StencilGirl® products! I love StencilGirl® so much for its quality and variety of designs.

 

When I get ready to create in my art journal, I make sure all my supplies are nearby. Paints, papers, and stencils. I usually don't know how it will look initially, but I have an idea of the theme before I start. 

 

Flowers and bright colors are usually my "go-to," which makes me happiest when I look in my journals. I like to work in layers on canvases when I paint and work that way in my art journals. A lot of magic happens in the layers!

 

I have many different journals that I use, handmade and store-bought, but I especially love Ranger Dylusions journals because of the thickness of the paper – it handles all the wet media like paints and inks!

Materials + Stencils

I listed all the paints I used but feel free to use anything you have handy – any brand or color of acrylic paints will do!

 

Ranger Dylusions Creative Art Journal - Square

 

Acrylic Paints

Nova Blue Green

Nova Carbazole Dioxazine Violet

Nova Titanium White

Nova Cerulean Blue

Nova Fluorescent Magenta

Liquitex Professional Brilliant Blue

 

High Flow + Inks:

Golden Titanium White

Golden Phthalo Blue (Green Shade)

Golden Teal High Flow

Amsterdam Ink Turquoise Blue

(replace any of the high flow with inks)

 

Flower collage materials – magazines, catalogs and laser printouts from my garden photos.

 

Vellum paper

Art Paper scraps

Scissors

Tombow Mono adhesive tape

Uniball white pen

Posca Paint pens in a variety of sizes and colors

(I love pastel colors in 3m and 5m)

Stencil Brush - Royal Stencil 5/8 brush

Sponge Brushes

King Art Original Gold Brushes 

5/8" Angle Shader 

3/8" Angle Shader 

½" Flat 

 

Stencils by StencilGirl®:

Bouquet Greenery 

Tall Flowers 

Soulful Scribbles Dots Dash

Boro 

Travel Note Mini

 

Creating the background:

I love the color blue and thought adding some bright flowers and different StencilGirl® stencils among the layers would be fun!

 

I started this double-page spread with a couple of different blue inks (high flow fluid paints), mixing as I went with a sponge brush. Moving the brush haphazardly to create some interesting marks (this may get covered up, but I like the look of the brush strokes in different directions). 

 

I usually work with multiple sponge brushes on the same page so that everything is not blended perfectly. When things start looking too blended in, I grab a new brush. I am using Amsterdam Turquoise Blue Ink, Golden Phthalo Green Shade High Flow, and Golden Teal High on this layer.

 

Tip: Sometimes, when I don't know what to art journal, I pre-make my backgrounds, and then they are ready to go for another time. Pick some colors you like, grab a few journals, and paint the first layer on a few pages. 

Next, I added in some Nova Dioxazine Violet to make some the blues even darker plus a touch of Golden High Flow White Titanium to create a gorgeous purple to paint over some areas as well.

I usually create rich backgrounds by working tone-on-tone for subtle effects. I used Liquitex Professional Brilliant Blue (a great substitution for Nova paints, especially for those who do not live in the States). Make sure you let the paint dry before moving to your next layer, which won't take long with acrylics.

I'm using Soulful Scribbles Dots Dash for my first stencil, and I am crazy about this stencil as you can cut it up (easier to handle) and have multiple stencils from a large one. I love mark-making, so this stencil is perfect for adding interesting shapes and lines.

 

I mixed up some light blue by adding Nova White Titanium, Brilliant Blue, and White Titanium high flow. More tone on tone! You don't want it to be too thin as it will get under the stencil.

 

I just used parts of the stencil and then repeated it in a few areas.

The second stencil I am using is Boro. I move my brush in a circular pattern with White Titanium Paint (not high flow). Another great stencil for mark-making!

And then I bring in some floral elements - I am using Bouquet Greenery. I love all of Wendy Brightbill's stencils – I am a huge fan of her art. Continuing to work tone-on-tone, I mixed up Nova Blue Green Paint with Nova Violet and High Flow White. I am using a regular brush for this stencil, and I love how dramatic this turned out!

Next, I made collage material from the stencils on different papers. I found an old children's book and a vellum roll in my basket, so I thought I'd try them to see how they look. Changing up colors to pink, I went with a Nova Florescent Magenta straight from the tub!

