Showing posts with label layered stenciling. Show all posts
Showing posts with label layered stenciling. Show all posts

Tuesday, March 3, 2026

Create A Whimsical Infinity Roll for Your Mixed Media Projects

Hello again from Kim Hamburg, a mixed media collage artist who believes there is no such thing as too much paper. Today I’m sharing one of my favorite studio habits — making an “infinity roll,” a continuous strip of dyed and stenciled paper that you can tear from whenever your collage, junk journal, or assemblage needs an extra layer of texture and story.


Infinity Roll


ATC card with Infinity Roll Piece


The Infinity Roll

A never-ending strip of possibility for your mixed media projects

There is something very satisfying about a roll of paper.

Not a precious sheet you’re afraid to ruin. Not a perfectly cut background. A roll. Continuous. Practical. A little industrial. The kind that used to live in a cash register.

In the studio, though? It becomes an infinity roll — a stash of ready-to-use collage magic you can tear from whenever your junk journal, assemblage, or mixed media piece needs “just one more thing.”

This month, I decided to make mine monochromatic. I made one in purple and one in teal, and I’m honestly in love with how the edges turned out.


Here are the completed Infinity Rolls -- one in blue, one in purple.


Supplies


Step 1: Dye the Paper (Trust the Process)

First, tear off a workable section of your roll — about 3 to 5 feet. That’s the sweet spot. Long enough to feel abundant, short enough to manage without dye going everywhere.

Pour a little RIT liquid dye into a shallow cup or lid. Set one end of your paper strip directly into the dye so the edge can start absorbing color.

Let it sit for about an hour. If you want deeper color, leave it longer. After an hour, flip the strip and let the other end soak.

As it dries, the dye creates this beautiful watercolor bloom along the edges. It’s soft, organic, and slightly unpredictable — which is exactly what we want. Mine dried into these moody purple and teal gradients that feel rich but not fussy.

Let it dry completely before moving on.


Paper Cash Register Roll


RIT dye in shallow container


I flipped the paper over to dye the other half.
Notice how beautiful the dye takes to the paper.


Completely Dry 


Step 2: Add the Stencils (Layer It Up)

Once your paper is dry, roll it out across your table.

I used this month’s Stencil Club set — “Wonderfully Wonky” by Cat Kerr. It’s a two-stencil set filled with imperfect, handmade-feeling marks. They’re playful and organic, which makes them perfect for something like this.



Using a sponge roller and acrylic paint, I randomly applied the first stencil across the strip. I didn’t measure. I didn’t space things evenly. I just moved along the paper and let the marks land where they wanted.

Be sure to stencil both sides. That way, no matter how you tear or layer it later, you’ll have interest.

After the first layer dried, I used the second stencil from the set and added another color on top. The layered marks give it depth and movement — and suddenly your plain roll looks like something you bought at a fancy art supply store.

Except you made it.



Using a sponge roller to add first layer of stencil images


Adding second layer with a contrasting color


Step 3: Tear and Use

Now comes the best part.

Tear pieces off as you need them.

I used mine to create ATC cards (2.5" x 3.5") and layered sections of the infinity roll onto cardstock. Add collage papers, glue it down, build on top. The dyed edges create built-in softness, and the stencil layers make even the smallest scrap feel intentional.

Because the roll is continuous, you always have more. No pressure. No preciousness.


ATC Cards with Infinity Roll Pieces


Why an Infinity Roll?

Because mixed media artists need building blocks.

Because junk journals are hungry for texture.

Because it’s easier to create freely when you already have beautiful components ready to go..

And honestly? There’s something really comforting about knowing you can just reach over, tear a piece, and keep making.

Plus it looks great sitting in your art space ready for the next creative idea.

Here are few tips you may want to use:
1.  This is super messy!!  Make sure to lay down paper over your work surface.
2.  You can add water to the dye to make it less intense.
      Instead of RIT dye, you can use watercolor liquid.
3.  You can leave the paper roll in the dye overnight and you will get a really great result.
4.  You can mist the paper roll with water while it is sitting in the dye.
5.  Make sure to let it dry completely before adding the stencil designs.
6.  These make really great gifts for your favorite mixed media friends.  You can actually use an old spool to roll the paper around and then add a fabric bow to hold it together.



Wonderfully Wonky is only available to StencilClub Members who join by March 15th and will ship on that day.


Infinity Roll dry and ready to use


You get lots of great benefits as a club member, including a coupon for 25% off all regular collection stencils, a project and PDF from the artist, and an additional project by me that is for members only. So don’t delay!

Get more information about StencilClub

Stencil Club

I would love to see your work. Please tag me on Instagram — check out my IG 

Kim Hamburg Instagram

Facebook   Kim Hamburg on Facebook 



Final look at the completed Infinity Roll -- make sure to tag me when you make yours!




Friday, January 24, 2025

Creative Playtime in a One-Page Folded Journal

Hello stencil friends! Nicole here with an invitation to join me and make a one-page folded journal. Then, use it for creative play with your stencils. It's the perfect way to spend a few hours getting lost in paint, splatters, drips, and layers.

front and back cover

 

I'm almost embarrassed to admit that I've not been very creative lately. The last couple of months were filled with vacation, several holidays and a cold that just would not end. With everything going on, my “just because” creative time was pretty much non-existent which matched my energy, too.

