Anouk (Creanouk): Using Stencils in your Daily Practice

Hello you beautiful artist,

Maintaining a daily art journal practice can be quite a challenge. Sometimes life can get so busy that there isn't any room for hours of playing in your art journal. That's why I like to keep my daily art practice quick and easy.

For me, it’s my health that makes my daily art practice a struggle. On good days I like to take my time to create big layered pieces of art, to join a challenge, or follow a course. But unfortunately, there are periods that my health only allows me to create for 5 to 15 minutes a day. In the past, I would feel so frustrated about only having so little time to create. But in the last year, I have learned that those 5 to 15 minutes are just as important as those long creative sessions.

For me creating is something that nurtures my soul. It's like meditation. It makes me feel good, satisfied, happy, and energetic even when my health is at its worst. So allowing myself to create, even for a few minutes a day, is the greatest gift I have ever given myself.

My daily practice also has a huge effect on my art journaling skills. My art feels so much more free and intuitive!

I like to grab 5 to 15 minutes in the morning to do my daily practice. For this, I'm using an A6 journal. Small journals are great for when you don't have a lot of time. There's no room for overthinking, so it allows you to let go and to really enjoy the process.  My small A6 journal is a place for quick and fun journal spreads. It's a place to play in when I don't have the energy or time to create big spreads. 

For this blog, I like to give you some of my tips for creating in a limited amount of time by sharing the recipes of three pages that I made during my daily practice.

Page 1: Collage

Collage is one of my favorite techniques in the art journaling world. Tearing paper is just so relaxing! In my normal work, I use it a lot in the background to create texture and layers, but in my daily practice, I like to use it more as a focal point.

Having a stash of scraps or collage fodder is really helpful to use in your daily practice when you don't want to spend hours waiting for your modeling paste to dry. The book papers also give your page a nice texture, so it's a win-win!

In my first guest designer blog I shared how I used my extra modeling paste on vintage book papers so I could use it on another page. When you do this on a regular base your pile of collage material will be ready for you when you need it!

Another fun thing to use in your daily journal is your failed Gelli prints. You know, the print that didn't really worked out the way you want to and didn't find the way to the trash can because you couldn't say goodbye. Now is the time to tear it apart and glue it down!

Step 01

Start by gluing down a big piece of book paper with modeling paste.

Marocco rug by Kate Thompson

Step 02

Collage with pieces of your scrap pile.
I used a failed Gelli print with Floral Frolics by Wendy Brightbill,

 a teabag with a and another piece of the book paper with modeling paste.

Step 03

Add some texture.

Fabrics, drywall tape, teabags, washi tape, and cookie packaging are some of my favorite things to add texture.

Step 04

Finish off your page with some ink splatters to create an extra layer of spark and definition.

And add a quote, word, or some random thoughts.

Page 2: Use your stencil as a starting point

Using a rather big stencil for the size of your journal is a great starting point for when you only have a few minutes to spare. To make the process even quicker, clean your dirty stencil on a random page in your art journal. This way you’ll always have a few pages with a starting point in your journal that you can continue working on. Large stencils with a big and bold pattern are magical for this way because they don’t need much more to become a beautiful page.

In my daily art journaling, I like to use mediums and techniques that dry fast. But I’ve become addicted to using watercolors, ecoline, and inks. And as you know those don’t really dry fast. That’s why I have become best friends with my heat gun. Seriously, I don’t know why it took me so long to love this tool. It makes my life so much easier because I don’t have hours to wait for my pages to dry, but I also like how it moves my fluid mediums. Every drop goes on its own adventure and it’s so mesmerizing to watch. So I believe that you can definitely use those pretty intense fluid mediums in your daily short art practice as long as your heat gun is there with you. 

Step 01

Stencil your preferred stencil on the page with acrylics.

Try to use a stencil that can be the focal point as well, or use a big and bold pattern.
Mark Making with Floral Embellishments by Jeanne Oliver

Step 02

Collage on the next page leaving some white space where the stenciling is done.

Step 03

Build up your page by using gesso and acrylics.

Apply the mediums with a pallet knife or a gift card helps to create thin layers that dry quickly.

Step 04

Play around with watercolors, ecoline, and inks.

Use a heat tool to dry it faster.

For the inks, I used Colour Blast ink in walnut.

Step 05

Make some marks using the same stencil as you used as a starting point.

Step 06

Finish off the page by adding some textures using collage materials and a quote.
And of course, ink splatters.

Page 3: Stencilling on transfer paper

I wasn't very familiar with this technique until recently. Here in the Netherlands deli, tissue, and tracing paper isn’t something you see in stores very often. But after I tried to trace a pattern for one of my sewing projects I got a lot of tracing paper scraps that I didn’t want to throw away. So I did what every art journaler would do, I found a way to use it in my art. And here’s the best part, same as for the other techniques that I showed you, you can make a bunch of these papers and use them later!

