Stencils and Wet-Strength Tissue -- Plus, a 2-Week Sale of all my Stencils!

I, Cecilia Swatton, have a studio strewn with stencils!

Scanning the room, I often catch sight of a stencil that snags my attention in a whole new way.  That’s the beauty of stencils. Their very designs can launch experiments and adventures! 

Today, two stencils stand out -- L879 (Fire Cherries Mask) and L652 (Garden Montage.)

Now, an idea for abstract collage is floating in my head.  But what’s a good base?  Canvas board.

How to make prints?   Addiction to circular shapes tells me to use two round gel plates – an 8-inch and a 5-inch. 

Which color scheme?  Not pure primaries from the color wheel, but a variation that checks all three boxes -- pale yellow-beige, muted blue and a blend of metallic copper with oxide reds.

What to print on?  My passion for thin papers makes that decision!   I try everything -- teabag, abaca, mulberry, kuzu and others – but above all, I love Carnival brand wet-strength tissue.  (Other brands, though described as “wet strength,” have disappointed me.)

Stencil-printed wet-strength tissue enchants artists!  This paper becomes translucent, nearly transparent, when glued to a surface with clear-drying adhesive.  Like magic, this sturdy paper lets artists indulge in layering with results hard to achieve any other way.  Imagine layering stencil-printed veils over other stencil-printed papers, or over opaque papers, or over painted backgrounds. No, that’s not all!  There’s a fun trick of embedding thin objects under the tissue -- like die-cut paper shapes, or even cut-up pieces of paint-stained stencils.  (You can always buy new stencils to replace the cut-up ones!  LOL)

In an art journal, glue-sticks work perfectly with stencil-printed wet strength tissue.  For larger, stand-alone artworks, I use acrylic gloss medium or Nori paste, depending on the project.  Liquid acrylic gloss medium works with these tissues, whereas heavier papers work better with extra-heavy gel medium.

I’ve used every type of acrylic paint with gel plates, but for today’s project, I choose Golden High Flows.  They work somewhat like acrylic inks, although they themselves are not inks.

Preparing for the first pull, I use a rubber brayer to spread a thin layer of color over a gel plate.   Then I press L879 into the wet paint. 

 

Atop the stencil, I place wet-strength tissue, pressing it evenly across the plate with a baren. (Hand pressure works too.) 

  

Although some artists remove the stencil before doing the first pull, my approach is to do the first pull while the stencil is still on the plate.  A first pull makes a dark print. 

After lifting off the stencil, I do a second pull, a “ghost print.” 

Here are today's two stencils next to prints I've made with them--

I make lots of prints, more than I’ll need for each project.  This gives me multiple choices for papers to “audition.”

Note:  Be sure to check both sides of each stencil-printed tissue.  Sometimes the flip side holds more appeal!  In some areas of a collage, subtle elements have charm, and one easy way to create this visual charm is to use the “back” side of a printed tissue.  You’ll be surprised!

With scissors and hole punches, I cut into my prints to create shapes.  When using a hole punch with wet-strength tissue, I place the tissue on a “carrier sheet” of printer paper, to make sure the circle of tissue will emerge without snagging. 

Now comes “auditioning,” as I experiment with arrangements opaque “found papers.”  

The first few papers being auditioned.

Opaque papers usually go down first, helping me start building a “backbone” of composition.

Auditions at a later stage of assembly.

In the finished piece, most or all of my "found papers" will be veiled beneath stencil-printed wet-strength papers.

While working toward a composition that I’ll like, I shift the positions of the papers and take photos as I go. For me, it’s helpful to get visual feedback from my camera.  It’s like a second pair of eyes, helping me see more clearly what’s how the artwork is moving forward.  Some auditioned papers “don’t make the cut” so they go into a pile for future projects.

When gluing papers down, I place waxed deli paper over the papers while they are still moist with adhesive, then go over the deli paper with a rubber brayer.  This removes excess adhesive since it will stick to the deli paper.  And it helps stop wrinkles from forming. 

 

As I close in on final stages of this project, I continue to “audition” papers, but at this point I’m very choosy, so I’m fine-tuning with small paper shapes.

For fine-tuning, I use a trick taught by Kasia Clarke, whose online classes I highly recommend.  Working with wet-strength tissue gives an artist the advantage of spritzing the tissue lightly with water...

This trick lets the artist temporarily glue the bit of tissue to the composition, testing to see what it looks like next to, or atop, papers already glued down.  If the temporary “gluing” satisfies me, that paper gets coated with permanent adhesive to become part of the collage.

The final collage.

Having reached resolution on this collage, I notice -- too late! -- that I could have embedded more bits under some of the stencil-printed tissues.  There’s always a next time!

Take a tour of your own art-making space to seek out inspiration waiting for your discovery! Ideas are waiting there – not only the designs of your stencils, but even the color mixes that stain them.  Grab those eye-catchers start playing.  Surprises and joy await you!

For 2 weeks, today's stencils -- along with all my other stencils -- will be on sale!  Here's the coupon code -- CRS20.  Use this code to get 20 percent off!  

Shop here -- http://www.stencilgirlproducts.com/category-s/1832.htm

Thank you!

Cecilia

#stencilARTjoy

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Supplies I used for today’s project:

L879 (Fire Cherries Mask)

L652 (Garden Montage)

Carnival wet-strength tissue (I buy it at Amazon.)

Waxed deli paper

“Found” papers

Die-cut papers

Baren

Rubber brayer

Clear-drying adhesive and its applicator brush

Scissors

Hole punch

Gel plates

Canvas board

and

Golden High Flow Ultramarine Blue , Carbon Black, Titan Buff, Diarylide Yellow, Transparent Red Iron Oxide, Transparent Brown Iron Oxide; Amsterdam acrylic ink – “metallic” copper.  Titan Buff and Carbon Black are used to lighten or darken the values of the other colors.