Mixed Media Pastiche is Bloomin' Fun!

Greetings & Salutations!

Carol Baxter sharing a few artsy-crafty stenciled projects today.

Vintage photos + stenciled papers + ephemera = my mixed media pastiche projects.

The stenciled backgrounds bring the work together. Imaginative words are optional.

You may know, Mary Beth used to sell her paintings at art fairs. She also sold picture collages of kids and adults with amusing sayings. Wry bits of art such as these never fail to make me smile and were my inspiration.

Mostly, I used papers from my stash for these projects.  

My Ink Sister Patty came up with this particular photo caption. I felt I needed a garden for the flying pig buzzing the little boys. Garden Flowers and Leaves & Garden Flowers and Leaves Outlined by Jessica Sporn made the background special. I actually spent a few hours making papers with these stencils. 

Bloomin’ Awesome is my next piece. I decided to let the photo speak for itself rather than add words.

I had a bit of photo mat paper I had purchased a bag of at the thrift store. I must have painted it at some point with the Spirit Wind Mask by Valerie Sjodin. That's Drops and Swirls Repeat, also by Valerie, stenciled on the cloth.

Dang! I remember when I could do this on a swing.

I had to break out my hot glue gun to affix the lace.

While I was playing with the bits and pieces I planned to use, I realized it needed more embellishment because the orange paper did not give it enough oomph. I added another layer of lace, a bit of map paper, as well as tracing and doodles – that upper left side was rather empty. A little burnish on the paper edges backing the photo gave the piece a little more depth. 

Sometimes subtle is what you need. Especially if you are stenciling words. 

This piece of paper from my stash was created with a pull from my gel plate using the small stencil from the Circle Up Set by Suzi Dennis for StencilClub March 2016.

Is it cheating? I was too lazy to stencil all the words I added so I dropped this into Photoshop. Apologies if there is a Katheryn Collingsworth. I made the name up.

I am one of those people that when I look at a map I want it to be facing the way I am traveling. The L-thumb-trick? I like it. Fortunately, I am happily married so I needn't worry about which way to swipe on a dating app but when I saw these two dudes and the expression on the face of the woman in the straw hat, this card was the result.

I used the It's a Small World Longitude Mask by Mary C. Nasser.

Another notecard using the Pollen for Bees Stencil by Daniella Woolf and Scribble Roses Stencil by Mary Beth Shaw.

Composition books cost a buck and are not very interesting. I covered these with some of Mary Beth's printed collage paper and then added a little embellishment.

If you're freaky then own it!

What's in your photo and stenciled paper collage stashes? Fair warning, mixed media pastiche is addictive!

Thanks for stopping by!

Carol B.

Cecilia Swatton: Making & Using Masks from Stencils

Seeing Double: Making & Using Masks from Stencils

Hi, everyone! Cecilia Swatton here to share a tutorial with my StencilGirl designs!

This approach won't work with every stencil in your collection, but if you scroll through StencilGirlProducts.com, you'll find many that are a good fit with this technique!

Because these projects are on greeting card blanks, I've chosen 6"x 6" stencils, a perfect fit for these square fold-over cards available at JamPaper.com.

Supplies:

Osprey Wings stencil
Ginko stencil

sturdy cardstock

a pen or pencil

the stencils

fine-detail scissors

masking tape (optional)

substrate (I used greeting card blanks)

heavy-body acrylic paints that are translucent

applicator sponges

light modeling paste

gel medium (gloss or matte)

artist spatula (an old credit card will work, too)

spray paints

Directions:

Here, I've used green masking tape to secure stencils to substrates as well as to my work-surface.

To save time, you can skip using the tape.

            

My first step was to place two stencils onto sturdy cardstock.

Then I traced inside the openings of three of the ginkgo leaves, highlighted in the photo below.

After cutting out the three leaf-masks, I placed them on my substrate, a white blank greeting card.

Since I would be using spray paint next, I used green masking tape (on the right) and scratch paper to mask off the back of the card blank, as protection from spray.

            

After the spray paint had dried, I lifted off the masks.

Next, I placed the Ginkgo stencil over the sprayed card.

Although the stencil has been stained from an earlier project, I was able to see through it well enough to place its openings off-register from the image below it.

            

I used tape to mask off the areas of the stencil that I didn't want to use.

Then I mixed heavy-body acrylic paint with light modeling paste, and used an art spatula to spread it over the stencil.

           

After I lifted off the stencil and let the paint dry, I had my final greeting card cover.

           

For my second greeting card, I reversed the order of steps I'd taken in making the first card.
I started with my Osprey Wings stencil, saving its cardstock mask to in the second step.
Another change I made was to use a dark bronze greeting card blank, instead of a white one.

