Frieda Oxenham: The Chrysler Building

I think my cries of delight when I discovered there was a new stencil out featuring part of the Chrysler Building in New York could have been heard all across the Atlantic in StencilGirl’s head office! When I was in New York last year it was one of the buildings I photographed the most, peeking through and above the streets and avenues. So there was plenty of inspiration to draw from for this spread. 

Here is the step by step tutorial:

1.      Gesso a spread in your art journal. I used the A4 Dylusions one.

2.      Using Nathalie Kalbach's Chicago stencil and a variety of colours of your choice, scrape on the paint with a hotel or old credit card and remove it through the stencil with a baby wipe. Let each colour dry thoroughly before starting on the next one. 

3.      One of my layers used gold paint for a bit of extra sparkle.

4.      Using the positive part of the Chicago Art Foamie set (designed by Nathalie Kalbach for Art Foamies) stamp all around the pages using Titanium white paint.

5.      Using a 4.3/4” square piece of card (I used Fabriano watercolour card) paint it with one of the colours you used in step 2 (I used blue), drop some water on the card while the paint is still wet, and cover it with a piece of paper towel and rub well. Where the water was you will get paler areas.

6.      Repeat step 5 with another paint colour (I used fluorescent pink).

7.      Stamp on the card with a New York buildings foam stamp. I used Nathalie Kalbach’s Urban Scribble set.

8.      Using your gelli plate, black paint, and the Chrysler Building part of Gwen Lafleur's Art Deco Borders stencil with deli paper make several prints of the building till you have two that you are happy with.  I used one first pull and another ghost pull for my spread.

9.      Bring together your art journal spread from step 4, the deli prints from step 7 as well as some of your photographs or pictures from magazines. I cut the Chrysler building out of one of my photos and glued it onto the square card from step 7. I also used a photo I took with the American flag.

10.  Collage it all on the pages using gel medium and an arrangement you’re happy with.

11.  Glue on a quotation. I used one by Walter Chrysler.

12.  Outline the white stamping from step 4, as well as the square and the quotation with a black marker.

13.  Glue on the US postage stamp and add some NY related washi tape. Distress your photograph a bit to blend in with the page. Also stamp on some more buildings from the stamp used in step 7 around the square to make that blend in too.

 (C) Frieda Oxenham 2017. To see more of Frieda's work, please visit her BLOG.