Natalie here today with a super collagey Art Journal Page!
I love a good collage and couldn't wait to create some gorgeous prints using StencilGirl and some vintage papers!
Lets check out a few of the simple steps I used to create some collage papers.
I used a combination of watercolours, distress oxide ink and acrylic paint to sponge, paint and smoosh onto lots of different substrates.
I used dress pattern, dictionary pages and book pages, Tim Holtz collage paper + a variety of gel press prints on deli paper that I pulled from my stash. When they are all torn and overlapping on the page, they fit in beautifully together.
I love the simple effect each created and keeping the colours within a simple palette made them all come together really well.
Once I had all my collage elements ready, I started using gel medium to add them to my page, tearing and overlapping plus adding a little washi tape.
Once it's dry, I swiped a little white paint just to break it up and then finished with a focal point image.
Wild Dreams was inspired by the vivid dreams she has, as a little girl she would wake up and tell her mom of all the adventures that she had been on during her slumber. She still has dreams almost nightly and she can recall a good many of them. She often wakes up and sketches things that she has seen, shapes, images, and people. These organic shapes were inspired by a few of those sketches.
Our hands hold history from all of those before us. Tiffany comes from a long line of makers and she often thinks of how their work has infused her own, even though there are many she never met. This stencil represents the power of what we create within our hands as well as the layers of history, hours of work all crafted into our own styles. It is also symbolic of the inked expressions, the love, and the path where our hands will take us. We can see this stencil being used in so many different and personal ways for a variety of makers.
Hi, everyone! Kathy Cornwell here! For
several months now, I’d been toying with the idea of doing three-dimensional
collage on wood blocks. I like the idea that this two-dimensional medium can become
a 3D, interactive work of art!
First,
I enlisted the help of my sweet husband. He bought some wooden planks at the
hardware store and used his saw to cut a few shapes. Once I saw the shapes and
started playing with them in different arrangements, I started getting very
excited.
The
wood pieces needed to be prepped. Over the course of a weekend, I applied two
layers of Golden GAC 100 and then two layers of gesso (drying between all four
of these layers). Here’s what they looked like at that point:
Then
I painted the sides of the shapes with two layers of neutral grey acrylic
paint. I didn’t want to collage on the edges, so I thought that the neutral
grey would be less jarring than white or black. Finally the shapes were ready
to accept collage.
I
chose these particular stencils and masks because they represented a wide
variety of imagery and would push me to use techniques that I often shy away
from (I’m kind of an all-masks-all-the-time kind of artist, but as well
all know, variety is so important).
I
grabbed my gel plate and my favorite paints and got printing!
Golden OPEN Paints Lead to Fun Results
I
love using Golden brand’s OPEN paints. They have a very slow drying time, which
allows me to take my time while gel printing. The slow drying time can also
allow the stencils to transfer paint from print to print!
For
example, in the photo below, you can see how the stencil transferred quite a
bit of pink paint as I printed a layer of grey paint. The OPEN paint transfers
from the stencils or masks have a unique, mottled texture that I really like.
Did I Discover a New Stencil Technique???
In
recent months, I’ve been having fun making marks with a chenille stem,
otherwise known as a pipe cleaner. Using Golden High-Flow paint, you can use
this tool to paint delicate, thin lines. I just had to try combining this
technique with stencils!
As
you can see in the video below, I placed the stencil down on top of a dried
print that I’d made using that stencil already. I was careful to place the
stencil exactly on top of the print of the shape. This way, the plastic stencil
was serving as a barrier. I painted swirling lines with the chenille stem. When
I removed the stencil, I was very happy to see the results!
Carolyn Dube Would Be Proud
I’m
a big fan of Carolyn Dube. Not only does she help us see that mistakes are opportunities,
but she designs some really cool StencilGirl®
stencils. I was super excited to try her “Arches” stencil and masks.
First, I used the masks in the way that I had
envisioned, and that I had seen in other artists’ projects:
But then one time, the masks all stuck together
with paint as I went to place the arches onto my gel plate. They fell in a
jumbled mass! At first, I thought this was a problem. But once I saw the cool
shapes created by this “random pile of arches” and the negative space that it
creates, I was hooked! Carolyn Dube would be proud of how this OOPS became an
intentional study that I found verry rewarding:
Mixing Things Up
I worked with the intention of creating some
variety. For example, I used some papers that already had some marks on it, I
used music sheets as a base paper, and I alternated opaque paints with
transparent paints.
Putting it All Together
In
the end, I had pages and pages of fun collage fodder. I set out to create
collages for the front and back of each wood shape. Again, I made sure to have
a variety of colors, stencils, and techniques so that the collages will each be
unique—and yet still be cohesive.
I
had a ball creating these collages, and I’m happy with the results! Which one
is your favorite? I’d love it if you let me know in the comments!
Now
I’m having fun arranging and rearranging my collage blocks. I’ll enjoy watching
my studio visitors play with this interactive work of art.
I
hope you’ve found this post interesting and inspiring. I’m a printmaker and
mixed media artist based in Virginia, USA. Come say hi on Instagram @kathy.cornwell.art or visit me at www.KathyCornwell.com.