            

I placed the stencil atop the substrate and masked off the area that I didn't want to use. 
I mixed heavy-body white paint mixed with gel medium, then used a sponge applicator to apply the mixture through the stencil.

            

Then I lifted off the stencil and allowed the paint to dry.

Next, I placed the cardstock mask over the painted image to make sure it was off-register but still centered on the substrate.

            

Now it was time to mix gel medium with bronze metallic acrylic paint and, with a sponge applicator, to apply paint over the mask as well as the rest of the 6"x 6" card front.

            

Below is the final greeting card cover.

Don't want to cut your own masks?

Get some StencilGirl StencilGuts!!

First and foremost, Cecilia is a mixed-media artist whose non-objective abstractions flaunt her love for texture and color. She loves her StencilGirl stencils and uses them frequently as part of her collection of tools for designing faces of canvases to give them life. She creates mixed-media abstractions for the joy of it and paints every day. (Her friends know that if they call during morning hours, they will be leaving messages to be answered later!) 

Until the demise of The Rubber Stamper magazine, Cecilia worked as one of that publication's Contributing Designers where her art appeared monthly, and was once featured as cover art! Her artwork has also appeared in Cloth Papers Scissors, Altered Arts, Expression, Somerset Galleria, and Crafts n' Things. Cecilia's book-inclusion credits include the ebook series Journey into Abstracts by Sue St. John and the soft-cover book Exploring the Latest Trends in Mixed Media, Vol. II by Cynthia Powell and Sherre Hulbert. Her art has frequently appeared in the tri-state juried annual Monmouth Festival of the Arts, Tinton Falls, NJ; and her altered cigar boxes are sold at the gift shop in the Monmouth Museum, Lincroft, NJ.

Owls & Paisley – Notebooks and Cards

Owls & Paisley – Notebooks and Cards

By Judi Kauffman

 A big thank you to StencilGirl Products for inviting me back as a Guest Designer.

I thought it would be fun to see how two of my favorite stencils, Paisley Floral Repeat and Three Owls and a Branch, would work together, as well as each on its own. At first glance, they don’t seem like a logical combination, but there are elements in the two that felt like they were designed for each other – for example, scalloped shapes in the owls’ faces and feathers, scalloped shapes within the paisley patterns. This isn’t surprising, given that they came from the same person, Jessica Sporn. I always find her style and the level of detail she puts into her stencils so appealing!

I chose waterproof, colorfast Shimmer Sheetz for the owls and made notebooks and cards, but you can take this project in any number of directions: Art journals, canvases or shadow boxes, party decorations, and so much more.

Instructions:

1. Glue textured handmade paper to the front and back covers of several inexpensive composition books. Leave some of them plain; stencil on others.

2. Stencil the paisley pattern with Emperor’s Gold acrylic paint, followed by a slightly offset repeat of the paisley design in Black Green. Done! You have in hand a handsome journal to tuck into a tote or keep bed-side.

 

3. Stencil a pair of owls onto lightly sanded Australian Opal Gemstone Shimmer Sheetz, using Emperor’s Gold and Black Green acrylic paints.

4. Cut around the owls; add flat-backed gems for the eyes.

5. Using double-sided adhesive tape to secure them, add the flat owls to a paper-covered composition book. Done! You have in hand a simple journal for doodling and jotting random thoughts.

6. Better yet: Combine the owls with a stenciled composition book, as shown in the photo above.

 

7. Or add the owls to stenciled cardstock backed with a piece of poster board for a sturdy flat card to display on an easel or frame behind glass, as shown above.

 

 

8. For the owls shown in the cards above, use alcohol-based inks instead of acrylic paints. Add texture, dimension, and detail to the cut out owls as follows: Use a craft knife to scrape and ‘draw’ lines on the feathers, to cut around the bottom of the feathers and the bottom half of the beak. Bend beak and feathers upward, bend claws downward for dimension. Place the owls on a soft fabric-covered mouse pad and use ball stylus tools in various sizes to press dots into the Shimmer Sheetz, and an awl or piercing tool for another level of detail. Below is a close-up of the feathers, before the owl was cut out:

9. Stencil some leaves with Black Green paint. Cut them out.

10. Position the owl so it is sitting on a long twig and holding a shorter twig in its beak. Add the leaves to the branch near the owl’s head. Use double-sided adhesive tape for the flat layers, Tombow Power Adhesive Tabs for the dimensional layers.

11. Add faceted gems topped with flower-shaped gems to the owls for over-the-top sparkly eyes.

12. Tip: Cards with twigs and dimensional gems should be hand-delivered or mailed in a box. They are too thick for standard envelopes and the twigs might not survive in a padded envelope.

