Frieda Oxenham: This Too Shall Pass

February is such a non-descript month. All the festivities from January are safely behind us and spring is still some distance away. Here in the Scottish Borders, February tends to be a grey and wet month with the occasional white (snow) highlight. I usually feel melancholy and sad during this month, and as a reaction my art becomes more colorful because I long for brightness. That’s how this project originated with the faces looking both ways, back towards winter and forwards to spring.

Here is the full step by step tutorial but remember you can do exactly the same using colors as well as stencils that are more to your taste. Don’t get hung up on the fact that you might not have the same supplies. But I must admit that face stencil from the December 2017 StencilClub set is a Must Have as far as I’m concerned! 

1.      Gesso two pages in your art journal. I used a 9 x 9” Bee Paper Mixed Media journal.

2.      Add collage. I used a mix of vintage, wrapping and scrapbook paper. 

3.       Using a variety of Distress Markers, color around and over the collage papers and remove the color through the smallest stencil from December 2015 StencilClub, with a baby wipe.

4.      Do the same thing as in step 3 but this time with paint (I used mainly Fresco paint from PaperArtsy as well as a fluorescent paint) with the stencil mentioned in step 3 as well as the medium stencil from August 2014 StencilClub.

5.      Add some texture by rubber stamping. I used a circle stamp designed by Nathalie Kalbach.
  

6.      Glue on some tissue paper (I used a French text one).

7.      Add even more texture by stenciling some small circles (using the large stencil from December 2017 StencilClub) with white paint.

8.      Do the same as step 7 but with the larger circles from the same stencil.

9.      Using the same stencil again (from step 7) outline the silhouette of the face twice (one in mirror image) with a permanent black marker.

10.  Paint in the faces (I used Radiant Gel by ColourArte).

11.  Add the eyes (I used washi tape by Jane Davenport) and drip some white acrylic ink down the pages from the eyes. I also added more washi tape here and there on the pages. 

12.  Add the text. I used a variety of alphabet stamp sets and stamped on scrapbook paper. I ran the edge of a black permanent ink pad around the edges of each word and then glued them on as shown.

13.  Outline where you prefer using black and white permanent markers.

14.  Edge the pages with the permanent black ink pad.  

(C) Frieda Oxenham 2018. To see more of Frieda's work, please visit her BLOG.

Made By Janet

Hi Stencil Lovers!

Janet here to show you what

I've been doing recently!

This month is the anniversary of my Daily Art Journal and 

I am starting on Book Number 35!

I used Seth Apter's December 2017 StencilClub Kit, Borderlines often this month. 

But also used the November 2015 StencilClub Kit, 

 6 x 6 Write Your Own Story stencil.

Love That Stencil!

Here is the 4 x 4 stencil repeated over and over.

Hello 6 x 6 stencil...

There is such a variety of textures and elements on the 9 x 12 in the set.

Here is the profile, the number 1 and the dot texture...

Along with Planner Winter Symbols 6 and the Curlicue Wide Borders. 

And lots of doodling and coloring.

I repeated another of the design elements to look like bricks here.

I combined lots of the elements as well as the 6 x 6 numbers stencil

from the December 2015 StencilClub kit and some Curlicue Florals.

The faces were a lot of fun using Seth's face profile from the

9x12 StencilClub stencil in this month's kit.

And elsewhere in my studio...

It's #CarveDecember and I was inspired to use some 

stencil designs to carve my own rubberstamps.

I used one of the snowflakes from the Winter Symbols 6 stencil

and the 4x4 stencil from the August 2017 StencilClub kit.

And plenty of stencils have been used in my planner these last several weeks... 

The snowflakes from the Winter Symbols 6 stencil, along with the stamp I cut, 

stickers, washi tape, and other stamps.

This week I used the Planner Words 6 stencil, Classic Stencil Font Alphabet,

Curlicue Wide Borders and the Repetition Stencil.

 That perfect little airplane is from the 6x6 stencil in the

August 2017 StencilClub Kit, . 

Also used is the scallop repeat design from the 

Curlicue Daily Border Starter stencil and Planner Words 6.

Here are the Planner Words 6 numbers and the Curlicue Florals stencil.

Here's to hoping you all have a Merry Christmas,

Happy Holidays and a safe, happy and healthy New Year!

See you next month!

StencilClub Voices are wild for Bordelines

Are you ready to cross borderlines with our Voices for December? Carol Baxter here to introduce our fabulous Voices!

Tina Stanley, Natalie May, Cathy Gray, and Pat Newman surely set their stencils dancing with these intense projects! 

Photo Pocket Scrapbook Spread 

– Tina Lewis Stanley

I am guessing the art journey for many people is rooted in scrapbooking. It's obvious Tina has a lot of fun with her family and had a lot of fun with this spread! Her pages are authentic and exciting.

Blah Blah Blah – Art Journal Page – Natalie May

Natalie May says: "I am a Mark Maker from way back!  I LOVE creating different sorts of marks on all my projects and this stencil made it super easy for me to make some awesome marks in my Art Journal!"

"I have recently invested in a Dina Wakley Mixed Media Journal and I love the different pages that feature in the Journal – although the hessian pages kinda scare the life out of me! The face part of this stencil was the perfect solution! I traced around the edge and then cut out the shape – perfect! Using Heavy Gesso, I used the number portion and repeated it over the hessian before giving it a generous spray with Lindys Stamp Gang Flat Fabio Sprays.  On the next page, I used some fluro paint for my base, then used Distress Oxides and some of the other patterns to create layers. I finished it off with some stamping and a few words from American Crafts before adding some Gesso over the top for more dimension!"

"Best. Stencil. Ever!"

Mixed Media Art – Good Luck & Senses 

– Cathy Gray

Cathy shares exactly how she made these pages on her blog. She separated the large stencil for ease of use.

Art Journal Pages and Spreads – Pat Newman

Betimes the stencils on your work table resonate with your soul. That is what happened to Pat Newman. She couldn't stop. We are showcasing some of her stencil art here and more in an upcoming newsletter.

The image above is a section of Pat's painting and stenciling on 12x12 watercolor paper and then making a scan.

Pat says, "This was the beginning too what I think could be endless."

"The 3 sets of images below are two page spread in my art journal. I tried to speed the drying process with my heat gun and loved how the gold paint bubbled up from the heat, so I bubbled it all. Not sure you can tell by the scan."

Mixed Media Painting

Pat says, "I'm still not sure if this one is complete or not, I think I'd like to see some words or journaling added."

Pat says, "I loved the end result to this one and the interpretation is left up to the viewer."

Recognize Trish McKinney's Flowing Ribbon Swirls stencil, L556? Genius for hair.

Ready to watch Seth's Reveal?

There are so many possibilities with the December 2017 set for StencilClub!  

What will you do with Borderlines?

Happy stenciling,
Carol