Another thing that I like is that when you glue these papers down with mod podge or gel medium is that they dry completely transparent. I have a very big love for using napkins in my art, and now I can basically make my own! These papers are great for layering, adding texture, and experimenting with colors. I would encourage you to make a bunch of these papers by using one stencil. You can play with different colors, make a gradient, or create your own pattern by using different pieces of the stencil. When you are done you’ll have your favorite stencil by hand and ready to go when you need them.

Step 01

Stencil on a piece of transfer, deli, or tissue paper.

Bouquet Greenery by Wendy Brightbill

Step 02

Build the foundation of the page by gluing done some collage.

Step 03

Use a pallet knife to add gesso and acrylics.

Step 04

Add more texture by layering teabags on top of the collage.

Step 05

Glue down your paper with mod podge or gel medium.

Step 06

Do I need to write this down? As always 

Finish off the page by adding some textures using collage materials and a quote.

And that's it three quick and fun ways to incorporate your favorite Stencilgirl® stencils in your daily art journal.

Thank you so much for reading my blog post. I hope that I have inspired you to create today! My name is Anouk, or Creanouk on social media, and I'm an all-around creative from the Netherlands. I love art journaling because I can put my heart and soul into it. You can find my work on Instagram and Youtube.

Guest Designer Anouk Karssen (Creanouk): Intuitive Art Journal Page

Hello you beautiful artist!

One thing I love about art journaling is that it can be very intuitive. It took me a lot of time to let my inner perfectionist go and to create without thinking too much about the result. Today I'm going to show you step by step how I made this intuitive art journal page. You can use this as an inspiration, a guideline, or as a tutorial. It’s up to you! If you decide to play along with me, grab a nice cup of tea, play your favorite song, meditate for a little bit and try to keep an open mind. Let your hands tell you what to do instead of your head because that's when the magic happens!

Using collage is one of my favorite ways to start an art journal page. Tearing and gluing stuff down can feel so satisfying don't you think? It's also great to add texture and layering to your page. For this page, I collaged old book papers with washi tape and some tea bag scraps that were laying around on my desk.

While I was working on the collage I got the idea to make a layer of modeling paste with the Tapestry stencil by Kristie Taylor that I would paint over with acrylics once it dried. I definitely prefer doing to technique with watercolor, but since I'm working on craft paper I decided to do it with acrylics.

This is what I mean by working with your hands instead of your head. My head told me that I should do this on mixed media or watercolor paper. But my hands already applied the modeling paste. No turning back here.

To paint over the pattern with any type of paint, your modeling paste has to be completely dry. Just leave it be for a while or use a heat gun to speed up the process.  Always clean your stencil asap when you are using modeling paste, it dries faster on your stencil than on your page and your stencil will become less usable over time. 

For my first layer of paint, I mixed some Amsterdam Naphthol Red Deep acrylic with a little bit of white gesso for a more transparent and matt look. If this was a pre-planned page I probably would have done this step first. But since I’m following my intuition, mixing your gesso with paint is a great way to prime and adding color at the same time.

In this stage I don't wait for my paint to dry, I like how they blend when they are still a bit wet. I find painting backgrounds very relaxing so I just keep adding tiny bits to the page with Naples Yellow Red Light and Venetian Rose until I’m happy. Sometimes I use a baby wipe to blend in the colors a little bit more and to remove paint on places that I used too much. If your modeling paste pattern is under too much paint you can also use a baby wipe to dab it away.

As you can see I like to work in layers and layers. Especially layers of paint. So for my third layer of paint, I patched up some areas that didn't blend well for my linking with White, Naples Yellow Red, and Naples Yellow Red Light.

 

I think hidden journaling is such a lovely element in a journal background. Especially when it's all messy and scribbled. Sometimes I use my art journal as my diary and I just write and write until my page is all covered in words. Then I like to paint over it a little bit just so the words are still peeking through. When I was working on this page I was listening to a song that kept repeating the same words. So I wrote it down with a pencil in an almost vintage kind of handwriting.

My obsession with using teabags in my art is real! I just love how it gives your page so much texture and how it blends everything together.

 

While the tea bags are still wet from the glue I splashed down some gold ink and let everything dry for a little bit.

If you want to you can leave it like this. But I was feeling a little brave when I made this and I stepped out of my comfort zone. Normally I would just add some marks with a black pen, but the Repetition Stencil by Rae Missigman was winking at me on my desk, so I just went for it!

 

I probably should have gone for a Naples Yellow Red instead of black, because after I applied it my immediate thoughts were: “Where is my white paint? I need to make it soft again.” Your hands are not always right, I can tell you that!  But as I said before: this is where the magic happens! Because after I applied my white paint through the  Interesting Dots stencil by Jennifer Evans everything came together so beautifully.

I finished this page off with some black ink splatters and glued down the word confident with a little tea bag underneath.

I chose the word confident because I wanted to remind you to be confident in your art. Just have fun and enjoy the process. Be confident! You can do it!

