The Magic of Expanded Squares Collection by Jane Dunnewold

Bold. Fascinating. Energetic. 

We are delighted to introduce our newest stencil designer, writer and artist Jane Dunnewold and bring to you the 14 stencils in her Magic of Expanded Squares Collection.

Jane made a bounty of projects to showcase her stencils from table runners to t-shirts, vessels to journals.

We'll let Jane tell her stencil story:

The “Magic of Expanded Squares” collection features my best explorations of expanded squares– a deceptively simple exercise employing a piece of black art paper– cut and configured into design elements without rival! Each square shared by StencilGirl is one of my very favorites. Lyrical, abstract, representational, bold or expressively simple, I’ve used them on fabric, glass, cork and an assortment of other unexpected substrates. A good design is a design that goes anywhere and can be anything. I look forward to seeing what others do with these classic elements.

          Jane

L519 Lyrical Leaves 9"x12"

Lyrical Leaves

I’m fond of the contrast I can get between the edges of the square and the undulating lines of the stems and leaves on this pattern. It’s versatile enough to be used anywhere and the large scale makes a dramatic image when it’s printed in high contrast– like the black and white pillow.

L520 Moths 9"x12" stencil

Moths

Inspired by the complexity of moths’ wings pattern and shape.

L521 Spider Web 9"x12"

Spider Web

My all time favorite design! I love the combination of leaves and web. This one looks fabulous as a repeated pattern.

S461 Angles 6"x6"

Angles

I wasn’t sure how well this would work, but I love the high contrast black pattern on the natural cork surface. My Expanded Square series allows me to explore both representational and geometric pattern. Another great pattern with potential to be used with a glass etching gel on a tall, clear glass vase.

S469 Implode 6"x6"

Implode

This is a handsome stand alone pattern, but could also be printed as an overall repeat pattern by matching up the corners of the image. Tip: Print every other image and allow the paint to dry for flawless matching.

S468 Flagfold 6"x6"

Flagfold

Red and gold are a timeless combination! This table runner was printed with metallic textile paint first - notice how I aligned some corners to create the undulating pattern. The center image was created by stenciling Golden Gloss Gel Medium and allowing it to dry– and then placing the gold leaf on the dried gel and ironing, to secure the gold leaf.

S471 Quadrant 6"x6"

Quadrant

This well-balanced pattern is so versatile it can be used for practical decorative applications as well as in works of art meant to be hung on the wall! 

I worked on fabric backgrounds I’d previously dyed and printed, adding the stenciled element as the final touch, using Gel medium and craft sand for additional contrast and texture.

S470 Neighbors 6"x6"

Neighbors

This neat, little stencil was inspired by housing styles around the world. No matter where we live, we’re neighbors in some sense of the word! 

I put the design on a little hand bound book and am using it in my guest house, so visitors can share comments on their stay with us!

S472 Thorn Plant 6"x6" stencil

Thorn Plant

This design is delicate, and inspired by the beautiful, tiny thorns on a plant I was tending in my garden. It has a nice balance between the sharp, spikes elements and the linear, curvaceous shapes.

S467 Dancing Xs 6"x6"

Dancing Xs

Expanding a design outward on all four sides– more or less equally–but with each side a different variation–is one of my favorite approaches to cutting an expanded square. 

This one fits perfectly on a T-shirt and looks good on my personal journal, too.

M171 Masks 4"x4"

Masks

Inspired by a collection of masks from around the world I saw at the Heard Natural History Museum in Chicago.

S466 Board Game 6"x6"

Board Game

Intricate and intriguing! 

I flipped over how beautiful it looked when we added it to this vase using Frosted glass spray paint. You can also use a glass etching product. These stencils are perfect designs for an application like this. Tip: Be sure to tape the design down securely and use a temporary adhesive spray if the little points won’t stick down.

M170 Firecracker 4"x4"

Firecracker

Zig zaggy lines add energy to this small design and give it energy that belies its size! 

Printed in high contrast black on a gray background, it adds pep to my gym T-shirt. I hope the energy will transfer into a terrific workout!

M172 Nervy 4"x4"

Nervy

The regularly spaced and very narrow lines vibrate and the higher the color contrast, the better! 

Choose a high contrast, bright palette and your design will be as “nervy” as mine!

You can enter to win a prize as well as learn more about Jane's process (from fabric dye to acrylics and tools) creating all these wonderful stencil projects on her Creative Civilization blog or, check out her bio and page: StencilGirl Products.