When my four new sets of
stencils were recently released, I was originally planning on doing my blog
post about how to use these stencils on polymer clay but that post will have to
wait for the future! I became obsessed with using my stencils to create masks
not only for myself but for friends and family. Not being a seamstress by any
stretch of the imagination I knew I would not be sewing masks but still wanted
to create some in response to the unprecedented coronavirus pandemic. I have a
neighbor who gave me a little stash of the mesh KN95 masks and thought I would
try out my stencils on those.
I have outlined the steps
that I used to create my masks. The first step is to NOT do what I did in my
demo…..I stenciled on my mask when it was upside down! Make sure to have the area for your nose in
the right spot facing up.
Once you have the proper orientation, it is
time to audition which stencil will fit. I chose to use two small sacred heart
stencils from my StencilGirl®
Mixup Mika Sacred Hearts.
You may want to add a
piece of a paper towel or wax paper to the inside of the mask so that paint
doesn’t bleed through. I used acrylic paint out of the tube and mixed up a
batch using magenta and red/orange paint. It is a bit tricky to stencil on the
mesh material, you have to hold the stencil in place with one hand while
applying the paint with a make-up wedge in the other hand being careful not to
move the stencil.
You will have to use a fair amount of paint and press
down hard with the sponge. I like to peek before lifting off the stencil to
make sure I have enough paint on it.
Let this side dry before
moving onto the other side.
Repeat the same process
using a different heart design if desired. I used a crowned heart because the
crown has come to symbolize the “corona” in the coronavirus in much of the work
I have been doing during the pandemic.
The other thing that I often do is to come back and touch up areas of
the stencil that aren’t dark enough and fill them in using a paintbrush.
Let the stencil dry before moving onto the next step which is filling in the
background with color.
I like to do a wash of
color to get rid of the white “clinical” look of these masks.
To do this I
mixed up a batch of turquoise deep and white paint, I also added just a dab of
my favorite Quinacridone Nickel Azo Gold paint….this will turn it into a light
greenish color like a patina. Use a paintbrush and water down the paint so that
it goes on like a wash. I do leave some white in and around the stencil design
showing.
Note that because the paint is watery, it tends to bleed up the
elastic bands…but I like that, but if you don’t like that, just don’t add as
much water to your paint.
I left the border area
around the mask white so that I could further embellish the mask by doing a
black and white check border. I did this by using a small flat paintbrush and
black acrylic paint. I made sure I had a paper towel in the middle so I didn’t
have to worry about the black paint hitting the opposite side.
While I have the black paint ready, I will often go back with a
paintbrush and just add a bit of a shadow to outline the heart and give it some
dimension.
Let dry.
An optional step to add
further interest to your mask is to add text. Make sure the wash of paint in
the background is dry!
I used a small set of alphabet stamps and black
Staz-On ink and stamped the words Love on one side and Protect on the other.
When I used Staz-On ink to stamp the words, I realized that I could add
additional design elements using rubber stamps. Using a small stamp with a
floral cross design, I stamped a random pattern and liked the way this looks.
The Staz-on dries right away, so you can then flip over your
mask and finish the opposite side.
I have attached a few
other designs for inspiration using my other sets of stencils:
The two stencils on
the left and right sides are the larger sacred hearts stencils from my
Much of my work is
inspired by Mexican folk art. I love milagros, (miracles) the tiny tin charms
used to give thanks for miracles and cures. They are often in the shape of body
parts that need healing.
Here I
have used one of my hands from StencilGirl® Milagro.
The other influence that
has recently shown up in my work is the imagery associated with alchemy, the
Medieval forerunner of chemistry.
I know a few people who do not
wear bright colors so I wanted to make a few masks in a more subdued palette
and knew the stencils from StencilGirl®Alchemy would be well suited for this purpose.
There are so many
possibilities to use stencils and stamps to create your own unique masks. I
like that they can be personalized for the special people in your life.
Realizing that we will probably be wearing masks for a very long time, it is
nice to be able to put your own creative spin onto this new fashion accessory!
