New Masks from Kelly Cameron!

                                  Elizabethan Lizard (L939)

I have always loved to doodle and it seems like the tinier and the more painstaking the doodle, the better. I like to draw things that people feel are impossible to draw. I tend to design my stencils and masks in the same manner. I have to work hard at not getting carried away! The edges of this piece are really fun to play with because no two edges are the same and the detail is incredible. Because of the size of the cut-out spaces, tissue paper works really well with this.

 

If you hold the stencil a certain way it looks like a crazy decked-out lizard on wheels, turn it around enough times and you’ll see it too!

Music to My Eyes (L940)

When creating this design, I began with a musical note and took great care to keep all of the marks at the same thickness and slant. The result is “Music to My Eyes”, an excellent, soft design with beautiful edges. Whether you are just celebrating the bold ovals and lines like the sample card shown, or want to focus on the musical note part of the design, this is a fun and versatile tool! 

 

One additional thought - I love a stencil or mask that is easy to clean. This design is one that cleans easily with no tiny fragile parts sticking up! I hope to grow out of my tendency to clean my stencils every time, but until then this is an added bonus. So this really IS “Music to My Eyes!” I hope you enjoy this design as much as I do!

Kelly's designs are available now at stencilgirlproducts.com

Please Join us in Welcoming New Designer, Jane Monteith!

Jane Monteith is a resin and encaustic artist, author, and entrepreneur from Ontario, Canada. She has been a creative type for as long as she can remember. After ditching the business attire of the corporate and non-profit sectors in pursuit of her passion, Jane ran her own mural design business for more than a decade, painting logos and mascots on school gym crash mats. Now, she runs an online art business and offers online classes for aspiring artists and artist entrepreneurs. She can be found at her website www.taelife.com, her Instagram @janelovesdesign, or her podcast, The Curious Creator.

Pebble Path (L927)

This simple stencil is inspired by small stones and pebbles found in everyday nature and paths of small crushed stones beneath our feet and layers upon layers of earthy textures.

Rooted Rock (L928)

Inspired by nature and rock formation. This stencil is split with a solid formation rising up to simple stones that stack on top of one another. The solid boulder rocks represent the foundation and structure beneath the ground for the smaller stones to lay.

Stone Stack (L929)

Inspired by my love of nature and rocks. This stencil encompasses much of my art style and the simplicity of it. I love the oval-style smooth curves found in natural stones one would find on the beach washed over by the sea's saltwater. 

Kintsugi (L930)

Inspired by the Japanese art of Kintsugi and repairing broken pottery. This stencil has intricate lines and details that are reminiscent of the Japanese process. Layered with my love of iridescent gold, it's inspirational and beautiful to use and incorporate with many art mediums. 

Winter Wood (L931)

This stencil is inspired by my walks in nature and the tall trees found within the trails behind my house that are dappled with sunlight. But inspiration is endless and when this stencil is turned vertically, other patterns and interpretations can be recreated.

Happy Stars Clipboard - Mark Making for Additional Depth by Claudia

Hi, servus and thanks so much for stopping by! This month's theme over here at the StencilGirl Talk blog is "Texture it or Make Marks on it" and I immediately had some of my favorite StencilGirl® stencils in mind that I wanted to use for indulging in some heavy mark-making  ;)

Mark making is something I especially love as it adds a lot of depth and interest to almost any project you can think of - and with the right stencils at hand, it always is a very enjoyable thing to do. It is so rewarding when you take off the stencil you have just used to find how a bit of mark making has turned a rather flat design into something lively and so much more interesting. 

I had this lovely (and true) quote stencil from the Stencil Club Playtime Collection 

designed by Carolyn Dube in my stash and I knew together with her gorgeous Stars Inspired by Matisse stencil I wanted to alter a cheap MDF clipboard kit from the dollar store and turn it into a fun and uplifting looking organizing tool for my studio desk. 

Alongside, some more of my favorite mark-making stencils designed by Mary Beth Shaw,

Seth Apter and one stencil from their genius Shaw - Apter Mash Up! Stencil Club collection released in January this year I created a fun layer of marks on top of my happy stars which made them look as if they were floating in a rainbow icecream colored sky. 

I have done a video this time that shows the whole process from (almost the) beginning to the very end - only the how-to of the very base layer is missing (due to me obviously hitting the record button twice instead of once and this way just filming one second of it...*rolling eyes). But that step is quite easy and quickly explained - and I found pictures from another project where I used this technique: 

First I apply dots of acrylic paints directly from the bottles or paint tubes onto my substrate...

