Stencils, Easter Eggs and Rolling Out a Whole Lot of Fun

Hi friends!  Hard to believe springtime is just around the corner. In Southern California, it already feels that way because today was actually 87 degrees!  Nearly summer, but not, lol.  Anyway, with Easter approaching I thought it might be fun to turn Easter eggs into artwork. Not hard to decorate by any means, you can still do the traditional egg dyeing but then consider adding some stenciled embellishments or stencil decor directly onto the eggs or you can try a few creative things with the gelli plate, deli paper, or simply do some watercoloring.

For all my eggs, I created the background first.  I enjoyed using the gelli plate with stencils because I could continue to roll the egg until it was entirely covered in paint. (I also managed to clean my plate. :).)   Sometimes the stencil images remained clear and sometimes they got a bit layered but isn't that what mixed media is about?  Lots of textures come from layering.( I loved using the smaller gelli plate for my egg "dyeing", as shown below.)

Applying Seth Apter's stamps (Planner Basics) and watercolors for the egg's background on the banded egg shown below,  I embellished a strip of watercolor paper with Ann Butler's 1 x 4 Rails stencil set using both paint and watercolors and wrapped it around the egg, adhering it in place. This is a great set with petite images.  The tulip from the Scattered Bunnies, Blooms & Birds Background Stencil by Margaret Peot was watercolored too. This is a wonderful stencil for springtime and works well for the eggs again, because of its small designs.  

Deli paper is an ideal surface and substrate to make prints for eggs.  The paper allows for a perfect design and it's thin enough that the underlying color or design, as in the egg, can be seen. (See egg below.) I actually used ink to create my images onto the paper shown here then tore them down to manageable sizes and adhered them to my eggs with a glue stick.  Basic collage-making.  If your image is too large, you might get wrinkles in your paper so smaller images are ideal. However, you can make small snips into some images, which can help them lie flat.  Sometimes there is a little overlap but it still looks nice.  (Notice the large daisy flower at the top of the egg.) 

Some stencils are perfect for working directly onto the egg like this Hexagon Set by Ann Butler.

And of course, making fussy-cut images always adds dimension to any project.  Here I attached a black string to my gelli-rolled egg, watercolored a few flowers from watercolor paper, cut them out, and adhered them to the egg.  I love using these for table decor for Easter. 

And for those of you who don't celebrate Easter, consider all the ways you can embellish and decorate painted paper mache shapes. They would look beautiful on top of a gift!  

Well, that's it from me today! Time to do some major clean up, but I say, if you can't get a little messy when creating, you might be missing all the fun.  Leave the overthinking behind, get your hands a bit painty and start playing. What's on your art agenda?   

Thanks for reading my friends, 

Debi 

https://debi-adams.com

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Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/debi.adams.779

 

Mini Journal with Stencils - Megan Quinlan

I love making my own journals, even if it's just a small book to hold my lists. Here I made some beautiful pages and botanicals, using this month's StencilClub stencil set by Rae Missigman. Follow along to see how fun it is to create this small journal with your new stencils. 

One of my favorite ways to use stencils, is with watercolors. You can really get some beautiful results. Here I mixed some navy blue and brown through the stencil onto some watercolor paper. 

Next, I decided to do the same wash onto a piece of Kraft paper using the larger stencil. This yielded a more subtle color design. 

Once dry, I used  a Ranger Mini Blending tool and some Dina Wakley Mineral acrylic paint and went over the design again to repeat the pattern. 

I then "fussy" cut out the botanicals. For me this is a relaxing activity, and the results are always amazing. Something happens to an image or design when you cut it out. 

Using a trimmer, I trimmed the Kraft paper and some additional yardstick pages to about 7.5" by 4.5". I used a bone folder to fold everything in half to create pamphlets. 

Finally,  I poked some holes through all of the pages with an awl and used some vintage sari ribbon to bind my book. Here I used a pamphlet stitch, the easiest stitch to bind a small booklet. Finally I glued my flowers to the cover with some gel medium. Another fun variation is to use foam dots to adhere the flowers to your cover for more depth. When you're done, you will have a lovely little book for you or as a small gift!

Join StencilClub by December 15 to receive these three exclusive stencils and accompanying video tutorial with PDF (both downloadable!), and 20% OFF STENCILS EVERY DAY!!

My name is Megan Whisner Quinlan. I have been a mixed media maker and book binder for 20 years. I love to experiment and try as many techniques as possible. Art journaling is my way of unwinding and working out the daily stress of life on the page. Mixed media gives me great comfort, and I try to learn and grow as often as I can while working. I live with my family in New Jersey.  You can find me on Instagram: Megan_Whisner_Quinlan and on Youtube: Megan Whisner Quinlan and as an Instructor for the upcoming Fodder School. I love to see what you make, if I have inspired you today, tag me! 

