Join us in Welcoming New Designer, Tiffany Goff Smith, to the StencilGirl Family!

Tiffany is a southern gal living on the coast of Alabama with her husband. She is happiest with paint on her hands and usually in her hair. She’s a free spirit with a love for exploring, she loves to guide others on pushing the limits and understanding their creative voice. Her love of color, texture and her love for recycling fuels her when she shows up in her studio. Tiffany has been published in countless magazines and is one of the founders of The Ugly Art Club. She is passionate about empowering other creatives to lean into the unknown and reimagine what is possible. 

Doorways (S922)

The Doorway stencil was inspired by the beauty found in the old paint-peeled doors. The stories and secrets that happen behind them, Tiffany thinks this is why she puts them into her journal every chance she gets. They are like a portal to a secret world that Tiffany creates one page at a time.

Vintage Girls (S923)

Tiffany is slightly addicted to vintage photos and use them often in her work.  She designed this stencil inspired by 4 friends, and their cute little outfits. There are so many different ways these can be used in your journal and canvas. 

Wacky Faces (S924)

Tiffany loves weird and unusual portraits. She also loves a good belly laugh, so the Wacky Face stencil was born. They are all unique in their own way like friends that you can use in many different ways. 

Yearbook (S925)

The Yearbook stencil grew from Tiffany's addiction to always search for yearbooks, She loves creating her own story about the people that live inside. This stencil gives you many different unique characters you can create with over and over again and it is easily modified to add extra whimsy to any project. 

When not in her studio you can find Tiffany out playing with her dogs and chickens or sitting on the beach with her husband Josh, who is a huge supporter of her work. 

You can find her at the links below:

www.southerngalsdesigns.com   

www.instagram.com/southerngals_designs          

www.Theuglyartclub.com       

Tiffany's stencils are on sale now at stencilgirlproducts.com

Using the Spider Web Stencil for a Fun Halloween Banner

Hi everyone! It's Jane Bellante from Jane Bellante Art. I'm so grateful to be back and excited to share this 

fun Halloween project with you! 

Autumn is my favorite season.  I absolutely adore the colors and this project is no exception.  I'm using the Spider Web Stencil (find it at the link below) along with some banner forms I found on Amazon.  

I absolutely LOVE how this turned out.  I have two fireplaces in my home.  One usually gets decorated for Autumn, and one for Halloween.  This banner has the perfect pop of color for my space.  

Supplies used:

Stencil Girl Spider Webs Stencil (https://www.stencilgirlproducts.com/stencil-spider-web-june-pfaff-daley-p/l081.htm)

Gel Press 9 x 12 Gel Plate

Liquitex basic Acrylics in Deep Violet and Brilliant Yellow Green

Liquitex Matte Medium

White cardstock

Wood Banner forms

Bakery Twine/Thread

Die Cut Spiders

Homemade Rosettes

Here is the full video tutorial: 

I hope you enjoyed the tutorial! Please drop a line below and let me know what you think 👻

You can find me at https://www.janebellanteart.com and on YouTube at www.youtube.com/c/janebellanteart.

Thank you so much for being here!

xo, 

Jane

Using stencils to create focal figures

Hi Everyone, 

My name is Niamh Baly and I am a stencil addict. Lately I have been fascinated with faces and using stencils to create large figures in my journal pages. This watercolour technique is super simple and so easy to create lots of focal images quickly. Here is a step by step video taking you through the full process. 

To begin, dampen a piece of watercolour paper. I have done this on ordinary card – but using watercolour paper does give a better result. Place the face stencil down onto the paper and paint through the stencil with watercolours. I chose to use dark neutral colours (sepia, navy) , but any colours will work. I found through experimenting that you don’t want the watercolours to be too watery. The damp paper in the background will help the paint spread. 