13. Below are two close-ups of another owl, this one with flat center-hole button eyes rather than gems, along with a repeat of the project photo shown at the start of this post so you don’t have to scroll back to see it again:

 

 

Supplies:

StencilGirl Products –

   Three Owls and a Branch by Jessica Sporn,9 x 12 stencil

   Paisley Floral Repeat by JessicaSporn, 9 x 12 stencil

Elizabeth Craft Designs –

  Shimmer Sheetz in Australian Opal Gemstone

  Clear Double-Sided Adhesive Tape (6mm)

  Fine Point Scissors

DecoArt –

  Americana Acrylics in Black Green

  Dazzling Metallics in Emperor’s Gold

Tombow –

  Power Adhesive Tabs

Other –

  Non-stick scissors (for cutting Power Tabs)

  Stencil brush

  Piercing tool or awl

  Craft knife (for ‘drawing’ on owls’ feathers)

  Ball stylus tools

  Fabric-covered mouse pad

  Sanding block (to sand Shimmer Sheetz)

  Twigs

  Flat-backed gems, flower-shaped gems, flat buttons

  Alcohol-based inks

 

  

Holiday Cards with StencilGirl Artist Cathy Nichols

StencilGirl Artist Cathy Nichols is Guest Designing on the blog today!
She's sharing a video tutorial for creating delightful holiday cards with her StencilGirl stencils!

Cathy demonstrates how fun and fast making holiday cards can be on Kraft paper, combining various elements from her StencilGirl designs! You'll wish you were painting with her when you see this video!

Take it away, Cathy...

You can find all of Cathy Nichols' StencilGirl stencils HERE, and for TODAY ONLY...
receive 10% off any purchase of Cathy Nichols' StencilGirl stencils!!

Use coupon code NICHOLS10

ArtQuest & StencilGirl Blog Hop - Day 1

Welcome to

Day ONE

of the

USA ArtQuest & StencilGirl Products

Blog Hop!

Get ready! Joe Rotella is hopping along with us tomorrow!

Sit back and enjoy a fabulous range of projects for TWO days!

We hope to inspire you!

Carolyn Dube
Carolyn is creating copper leaf mixed-media cards! 

See all the details on her blog HERE.

Janet Joehlin
Janet's making a lovely project for a baby's room! 

See all the details on her blog HERE.

Mary C. Nasser

Mary's collaging inspiring notecards! 

See all the details on her blog HERE.

What would a Blog Hop be without a GIVEAWAY??!!!

StencilGirl Products will be picking one lucky winner to receive a set of

USA ArtQuest Decorative Papers and Perfect Pigment Acrylics

along with a $25 StencilGirl Products Gift Certificate!

Today's Blog Hop Order

StencilGirlTalk
Carolyn Dube
Janet Joehlin
Mary C. Nasser

Take your time and visit each blog showcased today and leave a comment.

The more blogs you comment on, the more chances you have to WIN!

One comment per blog please.

You will have until Saturday, September 19th at 11:59PM Central Time to leave your comments.

The winner will be announced on

StencilGirl's Facebook page on Sunday, September 20th.

If you don't already, we would LOVE if you would signup

for our newsletter HERE

and join us on  Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest and Bloglovin for more inspiration!

See you back tomorrow for even more projects!

Using Resist Techniques to Create Cards

Hi all - Jessica Sporn here.  

Rosh Hashanah, the beginning of the Jewish High Holy Days and commonly referred to as the Jewish New Year, starts at sundown on September 13.    It begins a 10 day period, known as the Days of Awe, which culminates with Yom Kippur, the most important and solemn day of the year.  Like the tradition of making New Year resolutions for January 1, Jews look inward during this time period and reflect on mistakes of the past year and plan changes for the New Year.  (Unlike the American New Year, Rosh Hashanah is not a time of drinking and sports watching!)  

It is customary to send Jewish New Year cards.  So I thought I'd make some this year, using resist techniques with my StencilGirl Stencils, and some of my coordinating stamps from Rubbermoon.  

I used 6 x 9" Watercolor paper, which I folded in half, to create 4 1/2" by 6" cards.   Using a watermark pad, I stamped the Tree of Life and Hamsa images from Rubbermoon.  Then I added embossing powder, which I melted with my heat tool.

Using white gesso, I pounced through the Cascading Leaves, Paisley Floral Repeat,  Garden Flowers and Leaves, and words and images from the Happy Birthday Icons, and Teacups and Teapot stencils from StencilGirl Products.

Once the gesso was thoroughly dry, I painted over all of the cards with various watercolor washes.  As the watercolors dried, the gesso stenciled areas resisted the paint, and the patterns showed through.

I used my Derwent Intense pencils to add shadowing and detail. 

You can watch my process in this video.  

Or watch "Gesso and Embossing Resist Techniques" on YouTube here.

I hope this tutorial gives you some ideas about how to combine your favorite stencils with some of your favorite stamps!