Watercolors & StencilGirl® Stencils

Good Day!

My goal for this presentation is to show you how I use StencilGirl® Stencils and the process I went through to be able to re-use the same stencil within a series but producing a new feel to the pieces.

My name is Alexandra Treadaway-Hoare (as in Hoar Frost). I was born in S.E. Asia, of Canadian Parents, educated in North Africa, Europe, UK, and Canada. I spent my adult years in the Corporate World in Canada and the US.

Ten years ago, I started serious Art Studies in my chosen medium of Watercolor, under David Daniels at The Smithsonian Institute, and continue to study under his tutelage. As of five Years ago I have been a professional Artists. I have earned 4 Honorable Mentions from Juried shows over the last two years from regional, national and international competitions. I have had two One Woman Shows and will be in a Two Women Show October 2 & 3 2021 at The Yellow Barn in Glen Echo Park.

Three years ago, I was introduced to ‘StencilGirl®’ stencils and now they are in a sizeable number of my works.

I painted a series of Birds using StencilGirl® stencils as the background:

Morning Song

Music Score Mask by Valerie Sjodin

Bluebirds in a Barn

Window Ledger 9 Stencil by Pam Carriker

          

I also painted a series of flowers using StencilGirl® stencils as the background:

Calla Lily

Flemish Bond Brick Stencil by Lizzie Mayne

 Morning Glories

Greek Key Stencil by Mary Beth Shaw

                 

In the next painting I used a 12x24” StencilGirl® Stencil where I used only Tertiary colors in the background:

Swallowtail’s Feast

Circle Tiles 12x24 Stencil by Mary Beth Shaw

Honorable Mention RAL Juried Spring Show 2021

Much as I enjoyed using the stencils, I was finding one problem…… I was not having much success re-using the same stencils no matter what the subject of my painting!

So here are my thoughts as I completely changed how I used the same StencilGirl® stencil.

I went back to my Flowers series…….

First, I chose the flower, a rich deep purple (*Amethyst Genuine/Cobalt Violet) lily and I tinged the leaves to reflect the flower resulting in a strong purple central focus!  I lightly sprayed the back of my Black Birds in Trees Invert Stencil by Kimberly Baxter Packwood with Krylon Easy-Tack, let it dry and placed it over the central focus. Now I filled in the blank areas with different values of yellow (*Permanent Yellow Deep), being very careful not to paint over the purple flower or leaves. I let it dry and peeled off the stencil. I now had blank white areas depicting branches and birds. Choosing to cover my paper with paint, I chose a pale blue (*Duochrome Cabo Blue), to represent the sky.

Purple Lily

Black Birds in Trees Invert Stencil by Kimberly Baxter Packwood

Now to use the same stencil to achieve a very different ‘look’!

I stayed within my flower motif, this time starting with my version of a few humble Dandelions, which I painted yellow (values of *Hansa Yellow Medium) and added green stems and made-up leaves. I laid the still tacky (months later!!) stencil over the central flower. I then took a ‘Micron” pen with archival black ink in a size 0.3 (felt like nib) and outlined the StencilGirl® stencil Black Birds in Tree l.  Again, I peeled off the Stencil. Now I had a lot of white paper, my version of dandelions and black line drawings! I started by painting the tree branches brown (*Raw Siena & Burnt Umber) and added sporadic green (variety on my palette) shoots at some of the branch ends and painted in just the visible beaks of the birds (brown as above).and stopped!  What I believed I now had was a minimalist representation of flower and flight!

 

Dandelions and the Spirit of Flight

Black Birds in Trees Invert Stencil by Kimberly Baxter Packwood

Honorable Mention Beacon Journal Fine Art Competition 2019

In this experimental piece for me, you’ll notice a bird head in lower left corner that had to have the ‘brown bark’ sponged away… I did want the birds head to be in back of the trunk, but the black ink showed thru, so I ‘fixed’ it. In the same general area you’ll spot a brown smudge; I knew that I couldn’t get it out so I added a stroke to imply a beak and left it alone!

The most powerful lesson that I learnt was to allow myself to leave white space in my painting!

All paint colors are Daniel Smith watercolor tube paints.

Alexandra Treadaway-Hoare

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Mini Stitched Collages with StencilGirl® Stencils

 

Hi, Judy here and I am excited to be here to show you how I make my mini stitched collages.  For many years I have been obsessed with making miniature artworks.  My background is fiber art and once I discovered I could stitch my papers, there was no turning back.  I hope you enjoy this mini tutorial.