To create the body I painted a simple arch shape using the neck on the stencil as a guide. I then chose some abstract stencils to help add detail and texture to the body. Once you have added the stencilling, remove the stencil carefully. Use your own judgement to add more stencilling, or use a brush with water and a paper towel to blot away or remove any darkness or texture you don’t want. I turned the stencil over with the excess paint on the surface and printed it onto my figure as well for more texture. You may like to add in more hair and shading to the figure once you have finished stencilling. All you need to do is use a wet brush and pull the watercolour out from the stencil to create a shadowed effect. 

Here is a list of the StencilGirl® stencils I have used in this project to create the focal figures for these pages:  

Pretty as a peacock Mini M305: 

Cassiopeia Mini M306: 

Strength face S653: 

Laugh Face S651: 

Remember Face S649: 

Love Face S648: 

Maltese Mix Stencil L175: 

soulful scribbles: 

 

Here is a finished journal page I created using the same techniques and adding additional details with a quote and background stencilling.  

 

Thank you so much for stopping by the blog. I hope that this video has inspired you to get into your journals and create something beautiful using the fabulous face stencils and watercolours. 

 

Happy Creating,

Niamh

Instagram: @niamhbaly

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/niamhbaly/

Expressive Portraits with StencilGirl® Stencils

Hi, everyone! Christa Forrest here! Want to explore creating expressive portraits but a bit fearful of drawing a face? Try using stencils!

I love using stencils and about 6 years ago I wanted to paint faces but wasn’t too great at it.   Plain and simple I was scared.   I found these amazing face stencils from StencilGirl® and decided to explore.   I was immediately hooked! I could experiment with mediums, mixed media and not get caught up in struggling to draw a half-way decent face. I learned along the way.

The stencil made it easier for me to understand the basic structure of the face.   The eyes, nose and mouth were where they needed to be. I could then open myself up to playing and practicing.  This eventually built up my creative confidence to start actually drawing a face. 

Do I still use a face stencil?

I have come a long way since the beginning.  The face stencils allowed me to feel comfortable with exploring faces in my work.  The more confidence I gained, the more comfortable I became.  Now it feels like second nature.  I still bring out the stencils every once in a while, to play and practice AND show others that they too can incorporate expressive portraits in their work with ease.

Here is a quick video of how I can utilize a face stencil to create a fun expressive portrait. 

Materials:

 

StencilGirl® stencils:

Talaya Goddess of Rain Large

Eve a Modern Woman Large

Abigail, A Timeless Woman Large 

 

Acrylic Paint:

Golden’s Quinacridone crimson

Golden’s nickel azo yellow

Titanium white

Black

 

Assorted brushes 

Spray bottle

Paper towel

Princeton catalyst scraper tool

Caran d’Ache Neocolor II crayons

Mixed media sketchbook 9x12 

Christa Forrest

Creative Souls Art

https://www.facebook.com/ChristaForrestFineArt

https://www.instagram.com/christaforrestfineart/

https://www.youtube.com/Christaforrest

Stencil-Dyed Notebook Covers

Hi!

Tracy Villaume here from Cork & Brush Studio with another fun and easy stencil project that I think you are going to love! 

Here are the supplies you will need:

• StencilGirl Stencil with Mask set of your choice. I used Rae Missigman’s Imaginary Botanical Mask and a few of her other botanical stencils; as well as Carolyn Dube’s StencilClub set, Art House

• Fabric to dye. I originally wanted to use these fabric pouches, which I think would be great, but my local Michael’s store had these little canvas-covered notebooks in their clearance section so I scooped up the last few!

• A tie-dye spray kit in colors of your choice. I used this set from s.e.i.

• POSCA Markers or other fabric-friendly pens

• Copy Paper (or other paper for blotting)

• Iron
  
  
• Optional: Sari ribbon

STEP 1:
Read your tie-dye instructions to see if your item should be laundered first. (I am so used to mordanting fabric for eco-dyeing that I automatically did prewash mine, but not all kits will require it.)

