StencilGirl® A to Z Collaboration and Challenge

Hello!  Tina Walker here today with my latest StencilGirl® Column post.  I'm all about collaborations and you WILL want to STOP, grab a cup of your favorite beverage, and click through all of the amazing journals highlighted in this post.  This project has been many months in the making and I am sure you will love the end result(s).  These artists live and breath art journaling and LOVE StencilGirl® stencils and are inspired by using them in fun and creative ways.

Here's the idea behind the challenge: Create 26 art journal spreads or pages, each one inspired by each letter of the alphabet, A to Z. But, here's the twist. Each person created their 26 pages using a theme and no two people used the same theme on their pages.  Themes can be as simple as: using the letter as inspiration for a color or using the letter as inspiration for a (specific) range of objects.

Right?  I told you this was the mother of all challenges!

I asked each artist to share either their favorite spread in their journal, or a short 'flip through' video of their completed pages.  Let's check 'em out! (Be sure to click each person's name.  For those who also blogged about their process, you will be transported to their space for more details.)

DEB RIDDELL

Deb's theme is 'Inspirational Words'.

Deb used over 44 stencils in her journal, but here are just a few of her favorites:

Valentine Of Mine

Nature's Gatherings

Tropical Floral

Doodle It Bigger

ATC Mixup 1

Celtic Alphabet

LINDA WYATT

Linda's theme is 'New Age'. 

Linda also used many many stencils in her journal, but here are a few of her favorites.
Sacred Feminine
StencilClub Sept 2019
Pilgrimage to India
StencilClub Nov 2019
Eve - A Modern Women

NINA FICKETT

Nina's theme is 'Exploration in Texture'

There is a MANY STENCIL theme going, and Nina used multiple stencils as well.  Here are a few of her favorites.

Thicket Background

Gaol Doorways

Jumbo Vintage Type A-P 

Wisteria Vine Small

Rolls

JANET SCHMITZ

Janet's theme is 'Quotes'.

Part One

Part Two

Janet used the following stencils on the background of each page, besides a multitude of other stencils on each individual spread)
Ancient Marks
Circles Circles
Square Off
Square On

TRACY KRUEGER

Tracy's theme is 'Cities'.  Here's a peek at her favorite page and stencil(s) used on that page.

StencilClub Nov 2017
Now Is The Time

GLENDA HOAGLAND

Glenda's theme is 'Vegetables'.  Here favorite page from her journal is 'Leeks'.

One of Glenda's Favorite stencils is:

River Rocks

JOSEFINE FOUARGE

Josefine's theme is 'Authors'.  So creative!

Josefine's favorite stencils are:
Spirit Swirl
ATC MixUp Dube
Kassel
Artistic Muse Card 2
Math Man

SARA NORRIS

Sara's theme is 'Natural Wonders'.

Sara's favorite stencils are:
Ripple Effect
Alligator Bark
Symmetrical Waves
Pixels
Spring Garlic

MARSHA VALK

Marsha's theme is 'Ordinary Things - Pandemic Edition'

One of her favorite pages is letter 'B' - for Black Lives Matter.

She used the following stencils on this page:
Floral Frolics
Mosaic Flowers
Open Ended Alphabet

MARTHA CHRISTOPHER

Martha's theme is 'Emotions/Feelings'

Some of Martha's Favorite stencils are:
Art Deco Fairview
Loose Women #2
ATC MixUp Apter
Create Face
Chinese Garden Buddha

ANN BARNES

Ann's theme is 'A to Z Patterns' - and you do NOT want to miss this journal. Hop on over to her blog (click her name to see the entire journal)

Some of the stencils she used to make this extraordinary journal include:
ATC MixUp Apter #2
ATC MixUP Toadstool
ATC MixUp Apter
Rectangles Mini Printmaking

MICHELE KOSCIOLEK

Michele's theme is 'What makes me happy'.  ♥

Michele used the following stencil on each page.
Vintage Typewriter Lower Case


Whew!  Now that is some amazing inspiration and I am digging how each person used their theme to create interesting and unique pages. I have said it a thousand times before, but hosting collaborations really brings happiness to my soul.  Just seeing the inspiration and creativity fills my heart with joy, and hearing the stories of encouragement and positivity is really what this is all about.

