Create a Dimensional Garden Labyrinth with Modeling Paste

Hi, my friends! I'm Consie Sindet and this is my first post for StencilGirl®. I'm a mixed media artist that loves playing with supplies, experimenting in my art journals, and delighting in sharing what I come up with!

I'm a big fan of being outdoors and walking a local labyrinth in my town. I find the experience to be very meditative. However, sometimes the weather doesn't cooperate! Today, I wanted to share with you how to create a finger labyrinth in your art journal so you can always "walk" the labyrinth anytime you want.

BTW...I made a video of the process which you can find at the bottom of this post.

Let's start with the supplies:

Ceremonial Labyrinth stencil #2 by Cynthia Silveri: M228

Leafy Doodle Verge stencil/mask by Valerie Sjodin: S714

ATC Mixup Evan stencil by Jennifer Evans: L654

ATC Mixup Apter stencil by Seth Apter: L664

Watercolors

Makeup sponges

Modeling paste

Palette knife

Inktense pencils

White paint pen

The first thing I did was to create a background of mossy rocks to anchor my garden using a variety of green watercolors and a makeup sponge. The ATC Mixup Apter stencil by Seth Apter: L664 had a few different size circles that I could use to add a layered look to the page.

I then applied modeling paste with a palette knife to form my garden and labyrinth. I used the Leafy Doodle Verge stencil/mask by Valerie Sjodin: S714 to add the trees and foliage that I have at my actual labyrinth and the ATC Mixup Evan stencil by Jennifer Evans: L654 to add the garden on the bottom of the page to represent the flowers that grow in the surrounding woods. 

After I applied the paste through the Ceremonial Labyrinth stencil #2 by Cynthia Silveri: M228, I went back in to fill in the sections that were not covered by the bridges in the stencil. I wanted to have the walls as a single piece. Because I was adding the paste without a stencil, the finished texture had a wonderful rough stone feel about it!

A quick note: I don't as a rule clean my stencils except when using modeling paste. I did clean each of these stencils right after using them and allowed the modeling paste to dry with each layer on my page so I didn't pull up what I had already put down when I used the next stencil. 

Once all of the paste was dry, the next step was to add watercolor over all of the raised sections. I used a dry-ish brush to apply the paint. It is not really possible to drybrush with watercolor as you need moisture to get the paint to move! However, if you use as little water as possible, you can get the paint to catch on the modeling paste and not as much of the background paper. A light touch and layering works better than trying to get the color to cover all in one go.

After the watercolor had dried, I went in with my Inktense pencils to add more depth to all of the sections. Feel free to use watercolor pencils, water-soluble crayons, or any other supply you want to experiment with! I used the pencils to add shading to get all of the garden elements to really pop off the page. 

Most of the shading was done on the modeling paste itself. However, with the labyrinth, I wanted that to stand out the most. So, I shaded around the outside of the paste to really give it a raise stone wall look.

The final touches included a few highlights with a white paint pen on the flower petals and the labyrinth, and some splatters using the Indigo Inktense pencil. Now the labyrinth is ready to use whenever I need a meditative minute or two in my day!

I would love to see what you create using these stencils! You can tag me on Instagram and find me in the following spaces!

Website: AtopSerenityHill.com

Instagram: @consie_atopserenityhill

YouTube: @ConsieSindet

The Creative Playground membership

Guest Designer: Cynthia Silveri

Materials Used:

StencilGirl® Products Stencils:
Labyrinth #2: Ceremonial

Labyrinth #3: Classical Maze

Labyrinth #5: A La Chartres
Optical Waves, Stay in Your Magic 6" x 6' stencil

Other Supplies:
Plain Printer Paper
Acrylic Paints, any colors (I used blues and greens)
Smudgee (or other sponge)
PencilDecoColor Paint Marker in black
Scissors
Hole Punch
Stapler (or yarn and large sewing needle)
Thin paper to stuff with, like deli paper
Mod Podge (or other thin glue)
Glitter (I used Mica D’lights, in gold)
Ribbon

Technique:

Using the plain paper, stencils, paints and sponge, apply patterns all over the entire surface. Make as many pages as you want to make into fish.

