West African Symbol ATC Mix-Ups by TreWen

You are in for something totally different today! StencilGirl is delighted to introduce an artistic collaboration on 4 dynamic ATC stencils, between Wendy Featherston and Trena Brannon.

The West African Symbols in this collection of ATC Mix-up Stencils are called Adinkra. Each symbol is a visual image that represents a concept or an aphorism - a pearl of wisdom. 

The selected Adinkra symbols are a collaboration between Wendy Featherston and Trena Brannon aka TreWen. Wendy and Trena both have an appreciation for beautiful Adinkra symbols and for the words that describe them. 

Ghana Adinkra symbols were originally created by the Ashanti of Ghana and the Gyaman of Cote d'Ivoire in West Africa. Adinkra symbols are used extensively in fabrics, pottery, logos, and advertising. 

When Wendy and Trena received the stencils, they cut them into 9 rectangles :)  If you are familiar with the “ATC format,” it gives you a bit more creative flexibility with your stencils.

L817

L818

L819

L820

After the stencils arrived in the mail, Wendy (East Coast) told Trena (Midwest), "Let’s just get together and play!" And that’s what they did! Below is a video sharing a portion of the time they spent together - they ended up playing for an entire afternoon!

Here are some photos of what Wendy and Trena created with the symbols and words, starting with a photo step-out series in an art journal - there are so many, many possibilities!

Apply color with pastels (L819):

Gelli print, paint, and doodle to create greeting cards: (L818, L819, L820):

Gelli print and draw in an art journal: (L817, L818, L819,L820):

Drip alcohol ink and let it dry in place; spritz the stencil with isopropyl alcohol and make ghost prints from all that rich color (L819):

Paint and texture paste on canvas (L818):

Use texture paste on canvas and fill in openings with a paint pen (L817, L819,L820):

Use metallic paste on design paper for bookmarks (L819, L820):

Gelli plate on fabric:

(L817,L818, L819, L820) rainbow

(L817,L818, L819, L820) aqua

Washi Tape Slap Down: Lay down washi tape randomly on a piece of cardstock, then trace the stencil on the back and cut it out (Shout Out to Mary Beth for the idea!) (L817, L818, L820):

Drawing and Painting in an art journal (L818, L820):

Drip watercolor over the stencils and let them dry in place (L817, L818, L819):

Wendy and Trena bid you: 

"Thank you for allowing us to share with you today!"

 

You can see all 4 of the West African ATC Mixup Symbols Stencils HERE :)

 

Cecilia Swatton and Kathryn Costa each have a new stencil!

Hi there! StencilGirl is bringing you 2 new designs today: Four Gates Mandala designed by Kathryn Costa and Palm Fronts Silhouette designed by Cecilia Swatton.

The Palm Fronds Silhouette 9" x12" Stencil 

Add depth and mystery to backgrounds with this stencil by Cecilia Swatton. Make people ask, “HOW did you do that?” 

Use it repeatedly across a layout, choosing different colors while turning the stencil around with each paint application.

Use it repeatedly across a layout, choosing different colors while turning the stencil around with each paint application. 

For more zing, put it to work with 6” x 6” 
Palm Fronds Silhouette Small and 4”x4” Palm Fronds Silhouette Mini.

L791   9”x 12”          S238  6” x6”          M050  4” x 4”

Mini, small, and large Palm Fronds Silhouettes

Cecilia says: "What to do when your first idea doesn’t work?  Aw heck, just keep going!

 

Cecilia had this to say about the art above: "Grab a stencil, modeling paste, iridescent beads, bits of multicolor faux foil, string gel medium, gloss liquid medium, dry pigment powders like Brusho, metallic powders like Pearl Ex, inks of any brand or Golden High Flow acrylics – and prepare to amaze yourself!  With these, my plan was to create an ultra-wet, 3-D surface that would contain color, flow when tipped, and accept small inclusions. Step-by-step photos with directions on my blog."

The embossed-looking area on the art print below was actually a ghost print made with another sheet of paper that had been sponge-brayered with metallic gold acrylic paint. Cecilia used another sheet of paper instead of a Gelli Plate and "smushed" the two papers together while the gold paint was still wet. After that ghost paint dried, she made a new print over it. The original background paper is black. 

All of Cecilia's stencil designs are available via this link.

Four Gates Mandala Stencil by Kathryn Costa

The Four Gates Mandala Stencil by Kathryn Costa is inspired by the traditional mandala and yantra art from the Hindu and Buddhist culture. Many wisdom traditions work with the four directions representing the four elements of air, water, fire, and earth. This stencil can also be used to create the Chakana also known as the Inca Cross from the Peruvian tradition. Some additional geometric shapes and symbols provide even more design possibilities including the ouroboros, infinity symbol, Chinese Yin Yang, and the OM symbol.

There are so many possibilities one can do with this stencil and Kathryn has made a diagram on the right highlighting in red which part of the stencil she traced for the design. 

This stencil also pairs well with Kathryn Costa’s Chakra Stencils Set. 

An infinite number of possibilities exist as to what you can create with the Four Gates Mandala Stencil.

Cecilia's, Kathryn's, and all of the newest stencils can be found right here!