My name is Anouk, Creanouk on Instagram, and I’m so excited to be back on the blog today. I hope you enjoyed this step by step tutorial and that I’ve inspired you to get creative today.

Guest Designer Anouk Karssen (Creanouk): Junk Journal Cover with StencilGirl® Stencils

Hello you beautiful artist!

As we are approaching the end of the year it's a great time to start making and preparing your December journal or your journal for next year. I can't be the only one who is always late with making those journals, so let's do it differently this year.

For today's tutorial, I'm going to decorate the covers of my junk journal. If you are not into making your own journals you can play along in your art journal as well.  Or you can grab an art journal with an empty cover, today is the day to make it pretty!

I have made this book with some leftover papers from my previous journal so I had already bound it. If you are making your own Coptic stitch journal from scratch my advice is to decorate the covers first. I find it a lot easier to work when they are separated. And if you don't make your layers too thick your needle would have no problem going through. You can always apply more layers when it's bound.

For the first step I recommend using a thin layer of gesso. I made the covers out of a piece of cardstock that's not really suitable for layers of paint, with a layer of Gesso you’ll have a nice base for your cover. If you are following this tutorial in your art journal you can always skip this step.

I like to work on the front and back cover at the same time so it will look alike. I'm a very intuitive journaler so I probably have no idea what I did with one of the covers tomorrow. When I work on them at once they will get the same vibe and it will fasten the drying time.  It's also great to clean your brushes and stencils on the back cover. But I might be the only one who does that.

I build the foundation of my cover by adding some collage. You can use anything you like. My favorite things to collage with are book pages, music paper, magazine clippings, and washi tape. Glue them down with some matt medium or decoupage glue. Make sure that you apply a thin layer on top of your collage as well for some extra security.

Now it’s time to grab your acrylic paint and smoosh it around. I wanted to give my collage a matt finish so I mixed my acrylic paint with a little bit of gesso and applied it with a kitchen sponge for a soft texture. If you want to create a more rough texture use a pallet knife or an old gift card to apply the paint.

For my next layer, I use black acrylic ink. Let yourself loose and splash that ink around like it’s confetti. Make sure the ink is completely dry before moving on to your next page. If you don’t have any ink laying around you can also use watercolors or acrylics to add some splashes.

If I have to pick just one stencil to create with for the rest of my life, I’ll choose StencilGirl® Floral Frolics. It is one of my favorite stencils! It has so many patterns on it that no one will ever know that it's just one stencil. Apply the stencil with an ink dauber or a small kitchen sponge. To prevent the paint from running through the stencil, I like to dab my ink dabber on to my painting pallet first before I use it on my page. This way I know for sure that I don’t have too much paint on my ink dauber.

I glued down some lace at the edges and I let it stick out a little bit. This journal is going to get chunky over time so you want to give the lace some space to adjust your pages. The best part about a junk journal is that you can use your ‘junk’ in it. Did you ever use your used tea bag in your journal? No? Well, it’s a game-changer for your art! Teabags are a great way to give your page an extra layer and a nice vintage feeling.

Drink your tea and let your tea bag dry overnight. The next morning you can cut it open and remove the tea. You’ll have a gorgeous tea stained translucent paper to use in your artwork. Easy peasy!

Apply your tea bag with some matt medium or some decoupage glue, and you’ll be ready for our next layer.

Because of the Coptic stitch binding, this journal doesn't have a spine. To create the delusion of a spine I ripped apart some white cardstock from a cookie packaging and glued it down with glue. Underneath the cookie packaging of the front of the cover, I also glued down a book page with modeling paste from my scrap pile to give it a more interesting look. No cookies were harmed making this tutorial.

In my opinion, you can never apply to many ink splashes. So to spice up those tea bags I splashed down some white acrylic ink. I like to do this while the tea bag is still wet from the glue so that the ink gets a little activated.

My favorite step to complete a page is to add a nice layer of colored modeling paste through my favorite stencil! It's a great way to add texture, make layers, and make your page come together. For this cover, I used StencilGirl® Peony Blooms, isn’t it beautiful? I mixed up the two colors of the blue I used on the precious layers with my modeling paste to match the color tones. And applied it through the stencil with a pallet knife.

I always mix up too much paint when I’m creating colored modeling paste. A great tip to not spoil those golden goods is to grab some old book pages and just keep stenciling until there’s no more colored modeling paste left. Once they are dried you can use those papers in your next collage project!

For the finishing touches you’ll have to wait until your modeling paste is completely dried. For my finishing touches I applied some more ink splashes white, black and gold, a little string of twine, and a messing label with a scrap piece of an old book page in it.

And there it is, your own junk journal cover!

My name is Anouk, (Creanouk on Instagram) and I'm your guest artist of today. Very exciting! I started art journaling when I was 18 and I never stopped. I've been creative my whole life but I always wondered why there had to be so many limitations in art. Until I discovered art journaling. Now almost 10 years later I love to share my art and creativity with the world. I hope you liked my tutorial for today and I can't wait to see what you make!