I also participated and created a video sharing all 26 spreads....here's a peek. ♥

Stencils Used:
Jumbo Vintage Typewriter Alphabet
Vintage Typewrite Alphabet Stencil
Alpha Jumble Large
Hip To Be Square Small Alphabet
Whimsy Script
Bullet Planner
Flourish Alphabet Uppercase
Art Deco Alphabet
Celtic Alphabet
Open Ended

Want to join in the fun and create your own journal from A to Z?  Feel free to use any of the themes highlighted here or use the prompts I shared.  It's a great way to try new artist mediums without the fear of messing up.  As I mentioned in my video, some of the new products will find their way back into my journal pages.  Below is a list of the products (and inspiration) for each letter.

A - Alcohol Ink
B - Black Gesso
C - Crackle Paint
D - Distress Dye Ink
E - Embossing Powder
F - Frisket Film
G - Glass Bead Gel
H - Highlighters
I - Ink
J - Japanese Paper
K - Kraft Stickers
L - Lindy's Spray
M - Modeling Paste
N - Neocolors II
O - Oil Pastels
P - Pan Pastels
Q - Quinacridone Paint
R - Rice Paper
S - Stabilo All Pencil
T - Transfer Paper
U - Uhu Glue
V - Vellum
W - Watercolors
X - X Acto Knife
Y - Yupo Paper
Z - Zig Markers

As always, thank you for stopping by!  I hope we inspired you today to create your own A to Z journal!

Be safe and well.

Tina

Put A Bird On It StencilGirl® Collaboration

Hi all!  Tina Walker here with my latest StencilGirl® Collaboration project and post I call, "Put A Bird On It'.  What exactly is that, you ask?  Well...let me explain.

Awhile back, I sent 3 of my art friends a stack of eco-printed and dye-pot dyed papers.  (See, I have a problem when I get involved with an eco-dye or dye-pot dye sess and I want to dye #allthethings)

Each person created a journal out of the papers, in any shape, size, or form they wanted.  Each artist then selected 3 separate pages for the 'ground zero' or base layer of stenciling.   This is where it gets all special and stuff.  ;)  For this BASE LAYER + other, each artist had select just ONE stencil for the entire project.  Yup, just ONE stencil!  But that is where it gets fun.  Getting creative with all the ways to use 1 stencil gets my creative juices flowing.

Once the base layer was complete, each artist shipped their journal to the next artist in line.  That artist then added another layer of stenciling to the 3 pages, using their ONE stencil.  Once complete, they shipped that journal to the next in line, and so on and so forth, until each artist received their journals back from all participants.

As if that wasn't special enough, we had to go EXTRA SPECIAL for the finale, and finish off our 3 pages by 'Putting a Bird On It', using a variety of StencilGirl® bird themed stencils. Before I type anymore, let me share the cover to my journal.

Because we believe in sharing the love each artist video'd their work, layer by layer, for y'all to experience.  You get to watch it from bare page to finished page, for all 4 artists!  Love that!

I asked each artist to share a beauty shot of their favorite spread + a link to their YT channel video, so PLEASE be sure to check out each person's videos!  I'm sure they will full of inspiration and ideas.

Up first is Andrea Chebeleu!

WOW!  I love this layout SO much!  The colors, the design, and the subtle stencil magic!

Andrea used these 2 stencils in her journal:

Tower Stairs Small

StencilClub Feb 2021 

And don't forget about her YT videos, located >> HERE << 

Next, we have Nina Fickett!

This is such a striking page!  The layers and depth of color are incredible.

Nina used these stencils on her page:

Whimsical Waves

Tall Birds

Three Crows 

Want to check out her YT videos?  They are located >> HERE << 

Next we have DeeDee Catron

INCREDIBLE!  The bold use of black, really highlights the subtle layer beneath!

DeeDee used these stencils on her pages:

Catron's Orbit

Black Birds in Trees Invert 

And her video >> HERE >>

And finally, ME!  :)

Although the challenge was to only work on 3 pages, I can't wait to dig into this journal and finish her off!

I used the following stencils:

StencilClub May 2024 

Under the Sun

Block Print Birds 

Swallows 

And we can't forget my videos! 

Video 1 << HERE >>

Video 2 << HERE >>  (for layout above)

Video 3 << HERE >> 

I hope you enjoyed the collaboration!