STEP 2:
Give a little spray of a light color or two just to get some color down. Then use the stencil part of your set first with one color. Spray through the stencil and cover with a piece of copy paper to remove the excess dye before removing the stencil. Keep the paper to the side to reuse - these make great collage papers for other projects!

STEP 3:
Repeat Step 1 with the mask part of your stencil with a different color.

STEP 4:
Repeat Steps 2 and 3 until you have your desired coverage. Sometimes I will give a light spray around the borders of the piece to randomly fill in white space.

STEP 5:
Let the piece completely air dry then iron it to set the dye (per the tie-dye spray instructions). If working on a pouch, flip and repeat the above on the other side!

STEP 6:
Finish by using your POSCA or fabric markers to outline your first stenciled image then add interest with different marks of your own.

STEP 7:
Add additional embellishments as you wish! Some ideas might include stitches, buttons or ribbon closures. I just wrapped mine with coordinating Sari ribbons, but may sew them in later on.

That’s all, you are done and now have completely unique little notebooks or pouches to give for gifts…or keep for yourself!

Here's a closer look at the one I created with the Art House Set!

For more inspiration from me, please find my on Instagram @tracyvillart or go to corkandbrush.com

Happy Stenciling!

Tracy

Video Tutorial:

Cultivate Your Own Magic Garden With Cat Kerr's New Release

Cat's newest mask set “Magic Garden” was inspired by a recent visit to the Flower and Garden Festival at Epcot. Cat claims she has never had much of a green thumb but that doesn't stop her from admiring the beauty of a perfectly imperfect bloom. A true gift for the senses!

Kelp - L913

Kelp can be seen floating around in some of the aquariums at the park 

and I could literally watch them dance for hours! 

Magic Garden - L914

Magic Garden is a handwritten list of some of the names 

of the flowers that I admired at the festival.

Tulips - L915

Disney goes all out for this festival and when it comes to tulips, 

they plant them as far as the eye can see. What a stunning sight to behold! 

Flower Heart - S918

Flower Heart is my tribute to those that tend with care and cultivate a garden. 

Roses - S919

No garden or bouquet is complete without the rose. 

My wonky hand-drawn roses are perfect to use as a focal 

or they can be staggered to create a lovely background! 

Cat's designs are available now at stencilgirlproducts.com

Kirsten Varga - September Stencil Club Stencils

Hello Artists! Kirsten Varga here with a bookmaking project featuring the free-spirited designs of this month's StencilClub selection. 

This book requires NO sewing or glue! This structure was designed by Bookmaker Alisa Golden's husband, Michael, and was included in her book Creating Handmade Books. I was inspired to make one out of canvas after seeing Alisa's fabric version on her blog and the results are stunning!

"Boho Vibes" by Gwen LaFleur and Mary Beth Shaw is an eclectic collaboration with carefree patterns and organic elements. Boho is all about mixing and layering patterns and these designs work so well together!!

To reflect those "boho vibes" I chose the organic feel of a natural canvas mixed with an earthy color scheme of brown, bronze, copper, and blue-green.

I prepped my canvas pages with gesso before layering the stencil designs. I then followed that with a vibrant glaze.

The pages are cut to either slot pages or tab pages before assembly. It goes together quickly and the gratification of a finished book is the best!!

Check my video below for a quick process tutorial.

Join StencilClub by September 15 to receive these exclusive stencils and accompanying video tutorial with PDF (both downloadable!), and 20% OFF STENCILS EVERY DAY!!

Happy Creating!

Find me on Instagram: @kirstenvarga

Stencils used:

Other Supplies:

Fabric (I used a lightweight canvas)

Gesso

Acrylic Paint

(I used Liquitex Iridescent Rich Bronze, Iridescent Rich Copper, Transparent Burnt Umber)

Acrylic Ink

(I used Cerulean Blue Hue and Phthalocyanine Green Blue Shade)

Matte Medium

Paintbrushes - large round and a stiff stencil brush

Bone Folder

Scissors

Craft Knife

Ruler

Pencil