 

This of course, left me with no idea of what to create but at the same time overwhelmed with ideas. 

page 2 & 3

 

If you’re like me, you probably have a list somewhere, or in my case many lists in many places, of ideas and things you want to try. One idea on my list is playing with the one-page folded journal. I’ve seen it here and there, but never tried it myself.


I love the concept of this journal because no stitching or glue are needed.

page 4 & 5


Most of the one-sheet journals that I’ve seen use plain copy paper. However, I knew I wanted a bigger and stronger surface. So, after looking at several tutorials of how to fold the paper, I set out on my own to try it.

page 6 & 7

Making the Journal

For my journal, I used a piece of watercolor paper that measured 12x18 inches and gessoed both sides. I had no idea if this was going to work! I opted to gesso both sides to add integrity to the paper, even though both sides aren’t created on. With all the water and drips and mess, I thought it would be best to add that layer of protection!

 

Then, it was time to make the journal. A step-by-step with photos is below, however you can also watch the folds in action in the video tutorial.


Step one: Fold the paper in half on the long side


Step two: Open and fold the paper in half on the short side

Step three: Fold each end up to meet the middle. 

This creates a W or M with the paper.

Step four: Cut the center of the M/W shape starting at the centerfold until you get to the next fold line


Step five: Squish this center back together and fold the flaps down in the opposite directions.


Step six: Fold the center again to create the book! 

I used a bone folder to help crisp up my folds.

When finished, there are several pages that have pockets. You can choose to tape them together, or keep the openings for places to tuck things into. I taped most of mine and left 2 openings. Use a strong tape, like the acid-free masking tape I'm using.

Then, either use matte medium or gesso to ensure the tape stays put.

Voila! You made a journal! Congrats!


Now coms the fun part.


Creative Play with Stencils

I grabbed my bin of all the bits of papers that I can't throw away. They are just too good to end up in the trash can, and are perfect for this small journal! I stuck them down randomly on all the pages. 


I didn't really think about where this was going to go, as my intention is pure play and creative time.


All these random bits now need to come together, so I used gesso to embed them into my journal pages and add back in some white space.


Once the gesso dried, it was time to add stencils! Each time I stenciled, I made it my own by adding drips, splatters, or removing some of the paint in a process I call "scruffing up" the stencil. You can watch me do this in the YouTube video. However, here's a walk through of all the stencils I used in the order I created with them.

I had no plan in place. I simply let the stencils lead the way! I chose a variety of stencil types from industrial to floral to marks and patterns plus a few faces, too!

Ruins with Payne's gray on page 7


Night Sky with Payne's gray on page 3 (plus I traced around the stenciled areas with the stabilo-all pencils)

Nosegay with burnt umber and some Payne's gray on page 5


Tri-Textured Sheet Metal with titan green pale on page 2

Abstract Marks with transparent black spray paint on page 6

Added more Nosegay with burnt umber on page 4

Nosegay with burnt umber on page 1 + some dirty paint water (front & back cover)

Create Face with Payne's gray on page 4

Tri-Textured Sheet Metal with titan green pale on page 1 (I used the baby wipe technique here)

Abstract Marks (just the rectangle like shapes) with transparent black spray paint on page 1, and I traced around the shapes with the stabilo all.

I stamped the excess off on page 8

Ruins with Payne's gray on page 8 (back cover)

Romance Face with Payne's gray on page 8 (back cover)


123 with Payne's gray on page 1 (front cover)

Alpha Drips with Payne's gray on page 1 (front cover)

Nosegay with burnt umber on page 8

Laugh Face with Payne's gray on page 2


Final Touches 

To finish the journal, I added a couple photos, some additional ephemera bits and a phrase on the front cover. I even tucked a couple surprises into the pockets that I didn't seal with the masking tape and closed those up with a mini stapler. 

My final step was to finish the journal off with some Dorland's wax medium. This will add a wonderful finish (it's not waxy at all!) and ensure that the pages do not stick together.




Lessons Learned

Phew! I had so much fun not only making this small journal, but creating inside it! This was the perfect exercise to wake up my creativity, and now I can't wait to make some more of these journals. 

I loved letting the stencils take me places on each page with no plan in place.

The larger watercolor paper and gesso worked great. However, when I do this again, I think I will also enforce the page centers with some tape. In the end, a small part of one of my pages started to rip. It's very minor and most likely won't continue. But, I'd recommend maybe adding some tape to the page creases.

Watch how the journal came together in the video below. (Warning, it's a bit long, because I was having so much fun!)


I hope this inspires and encourages you to not only try making a one-page journal, but also to simply create and allow the stencils to lead the way!

If you make one, I'd love to see it!

-Nicole










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Stencils
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Supplies:

  • Gesso
  • Vintage book and ledger papers, ephemera, old photos
  • Matte medium
  • Acrylic Paint (I used Golden SoFlat Payne's gray, burnt umber, titan green pale + titan green pale in the heavy body)
  • Scissors
  • Round applicator
  • 12x18 piece of watercolor paper
  • Liquitex transparent black spray paint
  • Tape (I used acid-free masking tape)
  • Bone folder
  • Dorland's Wax Medium
  • Stabilo-all (black & graphite)
  • Mini-stapler