Exploring Cyanotypes with Kecia Deveney

Last week I took a 2-day class on using cyanotype fabric sheets. I dabbled in the medium last summer and really enjoyed experimenting with it. When I really embrace a process, I like to research it more to get a good idea of the possibilities. I had a great time watching videos and reading up on cyanotype. 

 

Cyanotype is a photographic printing process dating back to 1842. Once the medium is applied to fabric or paper (or you can order pretreated sheets), It is then placed in the sun and a chemical process occurs between the UV rays and the synthetic treatment. 

 

So many fun things can be used to create an image, such as botanicals, negatives, flat objects ( or slightly dimensional), and more. One of the things that caught my eye was to try stencils. So of course, I got very excited about experimenting with those. 

 

On a pretreated cyanotype fabric sheet, I placed a face stencil by Pam Carriker, a botanical image by Flora Bowley, and a flower by Traci Bautista. I laid it out in a way to create a scene that I knew I would later develop with embroidery floss. On the second sheet of pre-treated fabric, I laid out the four sacred hearts stencil by Laurie Mika. It was my intention to cut one of those out and add It as a separate layer to the final piece. 

After about 15 minutes, in good sunlight, your piece will be developed and ready for a rinse in bleach water. It’s the bleach water that really heightens the blue colors. From there you rinse well in clean water and dry. 

 

Once my fabric was dry, I ironed it and in my mind began developing ideas. I was working with some limitations with the main color being all blue, so I decided to make a limited palette of blue, white, and rust colors. I also knew it would become a wall hanging. I set about hand stitching on it and layering it with vintage fabrics.

Once I finished the piece, I decided to add a crystal inside the chrysalis for a double meaning. I am calling the piece, “Pure Energy”. 

Stencils Used: 

Traci Bautista’s - Deconstructed Zinnia Mask & Stencil (S290)

Pam Carriker’s  - Create Face (S646)

Laurie Mika’s - Four Sacred Hearts (L782)

Flora Bowley’s - Chrysalis (L390)

Stenciling with Kecia Deveney

Join me, guest blog host, Kecia Deveney as we play with my new stencil and a few other mixed media techniques to create a simple, yet, fun project upycling a plastic container! 

Supplies used:

• Plastic container to upcycle (I used a pretzel container)
• Spray inks (colors of your choosing)
• StencilGirl® stencil Mystic Unalome L896
• Couple sheets of copy paper or scrap paper
• 1/4 yard of muslin fabric Small scraps of fabric to use around top and bottom edge of container
• Small piece of lace and some ribbon (optional)
• Small amount of gesso or white paint & brush
• Scissors
• Elmer’s glue or modpodge & brush (I water the glue down)
• Embroider floss (any color) and needle (optional
•  Black pens and or white gel pen (optional) 

Come meet our newest designer, Kecia Deveney, and her inaugural launch!

Please join us in welcoming our newest designer, Kecia Deveney, to the StencilGirl® family. Kecia is a published mixed media artist, instructor, and world traveler, living at the Jersey Shore.  As a mixed media artist, her eclectic style can be seen in fabric and textiles, jewelry design, sculpture-work, and painting.  Creating is pivotal to Kecia and becomes, for her, art therapy. Her imagination comes to life and allows her temporary reprieve from her role as a full-time caregiver.  Her work is about ingenuity and playfulness. Kecia travels across the world so she may inspire others to find their own artistic spirits.  

Unalomes are symbols of enlightenment. Historically they are thought to have originated from ancient India and have been found in both Hindu and Buddhist writings. More modernly, they have evolved into sacred body art. 

Artistically Kecia loves to draw them; creating spiritually charged symbols and likes the idea of adding power words to the Unalome to give them a mixed media feel. Kecia's work  incorporates them into paintings, journal pages, making cards, and even embroidery.

 

You can learn more about Kecia at her website keciadeveney.com

Kecia Deveney: Two Wrapping Paper Tutorials with StencilGirl® Products!

Hi, everyone! Kecia Deveney here!

If you are like me, I never seem to have wrapping paper around when I need it. I didn’t have the time to run to the store, so I decided to see what I had on hand and make my own. I got out my stencils, ink sprays and spray paints and some paper. I did a little experimenting as well to see what I liked the best as the end result.

I used two types of paper; brown craft paper (Walmart) and packing paper (Home Depot). I found that the spray paint works really good on the craft paper and packing paper. The ink sprays worked best on the packing paper, although the paper is very thin and the ink can be a tad saturated and wet. But this is a good option because for spray paints, you want to do them outside with good ventilation and wearing a mask and gloves.

Stencils used:

Laurie Mika’s Four Sacred Hearts L782

Traci Bautista’s Deconstructed Zinnia S296

CarolynDube’s Use Your Words L207

I’d recommended that you do this project in advance of using it as wrapping paper since you do want to let it dry. After I sprayed my papers, I hung them on my clothes line to dry out. The packing paper will dry fast. This will also help remove that spray paint odor.  I also ironed my packing paper when it was dry.

Of course you can make papers like this as well to use in your mixed media art or journaling/collage.

I also made my own ribbon with torn scraps of muslin fabric that I scrunched up and ink sprayed. When they dried (also clip to clothes line), I ironed them and then did some marking making with a black sharpie in spots that I felt needed some interest. You can also mark make on your papers in the same fashion.

Thanks for joining me on StencilGirl® Talk today!

Kecia Deveney

http://www.keciadeveney.com

https://www.instagram.com/keciadeveney/