Cue the Standing Ovation for Our 2017-18 Creative Team

Hello all, this is Mary Beth. When I first started StencilGirl®, I had never even heard of a Creative Team. Back in those early days, we had a few people, many were students or friends of mine, some have since become artists for SGP. We handed out stencils and hoped that people would use them.
These days, our Creative Team is a much bigger deal in that we require applications and it's all very official-like with requirements and deadlines. 

As we say goodbye to this year's team, I count my blessings for their dedication and talent. I have enjoyed the Blog Posts immensely and continue to be astonished at the sheer genius exhibited by these girls! Every member of our Team is a rock star and I am grateful for the clever projects you all have put forth. Thank you for being part of SGP and for using our stencils is such inspiring ways. I wish all of you much success with your artistic path and will enjoy watching your journey for years to come. 
Cheers,
Mary Beth

Please cue the applause and a standing ovation!

Carol Baxter here. I must take this opportunity to thank the members of our outbound 2017-18 StencilGirl® Creative Team for their time and talent and making my job nudging them a blast!

I read and answer a ton of email but there are none I anticipate more than, my post is up or my pictures are attached. 

Let me tell you, it is like getting to peek at presents each week. 

Below, I have chosen my favorite Creative Team projects, in no particular order. You can click the link of the pic to see the post that goes with the art.

Torrie Gass aka Fox + Hazel's Vibrant Vibe

Torrie, your art vibrates with imaginative joy.

When I look at Jungle Vibez I keep expecting the leaves and vines  to part and leave me staring at a tiger!

Debi Adams' Valentine Cards

Layers and details and love, oh my! Debi, you've shown us how precision meets fun.

Your cards are mini works of art, I mean heart, I mean art, I mean heart .....

Sandee Setliff's Story Telling

Sandee, divining the story or message in your art makes me want to write fairy tales. 

The softness with which you use color is so intriguing.

Kiala Givehand's Beautiful Simplicity

Kiala, you show new stencilers a place to begin and more advanced stencilers a way to relax.

Breathe. Stencil. Repeat.

Louise Nelson's Weeping Forest

Louise, you have a style all your own and its darkness and light are equally enchanting. 

I like the way your imagination stretches.

Cindy Gilstrap aka Junque Art's Sheer Delight

Cindy, I nabbed Flowers in Her Hair and she was my screensaver because it, like all your creative work, is so effervescent. 

Sherry Canino's Fabulous Videos

Sherry, the way you explain stenciling techniques so effortlessly in your videos make me, and I am sure others, want to try new ways to make art.

I especially like it when you make tags. They are gifts in and of themselves-- no need to open any package!

Karen Gaunt's Delightful Art Journaling

Karen, I can tell that for you, art journaling is a way of life. 

You inspire me to work beyond the paint and page and grab a collage element or three.

Belen Sotelo aka Art & Whimsy's Rolodex Cards

Ah, whimsical Belen. If I still worked in a "real" office I would definitely need to color code my contact cards.

Expecting the unexpected art project is pure pleasure.

Tina Walker's Mixed Media Madness

Tina, I can never guess what you will transform into a work of art. Will you ice dye a scarf? Make a doll? Play in your art journal? Add texture to a found object?

My fave project of yours is whatever your muse is urging you to make next.

Kiala, Sherry, and Debi, I have met you face to face and it was my honor. 

Torrie, Sandee, Louise, Cindy, Karen, Tina, and Belen, I sure hope to cross paths with you on this artistic journey we call life!

I was so fortunate to be able to work with each of you!

Wishing you more art products than your studio can hold and all the time you crave to make art,

Carol Baxter

StencilGirl® Creative Team Manager

A Fossil Fish, a Cactus, and X & Os stencils got together...

Carol Baxter here wishing you a fabulous TBT.

I hope our CreativeTeam members inspire you as much as they do me! Torrie Gass has made a moody art journal spread and Belen Sotelo shares a quick tutorial on cutting a rubber stamp from a stencil for you today.

Swimming in Torrie's Art Journal

Torrie writes: As soon as I saw this Fossil Fish Stencil, I knew I wanted to create a moody art journal spread with it in deep blue waters. 