Till next time!

Tina

Tag, You're It! Collaboration

Hello!  Tina Walker here today with my latest StencilGirl Collaboration Column post and one you will not want to miss.

Tag - You're It! was inspired by a recent alcohol ink/stencil tag technique shared by Birgit Koopsen, in 2020 on Youtube.  I was immediately hooked and was making more tags than I could use.  So why not create a swap collaboration?  Off I went to look for fellow tag/stencil/collaboration lovers!

Each participant created beautiful backgrounds on #5 tags, filled with StencilGirl® goodness.  Each person swapped 2 tags with each other so in the end we each ended up with 28 total tags (including our own). Once all tags were received, we each set off to create our own interpretation of a tag journal or book.

Let's check them out!

(If they created a more detailed post, please click their name for more information)

KATHY ADAMS

Kathy created a gorgeous tag book full of wonderful imagery and words

Favorite Stencils Used:

Picasso's Words

Deconstructed Floral Bouquet 

KATHY LUCKEY

Kathy's tag book is full of grungy goodness and reinforcing words.

Favorite Stencils Used:

Mystique 

Orchard

KERRY MOLINA

Kerry's book is bright, colorful, and enchanting.

Favorite Stencils Used:

Doodle It Bigger

Sunburst Crackle 

KRISTI NAZZARO

Kristi's Tag Journal is so so happy. It just makes me smile.

Favorite Stencils Used:

Soulful Scribbles

LEIGH ANN BIERMAN

Leigh Ann's tag book is full of attitude and great Tim Holtz dolls.

Favorite Stencil Used:

Honey Comb

MELISSA JOHNSON

Melissa always has a way of make journals full of meaning and soul.

Favorite Stencils Used:

Pebbles Layer Me

StencilClub Dec 2020

MICHELE KOSCIOLEK

Michele's Tag book is full of energy and spirit!

Favorite Stencils Used:

Leafy Arches

Winter Trees Bark 

NINA FICKETT 

Nina's journal is full of wonderul lines and textures.

Favorite Stencils Used:

Neighborhood Map

Soulful Scribbles

SARA BRANSON

Okay - you will need to stop right here and check this out!  Sara knocked this project SKY HIGH!

Favorite Stencils Used:

Scarab Beetles

Tiger Orchid

SUSAN BROWN

Susan created a dimensional, stand on it's own book.

Favorite Stencils Used:

Soulful Scribbles

Art Deco Peacock Feathers

TRACY KRUEGER

Tracy's tag book is full of wonderful collage elements and words.

Favorite Stencils Used

Squared On

Vintage Typewrite Numbers 

TRACY VILLAUME

Tracy takes us through the zodiac with great images!

Favorite Stencils Used:

StencilClub Nov 2020

Pebbles Layer Me

JANET SCHMITZ

Janet's tag journal is soft, delicate, and simply beautiful

Favorite Stencils Used:

Doodle It Bigger

Layers of Scallop

And lastly, my tag journal.  To be honest, I actually struggled with completing my lil' book.  I have been so busy, with limited creative time, I was finding it hard to find the mojo.  I opted to keep things simple, and added small amounts of additional stenciling to each page, as well as some vintage collage elements.

Favorite Stencils Used:

Leafy Doodles

StencilClub Sept 2020

Echeveria Ballet 

I also created a short video walk-through so you can see the entire tag journal.

I hope you enjoyed our tag journals/books. See you next quarter!

13 Days Adrift - StencilGirl® Collaboration

Hello and welcome to the heat of the summer!  Tina Walker here today with my latest collaboration. 

First of all, collaborations like this are some of my faves!  It's a little bit of recipe and prompt and a lot a bit of 'the same starting point'.  I love combining these two elements because the outcomes and completed projects are always a surprise!  They vary as much as we are individuals and that is what makes them perfect.

The concept behind this collaboration was the following -

Each participant received one of these vintage books - titled, "13 Days Adrift", the experiences of M. Stanley McLean.  

 

The participants had to deconstruct, then reconstruct the book into another book or journal with a specific technique or style of their choosing. They could add additional pages to their book, use pages from the original book as collage material, gelli plate backgrounds, or whatever they could dream up!

 

But.....to challenge them even more, the following had to be done.