***   ***   ***

Join Kathryn Costa from True North Arts and Mary Beth Shaw for a soul to soul conversation on how their creative and soulful practices keep them grounded, peaceful, and creative during these unusual times.

The soul to soul conversation covers:

• Creating art for self-expression, insight, and healing
• Integrating spiritual and creative practices
• The power of living and working with intentions
• Tapping into the healing power of color and sacred geometry
• Recognizing the grounding and centering patterns found in the art of all wisdom traditions and cultures
• Introducing Kathryn Costa's newest stencil from StencilGirl Products, "The Four Gates Mandala" and how to use this stencil to cultivate loving-kindness, compassion, peace, and joy.

Register for this free webinar. (Open to first 100 people but Kathryn will have a replay and we'll make that link available when it is ready.)

Make Art with Lafleur's Boho and Kerr's "Other" Creatives

We couldn't be happier about new stencils from these

two talented artists, 

Gwen Lafleur and Cat Kerr!

Cat Kerr writes: "I admire and respect Creatives such as Artists, Music Makers and Photographers....but I also admire Scientists, Archaeologists, and Astronauts. You might not immediately think of the latter as creatives, but they are. A Creative is anyone that thinks outside of the box. Someone who sees the world a little bit differently than others do. A problem solver, an investigator, a collector (of ideas, images, color, of data) and someone who above all, is innately curious.

"These stencils were inspired by the other world of creativity. The world of math and science and ideas."

Math Woman

Many brilliant, dedicated and determined women have pursued science over the years. Cat Kerr created this Math Woman Stencil in homage to their contributions. Genius with a dash of elegance make this stencil perfect to make a bold statement in your art. 

x

Pi

"Pi" No number can claim more fame than pi. Defined as the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter this equation rocks Cat Kerr’s world because it turns out to be an "irrational number," meaning its exact value is inherently unknowable. How cool is that!

Math Symbols - Small & Mini

The language of Math and Science. Mathematicians and scientists record their discoveries in a language built on symbols. Cat Kerr’s Math Symbols Stencil comes in small and mini so you can size at will, eureka moments in your art work.

Math Grid Mini

The pattern of lines and numbers in Cat Kerr’s mini Math Grid Stencil works great as a standalone or painted repeatedly as a backdrop to fearless art. No proofs, no math tests, just art making.

Math Man

The process of discovery takes time and it involves uncovering what is hidden and reconsidering what is known. Cat Kerr’s Math Man Stencil was inspired by that process. Use the equations or man in his vintage attire alone or together, quietly as a background or as a focal in the foreground of your art.

Gwen's idea for the first six stencils in her Boho Collection came as she was working one one of her Boho collaged fish.

Gwen  writes: "It suddenly struck me how cool it would be to have stencils to use as patterns for my different collaged shapes. I kept that idea percolating in the back of my head, and then after I started doing 3D Boho collages earlier this year, the idea for how I wanted to design these stencils finally emerged. The goal was to create patterns that would be versatile - you could use them as is to stencil animals or shapes into art journals or onto cards, backgrounds, tags, etc... but that they would also work as patterns for my Boho collage techniques - both flat and dimensional. The animals came from the original patterns I was already using for these techniques and I then expanded to add more variations, and the circles were inspired by some hand-carved woodblocks I found while visiting India last year."

Boho Collage Patterns & Textures

"Crossing Paths"

The Collage Patterns and Textures, Circles Stencil is the first of what I hope will be many in a new series of designs that was conceived for creating your own collage papers. I love to stencil on loose papers where I've cleaned off my paint brushes or done some monoprinting, creating great collage fodder in the process. (It's also great for adding texture, pattern, and background designs!) I thought it would be fun to have some stencils designed especially with this process in mind, and of course, circles and Xs had to come first.

Boho Stripe Circle

Boho Fish

The Boho Fish Stencil was inspired by Gwen's Boho collaged fish - in fact, the bottom fish features an enhanced version of her original hand-drawn pattern! There are two more fish and two hand-written phrases perfect for bringing the mysteries of the deep blue sea into your art!

"Gus"

Beaded Boho art journal

Boho Butterflies

The Boho Butterflies Stencil was inspired by Gwen's boho collaged animals and her love of butterflies as a symbol of change and transition (and the fact that they're just beautiful!) This stencil features three hand-drawn butterfly designs, including, of course, a peacock butterfly!

Art journal page

Boho Birds

The Boho Birds Stencil was inspired by Gwen's love of creating collaged animals to use in her artwork, and features three hand-drawn birds - some more realistic and some more stylized, as well as handwritten words and phrases.

"Rusty"

"Queen of Her Nest"

Boho Mandala Circle and Star Circle

The Boho Mandala Circle and Star Circle Stencils were inspired by the incredible hand-carved woodblocks that Gwen saw and used while visiting India. For this design, she created a modified mandala in the style of a woodblock that's perfect as a base for layering, but it can also be used as a focal point or repeated and overlapped for a background in your art.

"Ornery Ostrich" a mixed media artwork

"Stolen" a mixed media artwork

Discover all the newest stencils HERE.

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