...and then I use the edge of an old plastic card to drag the paint from the dots across the whole surface in horizontal moves only. The trick is to not repeat that dragging motion more often than two to three times in the same spot so the colors do not mix too much (which will create a muddy color tone)! 

If you find you do not like the result you can still add more dots of paint on top (once the first layer has dried) and repeat the process until you are content with the look. On my clipboard here I used a lot of Titanium White to get pastel color tones. 

On my clipboard, I have used DecoArt Americana acrylic paints: Titanium White, Lamp Black, Sea Breeze, Pumpkin, Primary Yellow, Black Plum, and Mint Julip Green and also DecoArt media fluid acrylics Hansa Yellow Medium and Cobalt Teal Hue.

I have also done some close-up shots of my clipboard so you can see some areas in more detail. 

Here are two detail shots of the design being continued across the board and its stand. The video shows how to do that. 

The clip to hold any note sheets with is fixed to the board with a glued-on magnet.

I just love how the smudged background, stenciled on painted stars, and the layer of black marks on top create amazing depth!

The stars look happy...and so am I looking at them and my finished clipboard on my studio desk.

Here's once more the list of stencils used on this project:

- Stars Inspired by Matisse - Carolyn Dube

- August 2018 Carolyn Dube "Playtime" StencilClub Collection 

- January 2019  Shaw - Apter Mash Up! StencilClub Collection

- October 2016 Mary Beth's Private StencilClub Collection

- Text and Texture Transform Stencil by Seth Apter

Thanks for your visit! See you soon!

Claudia 

xxx

Ornate, Curvy, Natural, Mid Century - StencilGirl has the stencils!

Persian Rugs, Spanish Moss, Line Waves, and Mid Century Modern Banners can only mean designers Kate Thompson, Trish McKinney, and Valerie Sjodin have new stencils!

KATE THOMPSON

Ornate and intricate, Kate Thompson's Persian Rug Stencils will have you saying wow, how did they make that a stencil!

Kate writes, "I use most of my stencils primarily with joint compound and then rub inks or paints into them but they work just as well traditionally with paint and inks. I have included samples of art and video showing how I use them. I incorporate them into some of my semi-finished artworks as you will see."

Art Nouveau Rug Stencil, 9"x12", L695

Art Nouveau is one of the more beautiful design categories in Kate's opinion. The flowing and intercepting lines make beautiful art. As with the other designs, you can use pieces of the design by itself or use the whole design.

Morocco Rug Stencil, 9"x12, L697

Kate travels and teaches in Morocco and this beautiful background design came to mind. It also has the same feeling as a Persian rug. You can use one of the elements alone or use the entire design.

Floral Waterfall Stencil, 9"x12", L696

"I love the intricacy and delicate work," Kate writes. "So much of my own art contains it. Persian rugs have always been one of my most favorite types of designs. I use to design prints for a living and always loved when there was a Persian, exotic print needed. This particular stencil can be used in many ways. You can use the repeated pattern at the top to add delicate backgrounds to your artwork. The border could be used separately as well for border prints or use the entire design which creates a beautiful piece of work all by itself."

Stencil promo for Stencil Girl from Kate Thompson on Vimeo.

TRISH McKINNEY

Natural and random, Trish McKinney's Spanish Moss Masks and Line Wave Masks will make you ooh and ahh!

They are available in a multitude of sizes for your art-making pleasure.

Use Trish's Spanish Moss Masks when you wish to achieve a natural, wild, perhaps even flamboyant element in your paintings.

Use Trish’s Line Waves Masks to add unexpected elements to your fine artwork. The bunched lines create a focal while the entire mask creates a marvelous background or a web that adds cohesion.

VALERIE SJODIN

Get your planner, calendar, and cards ready for Valerie Sjodin's Mid Century Modern Banners.

Get excited for the New Year by celebrating with this Mid-Century Modern banner collection in your bullet or calendar journal! It makes making a monthly calendar easy, fast, and filled with fun! This retro style stencil by Valerie Sjodin is versatile. Use it to frame your favorite retro font with a personal title, message, birthday card and more!


Look at the possibilities for decorating your bullet planner or greeting cards!

The planner spread and card were created with gelatos, colored pencil and washi tape.

Shop all the latest stencils at StencilGirlProducts.com!