Cecilia Swatton designed Fire Cherries Maskto celebrate a glimpse of nature; from beds of
sensuously curved leaves, clustered berries reach for the sun. "My favorite approach with this mask is to develop
layered paintings using it in combination with Winter Berries
Mask L677and/or Longwood Florals
Mask L675," Cecilia says.
Shel C’s Desert Sights ATC Mixup Stencil was inspired by the beautiful shapes in the sights she sees around her desert home – great rock formations like the Coyote Buttes on the Arizona border, the gorgeous sandstone monoliths at Sedona, and the totem cactus, ocotillo, and blooming agave in her backyard.
Shel says, “Even the ovals shadows made by the river gravel of the landscaping are interesting! I just love to open my eyes up wide and see the beauty of Nature around me.”
The Circle of Flowers Stencil by Jennifer Evans is a sweet
wreath you can paint as is with watercolors or acrylics. Use it for greeting
cards, tags, or bookplates. It makes a pretty focal point in an art journal.
Make beautiful art journal pages or cards with these desert plantinspireddesigns
by Shel C.
Shel says, "Everywhere you look in the beautiful Sonoran Desert you see interesting shapes in plants that you will want to bring to your art. Spiky triangles, sinuous long tear drops, lots of circles and ovals and even the occasional heart shape."
The Cactus Garden Stencil has lots of desert-loving plants to add amazing patterns to your art. Everything from the towering and endangered saguaro cactus to fun and spiky ocotillos. There are prickly pear growing wild everywhere and barrel cactus blooming out in front. Even some succulents like agave and aloe are in the design. You can use the cactuses individually or all together with your watercolor paints, pastels, or gel plate.
While hiking in the Catalina mountains, Shel came upon a trail meandering to the left with a line of saguaros going along the edge of the ridge. There was a bench at the top to sit and take in the sun rising over the mountains creating beautiful warm colors.
Shel says, "It was something to recreate in my art and I hope you will use this Saguaro Scene Stencil to create something beautiful too!"
Shel sounds excited as she stencils with
Pan Pastels, Alcohol Inks & Acrylics
Order stencils from the Cactus Collection and discover more about Shel C.
Throughout the unexpected hardships of this past year, these skilled artists put stencils and paint to the surfaces of fabric, paper, wood, and plastic, sharing art projects filled with beauty and grace.
They are the real deal and let their love of art shine brightly for all to partake.
I'm Carol Baxter and I am privileged to manage the team. If you have been reading StencilGirl Talk for the past year, you may be able to match the artwork in the thumbnails below to one of our talented Creative Team members.
Did you guess? A) Sunila & Aditi Mahajan aka Dots 2 Lines, B) Linda Edkins Wyatt, C) Sue Plumb, D) Shel C, E) Peg Robinson, F) Natalie May, G) Geri Beam, and H) Wendy Baysa.
Here's a recap of my favorite projects from each of them. Don't worry. The stencil project links open in new windows so you won't miss a post as you dive into art.
Art journaling and scrapbooking together, Sunila & Aditi Mahajan are the mother and daughter duo who bring us stenciled projects replete with layers bursting off the surface. Their Shadowbox Keyholder is a lovely example of their art.
Prancing hooves, the caress of butterfly wings, a tulip on fire with color, and clown to gather it all in. Linda Edkins Wyatt has a gift for color as you'll see in her art but Circus 19 Dream: A Mixed Media Pastiche is a fine composition.
I do believe I would recognize Sue Plumb's style in a blind show. I finally had to toss a coin between what I finally chose and Art is Good for You because projects for StencilGirl made choosing a fave practically impossible. Graceful blooms adorn many of Sue's artworks but I think the way she treated a single stencil as the focal in The Real Deal is magical. Her process is stepped out beautifully too.
When asked to interpret a theme, I felt pure delight to open an email and find out what the duo of Shel C and Peg Robinson (Art Joy of Sharing) dreamed up using the same stencils.