 

Supplies:

Acrylic paint

Watercolor paint

Golden Modeling Paste

Blue Tape

Watercolor paint brush

Foam paintbrush

Spatula/scraper

Various papers: watercolor paper/book pages/copy paper/cardstock or old artworks

StencilGirl® Stencils – 

Nested Squares Full 

Little Eddy Rose

Fragmented Lines Columns

1 by 4 Rails Set 1

Stone & Mortar Version 2

 

*optional: sewing machine, needles and thread

 

Technique:

Start by gathering all your supplies.  I like having everything within reach.  Look through your papers and determine colors.  Generally, I choose two to three colors plus black and white.  But for this project I limited my color choices to one color with black and white.  Sometimes simplicity is best.

I started creating my black and white stenciled papers on vintage book pages, music sheets and copy paper.  I love the textures that these papers give and the hidden words that pop out.  

Next, I created beautiful textured papers on watercolor paper with Golden modeling paste.  You can use plaster, spackle, or any other thick paste like mediums for this.  I chose the modeling paste for the more transparent texture.  Here is a hint, if you don’t like the transparent white color add a drop or two of ink to the paste to give it color.  Explore!

This next step is so much fun.  Here is where I decided to see what watercolor and stencils would do.  I have never had much luck, but this time…Boom!  This time I painted a very wet watercolor background on the watercolor paper.  

Next, I laid my StencilGirl® stencils on top of the wet watercolor paper and taped them in place.  I used a version of blue tape for delicate surfaces, but washi tape works great too.  Once the stencils were secure, I gently went over the stencils with a little more watercolor to add more vibrant colors in different sections.  The most difficult is the next step…let it dry overnight and do not move it.  Funny, I am so impatient, but trust me just let it dry overnight.

Now the fun begins, let’s make some fun mini collages!

 

I know some of these papers are just gorgeous by themselves, but time to tear and cut them up.  It’s only paper and you can make more.  There are lots of ways to do collages, straight line, rough edges, layers, just have fun re-arranging the papers.   My papers are approximately 2” pieces, some smaller and some larger.  What I was looking for is color and contrast.  I use a glue stick of scotch tape to temporary hold my pieces together to carry them to my sewing machine.

YES!  You heard me.  I have lots of art friends that question why I sew my collages.  My response is that sewing is my mark making opportunity and it gives structure to the collages.    Plus, I used to be a fiber artist.  So why not?

 

Sewing paper can be a little challenging to do curved lines so I would suggest straight, zig zag and random.  I try to make sure every paper has at least a stitch on it to hold the papers together.

Finishing your little collages is a personal thing with many options.  Some people like them framed with a mat and others like them attached to a wood panel.  It all depends on the finish too.  If framing in a frame, just finish it with a final fixative spray.  If you adhere to a wood panel you can finish it with a varnish, resin, or encaustic medium.  Here I finished a piece with encaustic but like I said it is a personal choice with many options to choose from.

Now go create those beautiful collages and you tag me on Instagram with your creations @judy_applegarth

Happy Stenciling!

Judy Applegarth

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Accidental Arrangement

Hi everyone! It's Kate here. Today I am sharing a project that came to mind by accident. It started in our kitchen, or should I say science lab? Like many of you, I have been schooling my children at home this year. For the first time in my life, I am having to play teacher as well as parent and let's be honest, it has its challenges. But overall it has been a year of getting to know my children better and I have loved almost every minutes of it. 

So, back to the science lab...my son had to present a science fair project and he chose a lava lamp. The experiment instructions said that it should glow, hence we took the whole project into our very small powder room to "experience" the glowing lava lamp in the dark. There was no glowing but there was glass breaking. My son backed into one of the floating wall shelves and knocked everything off, including a picture frame.

As I stood there, looking at the broken frame, I decided it was the perfect excuse to create a new piece of art. I was thinking floral arrangement inspired by Rae Missigman's watercolor flowers.

How can I used stencils to create a floral arrangement, you ask? It's really easy.

I started off by gathering all my stencils with flowers and foliage and traced them onto watercolor paper.

Using various watercolors, I painted all my tracings.

One thing that I love doing is using a Pigma Micron Pen to outline, draw details and doodle my image. It can really bring a flat painting to life. I am still learning how to use watercolor so using a pen is a great technique for beginners. Just look at the difference below between the flower with details and without.

When deciding how to arrange it all, I loved the flowers against a white background but the frame I was using had a white mat so I decided to paint a simple wash in the background. By spreading a bit of salt over the wet paint it created some texture. 

Once the background was dry, I started "arranging" the flowers.

I like dimension so I overlapped some of the stenciled images.

Here is the image without the glass. I was planning on leaving it like this so the layers could be seen from the side but as you can see, the mat didn't lay flat, so in the end I opted to use the glass.

Here is the completed piece on the shelf in the powder room. Let's hope this one doesn't get in an accident.

Thank you for stopping by.

