Stencil Poetry - "Have You Earned Your Tomorow"

Hi friend. It's Belen with Art & Whimsy here and today I'd like to share an art journal spread inspired by a poem that I enjoy called "Have You Earned Your Tomorrow" by Edgar Guest.

I started with a base layer of inks and acrylic paint over gessoed pages.

I added a layer of gesso in random places to help unify the colors. Once that was done I used various stencils, like this one from the December 2015 exclusive StencilClub kit, and wiped off the gesso with a baby wipe to add great texture.

Deconstructed Della Robbia Cluster

Warped Holes 6 stencil

Next, I added some contrasting color with the Bittersweet Mini stencil.

Next, I used an exclusive trade show stencil by Seth Apter for more texture. Similar stencils are Numbers and Inside Out.

 For my main focal point, I used the Remember Face stencil by Pam Carriker.

To finish it off, I stamped out the title of the poem and added some mark making with the Grid A1 stencil and some markers.

Thank you for following along in my creative process. I hope you enjoy the poem. Belen

"Have You Earned Your Tomorrow"

Is anybody happier because you passed his way?

Does anyone remember that you spoke to him today?

This day is almost over, and its toiling time is through;

Is there anyone to utter now a kindly word of you?

Did you give a cheerful greeting to the friend who came along?

Or a churlish sort of "Howdy" and then vanish in the throng?

Were you selfish pure and simple as you rushed along the way,

Or is someone mighty grateful for a deed you did today?

Can you say tonight, in parting with the days that's slipping fast,

That you helped a single brother of the many that you passed?

Is a single heart rejoicing over what you did or said;

Does a man whose hopes were fading now with courage look ahead?

Did you waste the day, or lose it, was it well or sorely spent?

Did you leave a trail of kindness or a scar of discontent?

As you close your eyes in slumber do you think that He would say,

You have earned one more tomorrow by the work you did today?

  

Happy stenciling!

-Belen

Carry It: Zippered Art Pouch

Hi Friend! If you ask me, you can never have too many art pouches. I use them for my pens, pencils, misc art supplies, even to store and carry smaller stencils. So when I was presented with the Carry It challenge, I just knew it was the perfect opportunity to create another art pouch.

I found a pack of these blank, zippered pouches on Amazon, a while back so I used one of these. I started by taping off the zipper and hardware to keep it paint free.

Next, I busted out my biggest gel plate. This one measures 12x14 and is perfect for a job of this size. I first gave one side a base layer of color by pressing it down onto my gel plate, just as if it was a piece of paper. I did the same thing to the pouch strap.

Then I just flipped it over and painted the other side by pressing it down onto my gel plate again.

With both sides colored, it was time for my favorite step... stenciling! I used the Create Face stencil by Pam Carriker to create my focal point. This stencil measures 6x6 so it was the perfect size for the project.

 After stenciling on the face and hair, I stenciled on the body, using the same stencil. I also added some background texture using the Thicket Background stencil by Trish McKinney.

 To add a little more interest to my art pouch, I used Vintage Typewriter Numbers by Carolyn Dube and Hash Marks by Marybeth Shaw.

To add just a bit more contrast, I used my fave white Sharpie for a little mark making.

Lastly, I stenciled the pouch strap, again using the Thicket Background stencil.

And done! All that was left to do was add a few art supplies and toss my new art pouch into my bag for some art on the go.

Thanks for following along. Wishing you a week full of art and full of whimsy.
xo,
Belen
Art & Whimsy

Love & Friendship Photo Frame Surprise by Belen

Hello friends! I have a fun "What's Old Is New Again" post to share with you today.

February is fast approaching and it's a time to celebrate those special people in our lives. Sure, it's often a wife, husband, life partner... but I think it's also the perfect time to give those besties of ours some love too! I'm talking that special friend that means the world to you. The one that laughs with you, cries with you, and won't bat an eye as you power through a pint of ice cream while you recount the woes of a rough week.

I say we do something nice for them and this is what I'm going to share with you today,

I went to my local Goodwill and stumbled across the perfect item to revamp. It's a friendship photo frame.

It's a good-sized frame of nice quality and I picked it up for just $5.00. Score!

Once I got it home, I took it apart and gave it a good cleaning. Next, I masked off the areas that I wanted to preserve and I gave the mat board a coat of clear gesso.

After letting that dry for a few, I added some color using acrylic and gold gesso.

Next, it was stencil time, my Fave part! I used a lovely copper color of paint with the large stencil from Carol Wiebe's July 2017 Floral Facets StencilClub Set.

Using more of that gold gesso and the Brick Factory stencil by Daniella Woolf I added in some more texture.

Because I'm absolutely wild about Carolyn Dube's Scribble Scratch Handwriting stencil, I added in some of that design using black acrylic and then just used my fingers to add in some solid splotches of color in copper.

All that's left is to add a photo but I didn't want to include that here for fear of ruining the surprise for my friend! Guess we'll have to wait on that, but I do hope that I've managed to inspire you to revamp some of your old belongings or take a stroll through your local thrift store and find some new ones.

Have Fun & Happy Stenciling!
xo, Belen

Stenciled Treat Bags by Belen Sotelo of Art & Whimsy

Hi friends. 

It's getting to be about that time when many of us start decorating for the Fall and with it, one of my favorite holidays, Halloween. Now whether or not you celebrate Halloween, the project I'll be sharing with you today is adaptable for really most any holiday or occasion. I mean who doesn't like treats, right?!

To make these treat bags, I used a gel plate, treat bags that I picked up at my local craft store, some Halloween stickers to seal the bags and of course, StencilGirl® stencils.

Stencils used:
Wolf by Roxanne Coble
Rat and Bat by Roxanne Coble
Hash Marks be MaryBeth Shaw
Soulful Scribbles Dots Dash by Traci Bautista
a CHA edition stencil by Seth Apter (Seth's Numbers is similar) 

The first thing I did was to load up my gel plate with acrylic paints and give my bags some color.

I wanted the color of my bags to be a bit on the lighter side since I was going to add some stenciling to them so I rolled a very light layer of a lighter color acrylic onto my gel plate and gave my treat bags another coat. This helped tie the other colors together.

Next, it was time to add some stenciling. This is my favorite part!

I love how the Rat and Bat stencil has the outline as well as the skelature.

Once all the stenciling work was done, I added some pen work to add more visual interest.

All that was left to do was fill my treat bags and seal them with stickers that I picked up at the craft store.

Thanks for following along, today. Happy Stenciling!
xo, Belen