 

I am using Tall Flowers and Soulful Scribbles Dots Dash. The Tall Flowers remind me of English cottage garden flowers that I love.

I love to experiment on different art papers like vellum or parchment paper; it's so fun to rip and incorporate into my design. I cut close around the tall flowers on the children's book paper and then pulled the vellum into strips. All the collage work is adhered with a Tombow MONO Permanent Adhesive Applicator that I love. I find it not as messy as matte medium, and then I can also tuck in collage pieces underneath.

Magazine and Photo Flower Collage:

I always save gardening catalogs or magazines. My favorite is from Annie Annuals, a great nursery that I order from, and they ship all over the US!

I love to go through magazines and catalogs and find a bunch of flowers I like; even if I don't use them all, I will save them for a different project. I look for bright flowers in all different sizes with a similar angle. Or I take photos of the flowers I want and then get them printed at a local copy place on good stock laser prints (asks for bright premium paper, usually 32 lb. weight). I cut out a bunch at first before picking the final ones I will use.

 

I think about what I want for my next layer and the composition. I love to play around and not tape anything down yet; this helps me know if I need to add anything more to the background. After doing this exercise, I realized I had a big hole in the middle, and I thought one of my favorite stencils would be perfect here! 

Probably one of my most used stencils is Travel Note Mini. I love it so much! I mixed in some Brilliant Blue, Cerulean Blue and Dioxazine Violet and repeated the stencil in a few areas.

And then start adding to tape down all my different flower cutouts. I start with a few of the bigger ones. I love the Tombow tape - you can tuck in the smaller flowers along the edges. I work on both pages simultaneously to get a good balance and then go to the next size down flowers and continue.

 

I felt I needed a bit of green on my pages, so I added some leaves by cutting up some art paper. When I add on my flowers, I tape down about 4-5 and then really look before I start adding more to make sure my composition is looking good.

As I near the finish I realized I need to add in a few more flowers, plus I want to create some brighter areas. I found some old art paper scraps (I never throw these away). I added in some more flowers by cropping a couple over the edges.

It's all about balancing – so keep looking at your spread and see what's missing.

Last but not least, one of my favorite layers is adding details with paint pens and markers! I love white Signo Uniball pens, which are great for making small marks, and perfect for tiny details that could bring this page to life! I use this pen to pull out some of the stencils – it's very meditative and hard to stop.

I have so many different sizes of Posca Pens, but I always seem to choose the same ones. I am crazy about the Pastel Posca Set in 3m or 5m. I always have a scrap piece of paper handy to press down and get the paint flowing. I love adding dots or outlining stencils in different paint pen colors!

This journal spread was so much fun to make – and that's the most important thing. Art journaling is all about having time to create a story or idea with all sorts of art supplies. For me, it's a meditative practice and one I like to do often!

Andrea has a Free mini class on this journal spread called Color Bloom, where you will see every layer and technique that she uses! Enjoy!

And she has also just released her new online art class, Bella Flora, featuring some of her favorite StencilGirl® stencils!

Andrea Garvey

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Anouk (Creanouk) - Spring is in the air

Hello you beautiful artist,

Spring is in the air, at least where I live. We’ve had a couple of beautiful sunny days and it has had the most positive effect on my mood. I can’t wait to spend more time outside, to walk with our little dog and to see the flowers in the backyard come to life again. When I was looking at my stencils The Tall Flower stencil by Margaret Peot immediately gave me those spring vibes as well, so I decided to go a bit out of my comfort zone and I tried to create a field of flowers in my art journal.

Step 01
I prepped my Dylusions journal with a layer of Amsterdam White Gesso to prevent any bleeding in a later stage. Then I used The Tall Flower stencil by Margaret Peot with Amsterdam Napels Yellow Red Light. I applied it with a kitchen sponge for a little bit of texture.

Step 02
For the ground part of my flower field I glued down some collage with Mod Podge Matt using

old book papers and tea bags. 

Step 03
I softened the background of flowers a little bit by using a damped brush and a tiny bit of White Gesso. 

Too create texture on the background I used The Chicken Wire stencil by Valerie Sjodin with some Amsterdam Modeling Paste.

Step 04
In the bottom corners I mixed Amsterdam Olive Green and a little bit of White Gesso to add some colour to the ground. 

