Sandee carried a mermaid to the stenciled sea

Hello!

Sandee Setliff here starting off 6 weeks of "Carry It" with the team. I admit it, I am a promotional bag hoarder. I can't help myself, they give them to me and off it goes to my stash. I keep them cause I know I can repaint them and I love that! This is an insulated tote bag, perfect for taking down to the beach to watch the sunset, perhaps with a bottle of wine and some cheese and hopefully spy a mermaid swimming about. 

I began my first making sure any areas that paint can seep through is protected so I slid a piece of cardboard into the pocket and then I began covering over the business logo with gesso. Taping off is a personal preference but it allows me to go faster and not worry about making a mess. 

June Pfaff Daley's Coral Stencil

Once the background was dry I sponged some acrylic paint through June Pfaff Daley's Coral Stencil to get my background set up for my featured image.

Jessica Sporn's Mermaid Stencil and Masks

The mermaid! It's all about her, right? One of my favorite things to do with stencils is to use them as a foundation for what you bring to the table. I like to bring my own creative palette to the table when using stencils and Jessica Sporn's Mermaid Stencil and Masks allows your creativity to soar.

Adding molding paste through the textured bits and bobs can really help achieve some dimension in an otherwise flat piece of art.

Coral Reef stencil by June Pfaff Daley

And the perfect addition is the coordinating Coral Reef stencil by June which creates a fabulous foreground to the Coral stencil. They just complement each other beautifully. 

Using some bright neon colors: Scorching Yellow, Thermal Green and Torrid Orange to really bring that coral reef to life! Again, use a painterly technique to make that stencil your own. (Acrylic Paints by DecoArt)

And my firm belief...there is always room for beads and dangly bits!

Wishing you...

Sandee