Megan Whisner Quinlan: September 2021 StencilClub Stencils

Recently I was able to visit a friend, and we had an art playdate. We worked in each other's journals and she handed me her Dylusions Square black journal. I got to peek at her pages and I noticed how amazing they looked on the black backdrop. It allowed the colors to pop and have another kind of value I hadn't really experimented with before. So I have been slowly trying pages on my black journal of the same make and size, and I have been loving the results. Here, I used this month's StencilClub stencil set by Cat Kerr and I loved how they, too, seemed to have some extra dimension. 

I began by using some Dina Wakley Media White gesso to create a background to start from.

I was sure to leave plenty of brush strokes for added texture. 

I then chose Dina Wakley Acrylic Penny to swab through the larger stencil onto my page. 

I kept layering the large stencil over each impression with different muted colors such as white gesso and also Dina Wakley Mineral to add layers. 

I decided to keep playing with the border theme and used a Stabilo All to draw some lines.

I then smudged the lines to give it a grungy look. 

I tore up some painted papers that I actually had left over from Mary Beth's Painted Paper Party class (this class was such a treasure trove). I tore the bits up to add to my focal point. 

I added some Idea-Ology vintage ephemera on top of my bits. 

I was determined to add the flowers since they were such a contrast to the graphic design images, and chose some Dina Wakley Marine Acrylic (my absolute favorite) to add the flowers across the page. I finished off with some paint splatters, and marks. I am definitely a fan of working on these pages and how just a simple switch can allow me to work outside of my usual comfort zone.

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

Hello! My name is Megan Whisner Quinlan. I have been art journaling and book binding for about 20 years. However, I took a 10 year break from paper arts when I had my first 2 children. About 5 years ago, I came back into journaling after some big life changes, including 2 more children. Journaling had always been a part of my life, especially to work things out in life on paper. When I first started out, I really only focused on making books by hand and some basic collage and stamping. I was intimidated by the amazing art journaling artists out there who could create elaborate, mixed media spreads.  When I came back to journaling after such a long break, I decided that I was going to really push myself to learn all the techniques I had been too afraid to try.  Painting and drawing have really allowed me to find so much joy in my creative process, and I now almost exclusively create mixed media every day. I feel excited to have joined the art journaling community and you can find me on Instagram @Megan_Whisner_Quinlan or on Youtube: Megan Whisner Quinlan.