Transparent Layers and Grungy Stencil Marks with Jenny Grant

Hi everyone! I’m Jenny Grant from Studio Flow. When I open one of my handmade art journals, I often begin without a plan. I reach for a few scraps of paper, make a mark, and see what catches my eye. That little bit of not knowing is part of the joy. It gives me space to slow down, recharge, and follow the colors and patterns that make my heart sing. 

For this page, I start with old book pages and then I build up transparent layers of stencil marks, tissue paper, sewing patterns, acrylic ink and gold. I use small sections of different stencils and let the patterns overlap, so the marks become something new. Some layers cover what comes before, while others let parts of the collage and layers underneath show through. 

List of supplies 

● One of my Book of Flows - an handmade art journal 

● Old book pages, tissue paper and old sewing patterns 

● Acrylic Paint: Van Dyke Brown, Payne’s Grey, Green Gold, Gold and White 

● Acrylic ink: Flame Orange and Muted Pink 

● Liquitex Matt Medium 

● StencilGirl® stencils: 

    ○ What’s the Point? (L182) 

    ○ Douro Valley Tile (S932) 

    ○ Lisbon Tile (S933) 

    ○ Porto Tile (S934) 

    ○ Fragments in Motion (LL1070) 

● A hard tool such as a Palette Knife. You can use a credit card or a wedge. 

● Makeup sponge 

● Recycled plastic lid to use as palette 

● A Rag and a Spray Bottle 

Step 1: Start with paper collage 

I work in one of my handmade art journals. I begin by collaging old book pages onto the page. I use Matt Medium and my favourite palette knife (you can use a credit card or wedge) to get all the bubbles out. I love the words, pictures and paper edges become part of the background. 

Step 2: Add gold paint 

Next, I add some gold paint over parts of the collage with a palette knife. It isn’t a transparent paint, but I apply it so that much of the background can still show through. 

Step 3: Build the first stencil layers 

Next I add stencil marks with acrylic paint. I use a mix of Van Dyke Brown, Payne’s Grey, and Green Gold and I apply the paint with a dry MakeUp sponge. I keep the paint layers very thin and mix the colors so they fade into one another. 

Rather than use a whole stencil design, I choose small sections and combine marks from different stencils. This helps the designs come together as new, grungy patterns. I love the collage and gold showing through the marks. 

Step 4: Add tissue paper and sewing patterns 

After the first stencil layers, I add tissue paper and pieces of old sewing patterns. They bring texture and some pattern into the page while being transparent so the earlier layers are visible through. It creates an amazing depth and texture. 

Step 5: Bring in color with acrylic ink 

Now it is time to add some colors and I am doing that with acrylic ink. I use Flame Orange and Muted Pink to create a warm palette. The ink is very transparent, so it brings color to the page while letting the layers underneath remain visible. I add and take away to create the color and transparency that I like. Then I let the page dry. 

Step 6: Add light stencil marks and finishing touches in gold 

For my next stencil layer, I want to add some contrasting marks in white. But instead of using just white I mix a little of the Flame Orange and Muted Pink ink into the white acrylic paint. I apply the tinted white through the stencils. The marks vary across the page, with some staying transparent and some becoming more opaque. I add and take away to create depth and grunge. I really like the flowers so I keep adding more of them. 

To create some more contrast I add dark dots using the same dark colors as the first stencil layer, and then I finish off with a layer of gold. This makes the pages come alive when light hits them. 

Let the layers lead 

I love taking time to play this way. I can relax, follow what I’m seeing, and do more of what I enjoy. I don’t need to know what the page will become, or worry about whether the result is beautiful. The time spent playing with the materials is the important part. 

Sometimes I continue and add a face onto my background but this time I just let it be finished… at least for now. Playing with transparent layers is so fun. Nothing is covered up. Every layer is visible and gives the piece depth and history. Just relax and play with the layers. See what happens as you go. There’s no need to have a plan. Just go with the flow. 

Watch the process 

You can watch the full process in the video below.

 

Guest Designer: Jenny Grant

Hello creative souls!
I am Jenny Grant, and I am so excited to be here and share my grungy world of mixed media art with you!

One of the pitfalls when working with mixed media is to buy loads of art supplies and then not use them. Trust me, there are so many fun things to buy, BUT you can get a long way with just a few supplies, everyday items that you can use as tools and, of course, plenty of scraps. I always think about who I buy my art supplies from. I want my hard-earned money to not only give me good products but that the money ends up with someone that I want to give them to. This is the reason why I buy my stencils from StencilGirl®.

Here is the list of the supplies that I use in this video:

 

•       A canvas board, size 8”x8” (20x20cm)

•       Acrylic modeling paste. I use Liquitex.

•        Acrylic Paint I use white, Black, Van Dyke Brown and Light Gold.

•       Acrylic Ink I use Oxide Yellow, Deep Violet and Sepia.

•       A Palette knife

•       Sand paper

•       A couple of paint brushes

•       StencilGirl® Loopy Leafy Vines Background

•       Water spray bottle, old plastic lids, a makeup sponge and a rag

 

I start with adding some dark contrasting marks with Acrylic Paint and the StencilGirl® stencil. These marks will show in the background of my next layers and give a great depth to my design. I am using a mix of Van Dyke Brown and Black.

In this step I add modeling paste through my stencil. A thin layer put on with the help of my palette knife. 

 

When the modeling paste is totally dry, I sand it down to a very smooth surface. This is recommended to do outside. This step is needed to achieve the effect I am after in my last step. Make sure that all dust is brushed off before next step.

In this step I tint the modeling paste with a light color wash. I add Acrylic Ink (Oxide Yellow and Deep Purple) and some White Acrylic Paint. Some modeling pastes are easier to tint than others. I use Liquitex that I find works really well.

In this step I add dark Acrylic Ink (Sepia). I add it to the grooves of the modeling paste and try to get it to run along the modeling paste to give the design an outline. I love that I cannot control this process and I looooove the drips and grunge that it adds to my design.

The Final Touches are created with Acrylic Paint. I add VERY LITTLE paint to my palette knife and use the knife flat against the modeling paste to grunge the surface of the modeling paste. I first apply a dark layer and then a metallic layer (gold). This is not possible to do if you do not sand your modeling paste to a smooth surface.

I hope you enjoyed the process and that you got inspired to jump in and use your StencilGirl® stencils.
Jenny Grant

Jenny Grant is a mixed media artist working with her art business full time. She has found the magic creative spark within herself and she is on a mission to inspire and guide others to explore theirs.  She does this through her art, her online workshops and her in-person workshops around the world. Jenny loves painting big but she is also addicted to Art Journaling. She paint in many layers and her work is very rich with many layers that add depth and texture to her work.  There are no limits, nothing is wrong and there are no mistakes. The process is the fun! Being creative allows her to explore herself, to let go and it helps her to be here and now. Her base is her studio, Studio Flow, just north of Stockholm in Sweden.

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www.jennygrantart.com