Until Next Time,

Kate

Stencils Used:

Garden Spray and Bramble by Jeanne Oliver

Inspired By Frida by June Pfaff Daley

Wolf by Roxanne Coble

Chinese Garden Plum Blossoms by Gwen LaFleur

Mermaids Stencil and Mask by Jessica Sporn

ATC Mixup Adams: Toadstools by Debi Adams

Botanical Wildflowers by Rae Missigman

Stencils for Watercolor Delight or the Paints of Your Choice

Greetings! There is plenty of art to see in this post because Dave Daniels, aka Mr. Watercolor, is sharing his inspiration as well as techniques.

Remember, no matter if you call these "stencils" or "masks" the white part is the mylar and the black part is where the paint goes. 

Large 9" x 12" or small 6" x 6" designs available.

Rooted in Nature: Butterflies

The Rooted in Nature Butterflies Mask is a combination of many butterflies and flowers. Just when you think you are sure what you are looking at, your vision shifts, and you see something completely different.

This was a new technique for Dave. He placed the mask on card stock, and spread “light dimensional ground” (a Golden product) through the mask openings with a palette knife. When the ground was dry, he flooded the surface with watercolor. after the watercolor dried, he lightly sanded the surface, revealing the image.

Dave used Izink Ice (by Seth Apter). He applied the paint with a palette knife through the openings in the mask, then turned the mask 180 degrees and again applied paint with a palette knife creating a double exposure.

Rooted in Nature: Caladium

The intricate patterns on the Caladium leaves have always fascinated Dave. Not quite random, not entirely predictable. He captured the delicate nature of these intricate patterns in this Rooted in Nature Caladium Mask.

This was another new technique for Dave. He placed the mask on Yupo paper and sprayed it with clear water. He then grated watercolor crayons using a “micro grater” (kitchen utensil) into the openings of the mask.

Dave applied Izink Ice paint with a soft sponge roller through the openings in the mask.

Rooted in Nature: Begonia

Big bold and very structured. This begonia caught stencil designer Dave's eye because of its repetition of bold patterns. Rooted in Nature Begonia Mask is ready for your watercolors.

Using a natural sponge, Dave stamped acrylic paint through the openings of the mask.

Dave placed the mask on Yupo paper, sprayed it with clear water then dropped watercolor paint into the opening of the mask. 

An option with these stencil-masks: You can cut off the border. It is totally a matter of preference. Keep in mind that cutting off the border will make the design bit more delicate to use and to store.

Rooted in Nature: Monarchs

In this Rooted in Nature Monarch Mask, Dave tried to capture the thousands of upon thousands of Monarch Butterflies that migrate each year. Separately they are beautiful, but collectively they create textures and beautiful patterns. 

Using a brayer, Dave rolled Izink Ice directly onto the mask placed on watercolor paper making a print.

Dave placed the mask on 140lb watercolor paper and sprayed it with clear water. He dropped watercolors into the opening of the mask.

 

Rooted in Nature: Coleus

A coleus plant grows just outside Dave's studio window. A recent black and white photograph of the plant revealed the beautiful symmetry of its leaves and inspired him to design inspired this Rooted in Nature Coleus Mask.

Dave used a soft sponge roller filled with acrylic paint over the mask.

Dave placed the mask on Yupo paper, sprayed it with clear water. He dropped watercolors in the mask openings and allowed the colors to mingle.

Rooted in Nature: Window

Are we looking in or looking out through the window? You are probably familiar with this everyday scene. The combination of architecture and organic plants makes a great mix of shapes in this Rooted in Nature Window Mask.

As mentioned earlier, whether you call it a "stencil" or "mask" the white part is the mylar and the black part is where the paint goes. 

Dave placed the on Yupo paper and sprayed it with clear water. He then graded watercolor crayons using a “micro grater” (kitchen utensil) into the openings of the mask.

Dave placed the mask on card stock, and with a palette knife, spread “light dimensional ground” (a Golden product) through the mask openings. When the ground was dry, Dave flooded the surface with watercolor. After everything was dry, he lightly sanded the surface, revealing the image.

Butterfly Window (the painting at the beginning of this post and the Two Crows painting (below) were created using several different stencils. 

1. Place the masks on Yupo paper and pour liquid watercolor though the openings. 
2. Wipe out the butterfly shape and repaint. (Yupo paper is a synthetic paper, actually, it is plastic. You can remove the paint completely by wiping it with a wet sponge.) 
3. Make a butterfly stencil out of cardboard. 
4. Place it over the now dry stencil painting.
5. Wipe it clean and sponge “white absorbent ground” through the opening. 
6. Remove the cardboard and let dry.
7. Paint the butterfly.

Dave used a similar technique for Two Crows.

The branches upon which the hand-painted crows are perched were created using frisket. Here is an example of frisket branches:

In love with Dave's Rooted in Nature series? The entire collection is available from StencilGirl.