Using stencils as drawing tools

Hi All,

Niamh here in Australia - sweltering in a heatwave! What a way to start Autumn. As you can see, the firey summer colours are echoed in the palette I chose for this art journal page. 

Stencils are such a versatile tool to have in your tool box, and they are my go to items when creating pages in my journal. For this page, I wanted to clear my mind, and the best way I find to do that is too doodle my worries away. When I do that though, I don't have the bandwidth to draw freehand, so I used stencils to use as a base for my doodling. These two mini stencils were perfect for the job!

First I painted my background with a warm colour palette, then I used the Carnival stencil as a border and drew through it with a white paint pen. With a black paint pen, I coloured in the negative space, then doodled over the empty spaces with simple lines and dots using a white pen. 

Next I repeated the same process using the shape stencil to overlap and fill in the background space. Finally, I filled in the spaces between the stencilled shapes with black circles in varying sizes. 

This was such a relaxing page to make, and I was so happy that it turned out the way it did. Plus, what a brilliant way to use those smaller mini stencils in a new and exciting way!

Happy creating

Niamh

@niamhbaly (IG/YouTube)

@niamh'sartjournal (FB)

Stroll with stencils through Nathalie Kalbach's "Hood"

Strolling through Nathalie Kalbach's hood reveals ..... stencils! 

The 5 minis were inspired by manhole designs while her 6 large stencils were also inspired by metal grates and Nathalie's love of patterns. These stencils are named after the streets in her "Hood".

Nathalie's Van Vorst Stencil features a sinuous pattern with a botanical flair, almost art nouveau in feel.

The Downtown Stencil features a beautiful and highly decorative quatrefoil pattern. 

Nathalie made the cards above with her Valley Road, Central Ave, Star Struck and Flower Maze stencils.

Valley Rd features a happy floral and sunburst pattern to liven things up.  

Central Ave features a concentric radial design with delicate details.  

Star Struck ~ This stencil was inspired by Nathalie's love for patterns and features an op-art style that will have your eyes seeing stars.  Add a bit of geometric magic to your mixed media projects and art journal pages with this stencil.

Flower Maze ~ This stencil was inspired by Nathalie's love for patterns and can be interpreted in so many ways. Maybe you see flowers or the winding pathways of a maze? How about the motion of spinning wheels or machinery? The choice is up to you! 

The Broadway Stencil has an art deco feel to it and a bold circular pattern.  

Elegant flowers and hearts are featured in the Park Blvd Stencil.

Bring the intriguing pattern with floral and fan elements of the Hamilton Stencil into your art.

The Grove Street Stencil features a fun, fresh, radial design.

Exchange Place features a beautiful and highly decorative quatrefoil pattern.  Add an intricate background or unifying all-over motif to your mixed media projects and art journal pages with this stencil.

Add circular personality with the minis and backgrounds with the large stencils. Perfect for mixed media, art journaling, cards; indeed anything you put your creative effort into!

What will you create?

Be Brave - 15 new stencils from Maria McGuire

Take a look at designer Maria McGuire's new BE BRAVE line!

There are two with butterflies; 

two adorable birds that will "Fly" in any direction you wish (available in small S416 and mini M127 sizes); 

a "Big Tornado" stencil that can be used to add background or as a focal point;

and a host of sayings to place in your art journal when you need a little pick-me-up,or decorate a motivational card to remind someone else that you care ~ these 14 masks plus 1 large stencil form Maria McGuire's BE BRAVE stencil series.

 

 

Maria enlisted the help of her good friend Janet Joehlin in making all the captivating art for the Be Brave series.

Maria says, "These masks work fabulously with the Gelli Plate! Just remember to put them down backwards so you can read the text when you pull the print."

Fly on over to:

Maria's Believe Dream Create blog, 

if you subscribe to our Scoop, check out your email inbox the afternoon of November 10th or later for more lovely, encouraging art from Maria and Janet with Maria's stencils!

Stencil by the shore with Rae Missigman's new Seaside Harbor Series

Relax, unwind, and give your cares to the sea with 10 new stencils in both small 6x6 inch and mini 4x4 inch sizes from Rae Missigman.

A quaint view of the seaside village, Martha’s Vineyard, inspired Rae's Seaside Harbor series of stencils - from boats (Sea of Skiffs and Harbor Side) to the sea itself (Shoreline) to local vegetation in and near the sea (Sea of Grapes, Seaside Lavender, Bittersweet, and Pickleweed), to the dunes and the shore (Fort Hill and Boundaries) artistry was found as far as the eye could see. A sketched entry from her travel notebook was the catalyst for her scripted stencil (Travel Note).

Open the pages of Rae's art journal in this video using mixed media techniques with vintage ledger paper, masking fluid, Gelli plate, several kinds of ink, permanent markers, pencil, correction fluid, collage papers, and paints: acrylic and watercolor.

Stencils used in video: Pickleweed mini, A Travel Note small, Bittersweet both sizes, and Sea of Grapes mini. 

These stencils are also part of the series: Boundaries, Seaside Lavender, Shoreline, Fort Hill, Harbor Side, and Sea of Skiffs:

Are you ready to take the plunge with these stencils?

We'll share more of Rae's at times ethereal yet often playful art in the next edition of the Scoop or you can see the art work on our website.