Illustrating Poetry with StencilGirl® Stencils

I am continuing my illustration of the poem by Ben Okri and after last month’s first two lines (As clouds pass above our heads, so time passes through our lives) we will be concentrating our efforts on the next  ones: Where does it go, And when it passes, what do we have to show?. I am again working in the large art journal by ArtbyMarlene. It’s ring-bound so pages can be easily removed and painted on separately. The left hand page for this month’s project is on the back of the page I made last month.  Here are the step by step instructions:

1.      Gesso 2 facing pages in your sketchbook with gold gesso (I used the one by Daniel Smith). I wanted a good covering so added 2 layers using an old credit or hotel card.

2.      Cover the pages with white gesso and then remove some of it through the large stencil from the June 2019 StencilClub, using a baby wipe.

3.      Using the same stencil as in step 2 and a variety of acrylic paints with a cosmetic sponge wedge, add pattern to the pages.

4.      Spray onto the pages still using the stencil from step 2 using a mica spray (I used Lindy’s Star Burst Bling-y-blonde.

5.      Using matte gel medium glue on clock elements from a piece of Stamperia Rice Paper.

6.      Drip on Golden High Flow acrylic paint in fluorescent pink.

7.       Color areas of the pages with Distress Crayons (I used the colors faded jeans, walnut stains and peacock feathers) and remove it through the same stencil from step 2 using a baby wipe.

8.      Glue on image (mine is by Jacometto, Woman, possibly a nun, between 1475 – 1498) as shown, using a glue stick.

9.      Stencil on the Time related words using Are We There Yet and Timeless with black acrylic paint and a cosmetic wedge.

10.  Add the small dotted circles using the medium stencil from the June 2019 StencilClub, again using black acrylic paint.

11.  Glue on additional clock (Tim Holtz’s collage paper).

12.  Outline letters and some of the black dots with a white permanent marker, and outline the figure and collage clock with a black Stabilo All pencil.

13.  Stencil on the black arrow and the word Time on the clock face added in step 11, using black acrylic paint and Are We There Yet.

14.  Add dots through Starlight  using Titanium White paint and a cosmetic wedge.

15.  Glue on postage stamps as shown. I used American stamps with a clock face on them.

16.  Stamp on the words from the poem by Ben Okri using a selection of alphabet sets and a permanent black ink-pad onto vintage paper. Tear out and glue onto the pages as shown.

17.  Rub the edges of the pages with a vintage colored ink-pad.

18.  Spray here and there with Perfect Pearl Mist (I used Sunflower Sparkle) through the large stencil from the June 2019 StencilClub.

© Frieda Oxenham 2019. To see more of Frieda's work, please visit her BLOG.