It struck me as a bit spooky so I ran with the dark theme, with a few neon hits to lighten things up. After stencilling, I went over the image with a black fine tip pen, and added more details with gel pencils, graphite and fluorescent paint markers. It's the perfect spread to me -a little dark & moody, but not too sombre. :)

Intentional Tags by Belen, Art & Whimsy

Stencils are versatile and can be used for more than just stenciling. With a pencil, some carving material, & a carving tool you can create stamps, in just a few minutes, that will help add loads of texture to your projects. The carved stamps can then be used with both ink and paint. They work great on fabric too!
xo, Belen

The X and Os stencil by Andrew Borloz is pictured.

Carol's Cactus Flower

Carol again. One of the wonderful things about stencils is they allow you to enjoy making art that is simple or complex, art that pleases you no matter your skill level. 

If you don’t realize how relaxing art journaling can be, I recommend you try it. My hubby was watching something on TV I didn't care about but I wanted to be in the same room so, I brought a stencil and a few pens to to kitchen table.

Cactus Flower Stencil ~ Daniella Wool

I traced Daniella’s Cactus Flower Stencil with a purple glittery gel pens then I made hash marks in purple to further show the edge of the petals. That bored me, so I added glittery green spines.

Next, I thought about breaking out the watercolors I have yet to play with, but I was working on mixed media paper, so I went for the Inktense pencils instead. (I really like these a lot and I think they’d be easier to travel with than bottles of acrylics, t least until I decide I must have ALL 72 colors.) I scribbled loosely with the 3 colors of green my set came with then applied a bit of water. Low and behold, the gel pens ran. How freaking cool is that?!? 

I am pleased to call this page done. Of course it's my prerogative to change my mind later!

I think I will try this stencil with watercolors next. Or maybe cut pieces of vintage paper to fit some of the big petals/leaves, maybe with the petals lifting off the page. I also think this stencil has wonderful edges to follow for writing, don’t you?

Oh! Daniella Woolf also designed a small Succulents Stencil that pairs nicely with her Cactus Flower.

Belen, Torrie and I thank you for reading and hope you have some new ideas for your own stencil play!

You're A Star Mixed Media Tag

Hello friends!

It's Torrie here, from Fox + Hazel, with a really fun resist method using embossing powder and watercolors. Tags are something I'm just starting to work, as I'm normally either in a journal or on a canvas, but these small pieces of art are so much fun!

I created this tag using Cat Kerr's Starlight Starbright stencil. I just love the hand-carved design of all her stencils and find myself coming back to them again & again.

I wasn't completeley sure where I was going with this piece, but my starting point was Cat's stencil and a large black tag. I create very intuitively, so, the rest of the process was just whatever I felt like the tag needed next!

You can watch my entire creating process while I chat (maybe it's more rambling than chatting?!) in the video below:

Thanks so much for checking out this project! 

xo,

Torrie

New Year Art Journal Page + Free Desktop Wallpaper

Hi friends! It's Torrie here from Fox + Hazel for another Team Tuesday! I wanted to share this art journal page I created to usher in the new year and to celebrate all the possibilities! I normally go for a lot of color, but I kept this spread soft & minimal. I wanted to channel the desire of focus and calm for 2018 for me.

So let's check out how I made this page!

I started by mixing some soft acrylic paints in lavender and light blues with some matte medium to create a glazing effect. The substrate I'm using is some 140 lb watercolor paper, because I knew I wanted to use water in this spread. I kept layering and working until I was happy with the page!

Next, I used Organized Chaos by Cat Kerr to add some texture to my background. I liked the idea of a subtle star like pattern in the background, and this stencil was perfect for that!

When I planned this art journal page, I envisioned the moon phases framing the top and bottom of it. For this element I used Carved Moon Phases by Cat Kerr with Prussian Blue and actually reversed the stencil from how it is cut. I stenciled one half of the moon phases, then moved the stencil over and continued.

There wasn't enough stars happening, so I used Sun & Moon by Cathy Nichols to add some delicate stars spattered around the page.

Lastly I added some more details using a while gel pen. I then used a black fountain pen to write my sentiment "New year, new chances" and add some more stars and doodles to complete the page!

It was a relaxing and fun page to make. It's more minimal than my usual style, but I love the calming vibe it's giving off!

You can find all the stencils I used on this page right below!

Carved Moon Phases by Cat Kerr 

Organized Chaos by Cat Kerr 

 Sun & Moon by Cathy Nichols

And as a fun added bonus I turned this page into a desktop wallpaper that you can download for your computer! I love having art on my desktop, so of course, I wanted to share with you!

You can head over to my blog, Fox + Hazel, to download your free desktop wallpaper!