 

1. They had to pick ONE shape (circle, square, rectangle, triangle, floral, etc.) and only that ONE shape could an be used throughout their new book/journal.

PLUS

2. Only Black & White (and all shades of grey in between) were to be used.

They could create with any theme, structure or story.  Intrigued yet?

Just wait - - - their finished books are truly works of art! Each artist interpreted the prompts differently and various reconstructions were used.  I am SO in love with this collaboration and the boldness of the black & white!  Let's check em' out!

 

(Be sure to click each participants name for more details and photos of their journals)

ANN BARNES

Ann's theme was CIRCLES, and she had this to say about the collaboration.

"Wanting to stay as true to the theme as the original booklet, my "new" book features driftwood covers with an exposed binding, it maintains a nautical theme and incorporates stencils that feature a circular shape. ( Full disclosure: since we were allowed to use black, white and all shades of grey, I used Payne's Grey as my main color with black and white...)"

 

Stencils Used:

ATC Mixup Apter

Circles Circles

Compass

JANET SCHMITZ

Janet's theme was also CIRCLES. Here's what she had to say about the collaboration.

"I have been in a few collaborations with Tina and Stencilgirl and this one by far has been the best!  I believe it is because the challenge of using neutral colors, 13 Days Adrift book, and one shape but the freedom of however shape the journal may be.  it was absolutely freeing for me and the best challenge.  In fact, I'm going to take these same to create a similar journal!  Just loved it!  Thank you Tina!!!"

Stencils Used:

Crazy Quilts

Eucalyptus

Winter Berries

KERRY MOLINA

Kerry's theme was COMPASSES.

Stencils Used:

Ornamental Compass 

Compass Rose

Compass

KRISTI NAZARRO

Kristi's theme was CIRCLES.  She incorporated some of the book words with some form of texture and used slow stitching for that. Here's what she had to say.

"I found it really challenging with the limited palette but was super happy with the way it turned out. It stretched me as an artist and I was happy with my little journal in the end."

Stencils Used:

ATC MixUp Missigman

Bittersweet Mini

River Rocks Mini

LEACA YOUNG

Leaca's theme was CIRCLES. That seems to be very popular.  :)

Stencil Used:

Large Bubbles

LINDA WYATT

Linda's theme was HEARTS.

Stencils Used:

Four Sacred Hearts

ATC Mixup Mika

MARTHA CHRISTOPHER

Martha's theme was also CIRCLES. Here's what she had to say.

"When I first read about this challenge I couldn’t wait to join in! I love making journals, vintage books and love a challenge. But I have to admit that I had a moment of doubt when I was getting started. I wanted to make something different than the journals I usually make, but my brain was finding it difficult to deal with using only the colors black, white and gray and focusing on only one shape. Once I turned off the part of my brain that was blocked and just started, the ideas started flowing and I thoroughly enjoyed the process."

StencilClub Jan 2019

Inky Circles

River Rocks

MARY NASSER

Mary's theme was WAVES!  Love this so much!

Stencils Used:

Water's Edge

Mini Waves

MICHELLE PIERRON

Michelle's theme is CIRCLES.  Here's what she had to say about the collaboration

"My book was inspired by a quote from Karen Marie Moning: "I was adrift in a sea of questions and 

if answers were lifeboats I was in imminent danger of drowning."  The book was called 13 days adrift 

and i kept thinking what does adrift mean to me.

It makes me think of all those times in the last couple of years with the pandemic that we have kind

of been adrift without any real answers or any idea of how to make the best of a weird situation.  

This is definitely a tongue in cheek kind of book and on the front i cut a little snip from the book 

that says, "To all my shipmates who paid the supreme sacrifice I dedicate this book." Maybe some 

of the same thoughts going through the author's mind back in 1943 were spiraling around in mine 

while i was trying to make sense of life recently. 

Stencils Used:

Speckles and spots

Arrows within Rounds

Deconstructed Della Robbia

MICHELLE SANDERS

 

Michelle's theme is faces. 

Stencils Used:

Stone Face 

Thoughtfull Face

Sweet Girl Face 

NINA FICKETT

 Nina's theme is CRESCENTS.  Here's what she had to say. 

"I started with b&w alcohol ink gel prints. The original 13 Days Adrift booklet is completely embedded in every page. The shape I focused on was on the crescent. Focal points are vintage scraps of book bindings with alcohol ink's. The binding is vintage upholstery fabric mixed with collage."

