Cat Kerr: Monoprinting with Stencils, Stamps and Magazines

I love creating collage with an assortment of paper bits. Finding, cutting and gluing the perfect element in the perfect spot makes me giddy!

I also love monoprinting. Over the years I’ve used hundreds of items to create texture on my prints. Some of my favorites include stamps, magazines, and of course, my StencilGirl® stencils.

Recently I’ve had the urge to combine both my love for collage and monoprinting into one project. There are many ways to achieve this, one of the most common is to create a background on your monoprinting plate, create an image transfer on your plate and then add the transfer to the top of the print you created. I wanted more elements in my collage, and so I began by cutting my focal image out and adding elements around it. This would encourage me to pay attention to all the elements and how they work together.

Below is my way of achieving this “collage” look on my monoprinting plate.

Materials List:

Stencils:

• Sidetracked 
• I am Collage
• Tottering Shapes 
• Connection 

Amsterdam Acrylic Paint
Ranger 9 x 11 Monoprinting Plate with Brayer
Magazine Images (I used a Vogue Magazine)
Scissors
Baby Wipes/q tips
StazOn Ink Pad
Kassys Parlour Stamp Set

 

Cat Kerr

Artist, Educator, Designer.

www.catkerr.com

https://linktr.ee/CatKerr

Passages: Stenciled & upcycled privacy window envelopes

Greetings and Salutations!

Looking for a creative pick-me-up? You have landed on the right blog. Today we are going to upcycle a privacy window envelope.

The Creative Team theme this month is passages, and these envelopes are going to pass from my house, across the wide world, to friends afar.

I became enthused watching one of Mary Beth's FB livestreams where she used window envelopes in her art journal so I took one from my stash and slowly tore it open at the glued areas. A squirrel passed by and then I was busy so the envelope sat on my desk for a few days.... 

Suddenly! Inspiration!

I am a letter-writer and rather than art-journal, it seems to me that these sorts of envelopes are ripe for repurposing even if the window is not always in the right place.

Here is the first one I made:

Because the envelope background is so busy, I thought it would be good to stencil with a single one. I choose Retro Comets, L048, by Mary Beth Shaw and I used acrylic paint on a sponge over spray mists (I love Lindy's brand!). Glue and washi tape form the seal.

Retro Comets Stencil

Arizona summers are dry so I spritzed the stencil with water afterward and made a ghost print on card-stock that I decided to use as a letter. I folded the ghost print in thirds and embellished the non-writing side with pens and a "Star Surfer" stamp by Sandee Setliff (She also has stencils). 

I measured and used washi tape to affix the TO part that will show through the window.

Here is another inside out envelope example using the large stencil from the StencilClub March Mashness set by Mary Beth Shaw and Carolyn Dube.

Tip: Don't forget to cover your windows before you spray.

I have a large box lid that is excellent when I want to use mists. 

I spritzed through the stencil (easier than acrylic) and embellished with colored pens.

To color in the flowers or just leave the outline? I could not resist more color.

Flying pigs make me smile. I used "Pigasus," another of Sandee's oh-so-cute stamps. 

Because the yellow marker bled through, I doodled on the other side above where I measured for the TO box.

Tip: If, despite your measurement, the TO area doesn't quite stay where you want in the window, affix the letter in place a bit of washi tape under the envelope flap.

All kinds of fun things could go in the windows if you were not mailing them. You could even stencil a surprise in the window for when the recipient takes the letter out.

Now I am ready to take apart all of the window envelopes I might otherwise have tossed and stencil pretty envelopes, are you?

Have fun!

Carol Baxter