One of the best things about looking at art is falling in love with the details, how Peg Robinson was able to make me feel as if the heart was paused between beats by the way she shaded and texturized it in her art journal spread. Check out Passages - Doors to New Experiences.
We Carry You, Natalie May's homage to her grandmother moved me to tears. I love the idea of writing a little story on the back of artwork such as this so when it is handed down it sparks even more memories. Get carried away here.
My Pastiche by Wendy Baysa is Wendy doing Wendy and I applaud her! There's a lot of fun to take in as you soar through her art journal spread that gives the viewer permission to grow and isn't that one of the pleasures of art journaling?
Mary Beth Shaw and I give our heartfelt thanks to Sunila, Aditi, Sue, Shel, Peg, Geri, Wendy, Nat, and Linda for always bringing their A-Game.
You'll see them back as StencilGirl Talk guests!
Happily, you can always find them creating something new on their own platforms.
It’s Peg and Shel. We are so glad you found us today! Let's talk about masks.
Shel says, "Rather than thinking about face coverings like we did all of 2020, or making masquerade masks or Mardi Gras masks, or even talking about the figurative masks we all hide behind in our daily lives. Peg and I decided to talk about the definition and unique properties of 'stencil masks'.
We get LOTS of questions and need for clarifications between what is a stencil vs what is a mask. I like to describe it this way. Think of a stained glass window. The stencil is the black part. The mask is the colors. Inny vs outy. And masks are probably my favorite type of stencil! So I made a quick and easy art journal page using several of my favorite masks from some favorite designers like Trish McKinney, Valerie Sodjin, and Traci Bautista.
Peg is glad you are here because she wants to share a canvas painting she did using Stencil Masks from StencilGirl®. Both Shel and Peg love masks and These are some of the best we have seen.
For the canvas, the masks are all are designed by Trish McKenney and have the look of all things found in nature, intertwining vines and leaves. So beautiful!
Peg used the large wisteria mask to create the background and filled in with a few dripping moss masks. She followed up with a club set of leaf masks to create the grapevine look. using the leaf masks she then added outlines in white to enhance their visibility on the canvas.
Then several layers of iZink glazes were used to add depth and additional color.
If you don't like the shiny surface that you achieve using the glazes, add matte medium to the surface. I happen to like it on this piece although it make it hard to take pictures. Anyway, it would be fun to try this using different colors and make a seasonal choice in a spring and summer pallet.
Here is a short video shot in the studio while working on this.
Our world is a different place these days. With so much going on outside our homes we wondered...what do YOU need in your daily attire to feel dressed to go outside your house?
One thing that is very new, but very important, is a face covering or mask. So, if you have to wear it why not make it beautiful? With a few great StencilGirl stencils and some paint, you have the tools to make it so! It’s also fun to have a few extras on hand to hand-out to service people who may visit you at home and forgot to bring a mask. Peg will show you what she is talking about.
Peg chose to use spray media for quick and easy results.
To see the whole process here’s a video showing how these were created:
Shel had a different idea of what she needs to feel dressed..or dressed up..before going out these days. Some of you probably need perfect hair or make-up. Others the exactly coordinated outfit, shoes, and purse. For Shel, she really doesn't feel dressed to go outside without jewelry. Yoga pants and a t-shirt with hair in a ponytail is perfectly fine...but no jewelry? No way! So Shel used some stenciled shrink plastic pieces to make these shiny earrings for going out.
Why shrink plastic you may ask? Well, if you LOVE a StencilGirl stencil design but it is just too big to make something like earrings...why not just shrink it??? An important tip when you are trying to use shrink plastic and make it fit into something that is a certain size is to make yourself a measuring tool. Simply mark a strip of your plastic like a ruler with a permanent pen and then shrink it. Now you have a shrunk ruler that you can measure your bezel with and that gives you the proper size to cut your piece to be stenciled.
Another important thought when using shrink plastic is to remember that the color you stencil on is going to get darker and more intense as it shrinks down. So a pretty red color may look black once shrunk. Use pastel colors and they will be darker when done. Pigment-based ink as well as archival dye ink both work well as do alcohol inks.