Stencils Used:

StencilClub Jan 2022

StencilClub Oct 2021

SANDY BABB

 Sandy's theme is FACES. Here's what Sandy had to say.

"Adrift…to float as if neither being moored or steered…pretty much sums up how I felt at the beginning of this project.  I found my course within the parameters of the challenge Tina set and embraced them as an artistic story began to unfold with the inspiration of Stencil Girls Faces in the Crowd stencil.  In the end it was a wonderful journey that stretched my imagination."

Stencils Used:

Faces in the Crowd

TRACY KRUEGER

Tracy's theme was BONTANICAL. Here's what she had to say.

"When challenged with this collaboration and using one stencil "type", I knew it had to be botanical. Only using a black, white and grey palette actually made it easier for me, once I started my book, I was hooked and couldn't stop!"

Stencils Used:

Curvey Stems

Wildflowers and Grasses

Leavy Doodle Border

TRACY VILLAUME

Tracy's theme was also BOTANICALS. Here's what she had to say.

"I really loved this collaboration and seeing all the different interpretations...It is amazing how unique stencils can make a piece even when using a single shape and limited color palette!"

Stencils Used:

ATC Mixup Missigman

Botanical Wildflowers

Floral Embellishments

KATHY BERG

Kathy's theme was WATER.  Here's what she had to say.

"I chose the theme adrift from the title and contents of the book. The word adrift caught my attention so I went with the theme adrift and knew I wanted to go with some sort of water, wave, flow theme.  This is the first collab I had ever participated and it was a little challenging when I started. I skimmed through the book and then did research on the word adrift trying to visualize journal pages. Once I started and chose the papers for my cover I found my direction. I decided I would make a journal focusing on quotes about being adrift, wandering anything along that theme. I gathered hand died papers I had collected from other artist, my own painty papers and pages from the book. The journal has several pages because I had so many pretty papers to use along with the book pages. I decided to make a journal that would be an ongoing project. An art journal to add quotes an things about water as I found them. A place for stamps, pictures, my own art and keep it along the black and white theme. It will be an inspiration of quotes and ideas. I really enjoyed working on the collab. It gave me the opportunity to work on something in a way I have not worked on other art journal pages or art journals."

Stencils Used:

Water's Edge

Mini Waves

KATHY MASONE

Here's what Kathy had to say.

"I thought Adrift = pandemic, and that's where I went with it. Such a metaphor for what we are experiencing (me still)."

Stencils Used:

FLOCK

Tiny Medallion

DEEDEE CATRON 

DeeDee chose ARCHES as her theme.  Here's what she had to say.

"I chose arches as my book shape & pretty much loved every second! I utilized my factory & cut some custom shaped chip to build this book. The pages have been collaged with the 13 Days Adrift book pages, stenciled heavily with StencilGirl Products & embellished with various goods like tissue paper from Tina Walker, washi tape, chipboard & diecuts all from UmWowStudio. There are also image transfers & paint, marks & fabric, gesso + loads more on these pages, which were finalized in order with a tab binding."

Stencils Used:

Cathedral Arch

Mix and Match

Towers of Arches 

CHRISTY STRICKLER

 

Christy's theme was CIRCLES. Here's what she had to say.

"I chose to deconstruct the book, using words and phrases from the text to tell a story in my journal. You can see a few small bits on this page. I used Payne's grey with it's bluish grey tones to help pull the blue from some of the images in the book and make it color consistent throughout."

Stencils Used:

Circular Patterns

Art Deco Medallion

StencilClub December 2019

 

ALEXA DOEBLER 

Alexa's theme was FACES.  

Stencils used:

Delicate Face

Asteria Small

Love Face

And lastly, my project.  My theme was CIRCLES (again!).  Circles seem to the crowd favorite.

I completely took the book apart, collaged the book pages on a master sheet, then cut the master sheet into smaller sizes. 

I bound these smaller sizes into a flip journal/book, machine stitched together.  I really loved my finished project and the focus on the limited color palette of black & white.

Stencils Used:

StencilClub July 2019 

StencilClub June 2021 

River Rocks

I made a short video for your viewing pleasure.  ♥

 Till next time.

XOXO Tina