I used my fingers to apply and mix those two directly on the page. I really like to finger paint in my art journal because it makes blending colours so my easier! It also brings out your inner child, which will prevent your inner critic to take over.

Step 05
I sprinkled some instant coffee directly to the page and then sprayed it with a little bit of water to create a loose and unpredictable effect. I spread out the coffee stains a little bit more by using a round watercolour brush and my heat tool.

Step 06

To connect the background with the ground part, I applied Napels Yellow Red Light
in the bottom corners of my page. 

Step 07

I started to work on the flower field by using The Tall Flower stencil again, this time using Amsterdam Napels Yellow Deep, filling in the gaps of the previous flower layer.

Step 08
To make the foreground of the flower field I used the same The Tall Flower stencil with some Amsterdam Light Rose mixed with Modeling Paste. To be completely honest this is the part where I would advise you to use a brighter colour to mix with your Modeling Paste. I think it will look a lot nicer and a little bit less dull. But hey, we live and we learn.

Step 09
To bring back a little bit of colour I used coffee to darken the ground and to add some splatters. I also grabbed some neon pink and yellow acrylic ink to create even more splatters.

Step 10

For my final step I used my type writer and a gel printed copy paper to type down my words.

I stuck it down with a little collage cluster to make it look more interesting.
I finished it off with a few splatters of Ranger Black Ink Spray and then this page was done!

 I enjoyed working on this spread that was inspired by the spring weather we are currently having in the Netherlands.

Instead of making a video about this process I made a cute little reel that you can see on my Instagram. As always I hope this page will inspire you to create something in your art journal today!

Product List:

Dylusions Squared journal

Amsterdam - Modeling Paste Matt

Vintage Music and Book Paper

Mod Podge - Matt

Amsterdam - White Gesso

Amsterdam - Napels Yellow Red Light

Amsterdam - Napels Olive Green

Amsterdam - Napels Yellow Deep Amsterdam - Light Rose

Neon Pink Acrylic Ink

Neon Yellow Acrylic Ink

Ranger - Spray Ink Black Faber Castell - Art Grip Aquarelle

Instant Coffee

Type Writer

Thank you so much for reading my blog post. I hope that I have inspired you to create today! My name is Anouk or Creanouk on social media, and I'm an all-round creative from the Netherlands. I love art journaling because I can put my heart and soul into it. You can find my work on Instagram and Youtube

Traci Bautista's Kaleidoscope Collection is here!

This stencil collection is inspired by the beauty and magic of the kaleidoscope toy you played with as a child.

These intricate stencil patterns were hand-drawn by artist Traci Bautista. The symmetrical abstract floral shapes can be used in a variety of different ways as you experiment. There is so much to discover and explore while you PLAY. 

"Life is like a kaleidoscope....so many moments, experiences, emotions, and ideas that are constantly moving and changing through our journey," Traci says. "When you shuffle everything together the result is a beautifully rich and colorful image. When you look through a kaleidoscope you see a series of beautiful vibrant colors and patterns that sparkle. Then with the slightest twist, the pattern changes instantly...much like life."

The names in this collection of masks with stencils reflect her kaleidoscope theme and an associated abstract floral shape.

• 1 Enchanted Protea
• 2 Magic Dahlia
• 3 Playful Starflower
• 4 Spinning Peony
• 5 Pattern Plumeria
• 6 Infinite Rose, 
• 7 Sparkling Moraea
• 8 Shifting Bromeliad

They are perfect to use to create layered backgrounds for art journals and canvases. Stack the stencils on top of each other or side by side to create new patterns over a gel plate and make multiple prints. Paint them with watercolor or spray with ink. Apply gesso or molding paste through the stencils using a palette knife to reveal textures then paint the dried gesso resist with watercolors.

Enchanted Protea, S876, 6” x 6” 

Magic Dahlia, S877, 6” x 6”

Playful Starflower, S878, 6” x 6”

Spinning Peony, S879, 6” x 6”

Pattern Plumeria, S880, 6” x 6”

Infinite Rose, S881, 6” x 6”

Sparkling Moraea, S882, 6” x 6”

Shifting Bromeliad, S883, 6” x 6”

Traci used #tracibautistaCOLOR handmade watercolor and inks, gesso, molding paste, Golden so flat acrylics, and PaperArtsy paints in her Kaleidoscope Collection artwork. 

You can discover all of Traci's stencils designs right here.