A finishing touch is some sort of dimensional sealer or resin to make a shiny level coating on the top. I used a common product, Mod Podge Dimensional Magic, to glue the plastic into the earring bezels as well as adding a layer over the top. A few beads added in the right colors to the hooks and my earrings were done!
Watch how Shel C made these earrings in this video.
Our StencilGirl® Creative Team challenge for this month was to use our stencils to create something pretty to use in our homes. Shel C decided to repurpose a wall clock from her kitchen into a wonderful showpiece that can still keep time! She used some gel print collage and focal point stenciling with acrylic paint colors in payne's grey, light olive, warm grey, and white.
Peg and Shel agreed to use stencils with a botanical theme for this challenge. Shel picked stencils designed by Rae Missigman such as Botanical Stem (L773) and Botanical Wildflowers (L774) Also chose Longwood Florals Mask (L675) and Winter Berries Mask (L677) by Cecilia Swatton. For Shel's clock, she used Alpha Jumble Large (L592) by Carolyn Dube for the numbers.
Peg thought of lots of different ideas for her home decor project but ultimately settled on this one: A beautiful wood cutting board with herbs. The stencil she chose was Herbs (L422) designed by Jessica Sporn.
Here are some helpful tips for working with food-safe materials like a wooden cutting board from Peg.
First, let me give you a few facts. Because I plan to work on a wooden surface that is going to be around food, I wanted to make sure that I gave you good information about safety. Here are the 4 main project types you should consider using a food-safe wood finish on:
Kitchen utensils (bowls, spoons, platters, etc…)
Raw meat prep surfaces (Cutting boards, butcher blocks, etc…)
With that said I have a few recommendations for your products and finish. First, you will want to consider the paint you use. Milk paint is a good choice. I just googled food-safe paint and found quite a few to select from multiple places including Amazon.
What I think is most important is the sealer and I have several suggestions For you about that too.
Shellac
This is a surface sealing, natural finish that comes from the Lac bug. You can bet it’s safe to consume, they coat candy with it after all. Shellac is a film-forming finish and provides good protection from moisture. It leaves a glossy finish if applied thick enough and buffed out.
This one actually hardens as it cures and has water-resistant properties. And contrary to popular belief, pure tung oil does not affect those with “nut” allergies.
Food Grade Beeswax
This literally comes from the honeycomb of honey bees. There is a process used to refine it, but once complete, it’s safe for consumption. It’s commonly used to glaze fruit, as well as in the production of gel capsules and chewing gum. Avoid using it on surfaces that will get hot.
Carnauba Wax
This is plant-based, and is considered safe for consumption because it is inert, non-toxic, and cannot be digested by humans. It’s often used for it’s “Shiny” properties and can be mixed with beeswax to add water-resistance.
Food Grade Mineral Oil
This is a non-toxic, non-drying oil that is commonly used on butcher block tables and cutting boards. It must be re-applied as often as monthly and will become brittle and crack if not maintained, so be sure to keep a bottle on hand.
Raw Linseed Oil
This drying oil comes from flax seeds and offers protection from sun and water damage. It’s not refined so it literally goes from seed to container, to your project. It does however take a really long time to dry, as long as a few weeks, and even up to over a month.
Coconut Oil
This is a food-safe finish good for butcher blocks and cutting boards. Be sure to get the “distilled” so it won’t go rancid.
The main difference between penetrating oil finishes, and surface sealer finishes, is probably pretty obvious. The penetrating oils soak down into the wood and stay inside. They provide less protection, but they are easier to apply, and leave a more natural-looking finish.
A surface sealer, also known as a film finish, remains on the surface and leaves a layer that can be built up for added protection. And as you probably expect, it’s more protective than penetrating finishes.
If you are highly concerned about toxins in things like wood finishes, then you’ll be much more comfortable using the finishes on the list I’ve provided you above.
you can check with your paint center and the FDA for cautions.
so with that out of the way let’s work on our project.
I have created a video for you so you can see the whole process.