 Fold the paper in half the long way, with the color inside.

On the white outer paper, sketch in a fish shape with the pencil. Don’t worry-it doesn’t have to be perfect-keep it simple!

With the scissors, cut out the fish shapes keeping the folded side intact where you can-along the lower fins usually works. This is so that the two matching pieces stay together. If you cut it completely-never fear!  You’ll be able to staple or sew it together anyway.

Open up the fish and put the pattern on the outside. Draw eyes and nostrils on both sides. Stencil on any words or other designs as you wish.

Begin stapling (or sewing) all around the fish, keeping a portion of the top open so you can stuff it with crumpled up paper. Any will do, but thin wrapping paper or deli paper works great for these. Use your finger or pencil eraser end to push the paper into place if needed.

Once stuffed, close up the opening with more staples or the rest of your yarn.

Apply a thin coating of Mod Podge or other glue to areas where you want to apply glitter. Add other embellishments if you like!

Punch a hole in the top of each fish and string them together with ribbon. You could also create a mobile with these or hang them individually.

Happy fishing! Did you make this project? If so, I would love to see it!

Cynthia Silveri

Cynthia Silveri: The Passionate Colorist Coloring Books & Illustration

Enter the labyrinth with Cynthia or dine with Andrew and stencil.

StencilGirl is thrilled to announce new stencils by Cynthia Silveri and Andrew Borloz!

Enter the Labyrinth... labyrinths as a part of garden design led Cynthia Silverti to create 5 mini stencils for you to use when you wish to add a contemplative mood to your art.

Cynthia writes, "Over the centuries of place and time, a number of variations on these contemplation and ceremonial paths exist. These small (4" x 4") labyrinth stencils attempt to show some of these varieties and will allow you to let your fingers trace the path for personal and spiritual transformation, mindfulness and relaxation, or simply as a tool to create beautiful art-one of the best ways I know of to relieve stress! The triptych art I created with these five stencils shows how they can be overlapped both on and off-center to create interesting layers and new forms.

Japanese Influence Stencil

Cynthia has always been intrigued with Japanese Garden design and Japanese landscape paintings. From a purely artistic point of view, she has also been fascinated by Japanese brush lettering. The Japanese Influence Stencil is a reflection of her interest in the idea of brush lettering. 

She writes, "While none of these symbols is representative of anything particular, they are reminiscent of Japanese brush lettering strokes. The artwork I made with this stencil, along with my previously released Birches stencil and Meadows stencil, was my version of a Japanese forest garden landscape painting. The blocky, yet organic shapes, feel relaxing to me, especially in this imaginary landscape setting."

 

Bent Drops, Quatre Rounds, Trispikes, and Rounded Tiles

Bent Drops

M218

S654

Andrew Borloz became fascinated with the Pfaltzgraff motifs, especially the ones with the leaves that looked like bent water drops, when he frequented the Pfaltzgraff factory outlet in Flemington, NJ. twenty years ago.

Andrew's Bent Drops small and mini stencils were also inspired by the paisley patterns on men's ties and by the patterns on his mother's Kohler Biel (Swiss) pottery.

For these stencils, he created one basic pattern using three bent drops, and it looks like a middle drop hitting a flat surface, creating a "splash". Using four repeats of one basic pattern. The floral-like squarish motif combines traditional and contemporary design elements.

Quatre Rounds

S656

L666

Circles cut into squares and rearranged plus four-quartered rounds, overlapped, form the squarish floral motif of Andrew's Quatre Rounds stencils.

This repeating pattern offers a number of possibilities in creating new patterns using different colors or block/mask techniques.

Rounded Tiles (L667)

L667

Decorative exterior cinder block walls and printed patterns from the 1950s form the retro look of Andrew's Rounded Tiles Stencil.

Trispikes

M219

L656

Give Andrew a fidget spinner, challenge him to a game of Triominos, or watch him smile as he remembers riding a tricycle ~ the triangle is one of his favorite shapes so naturally, it must show up in his stencil designs.

This stencil has rows of rounded Ys pointing in two opposite sides, creating an op art look.

You'll find all the latest stencils on StencilGirlProducts.com.