2022 Topic 06: Mainly Stencils {by Asia Marquet} with France Papillon Stamps

Hi everyone, it's Asia here (Lemon Creation) today, and I would like to share with you an art journal page which I made in one of my old books using only stencils (well, almost- I did a little bit of background stamping, just for fun!).

The idea for this page was to use mainly stencils and to show you some of the great stencilling techniques. Was it easy? Yes and no! Yes, because you can do so, so much with a stencil. Difficult, because I am definitely a stamper and I've never made a page using stencils so much- I used it even for a focal point! But as I always say- challenging ourselves is a great way to learn and to grow as an artist. So let's see what I have created and hopefully this post will inspire you to create something very much stencil-oriented.

For this project I wanted to use PaperArtsy Fresco Chalk Acrylics as they are less liquid than Infusions and more easy to work with stencils. I also chose few beautiful stencils designed by France Papillon (PS302, PS303, PS227) and for the background- stencils by Sara Naumann (PS296, PS297). I went a little crazy here as I had hard time choosing which one I like the best and well, if I had them- why not use them, right? But you can definitely work with less and make the page less busy than mine.

I love working in old, almost torn apart books, giving them a chance for a second, more colourful life. Before starting, I glued a few pages together and applied a layer of gesso to make the pages more sturdy and avoid the paints seeping through. I also used a bit of stamping at this stage- when the gesso was still wet, I stamped on it the set of numbers from France Papillon's stamp set 18 (FP018)

Next step was to add some colours. I used Fresco Chalk Acrylics (Red Lipstick and Little Black Dress). One part of the red paint I mixed with some black acrylic, then sprayed the water onto the page and made a wash with it. This is my background colour.

With Red Lipstick Acrylic paint I made my first stencil transfer with a Sara Naumann stencil (PS297). I used a sponge for easy application. You can see how much brighter the actual Red Lipstick colour is on the page as opposed to the background colour I created.

With the remaining colour mixture (red and black) I added some more stencilling with one more of Sara Naumann stencils (PS296). Because the colours are so similar to each other, there is no striking difference between them and for me the background designs will really stay in the background.

 

I wanted to come back to the beautiful stamp from France Papillon (FP018) and I added a little stamping with StazOn (Jet Black) ink onto the background. It's really important to me to add some black accents for contrast. I think black makes the other colours pop out even more.

Let's do some more stencilling. This time I used France Papillon stencils (PS302 and PS303) to add some words to the page. Once again I used a sponge applicator and StazOn ink. The reason behind choosing StazOn is simple- it is a permanent ink and I am sure it will not be affected at the later stages by water or paint. Inking the edges of the pages was another way to add more contrast to the layout.

I am a big fan of circles- who does not love them? This is why I needed to add some circles from this gorgeous France Papillon stencil (PS302) and this time with Fresco Chalk Acrylic (Banana), but here is another tip on using your stencil- you can draw inside the cuts with your fineliners. I doodled circular wonky shapes inside to give sort of borders to the yellow circles. Stencil drawing is fun!

If you don't have any coloured modelling paste at hand, you can make your own. I mixed PaperArtsy Grunge Paste (GP190) and Fresco Chalk Acrylic (Little Black Dress) to stencil broken circles with France Papillon stencil (PS227). It's always like that with me- once I start making circles- I can't stop!

The last part of the background was to add the floral pattern from previously used France Papillon stencil (PS303), again with StazOn and a sponge applicator. As you can see I am coming back to the same stencils and choosing between the designs- there are so many, so you have a great, beautiful choice at hand.

The first part of the project was definitely an easy ride. For the focal part of the project things got a little bit more complicated. I was having doubts as to what to use and how to use it. But I learnt this great stencil embossing technique from Ann Melvin from Positively Papercraft (YouTube) and even though it could be a little tricky, I truly love it. It's all about using stencils as embossing folders. Yes, that actually works! You are basically making a "sandwich" as you would do with regular embossing folder (though the "sandwich" needs to be a little bit thicker) and you put it through your embossing machine. The tricky part for me is to get in the first go how to place the stencil- should it go underneath the paper or above it? This is not a problem if you do the impression on white paper, but if your paper is coloured, things may get tiny bit more difficult- unless you have a very logical  mind (which I don't!). I did my embossing on the paper previously coloured with Fresco Chalk Acrylics (Banana and Red Lipstick). 

For my embossed image I chose a butterfly from France Papillon stencil (PS302). The stencil was a little too large for my old embossing machine, but I managed to slightly fold it on one side and still run it through the machine without damaging it at all. I also made a small experiment by placing the golden foil on top of my coloured paper and just underneath the stencil, trying to get it to stick in the embossed parts. Here are some step-by-step photos:

After taking it out from my machine, I removed the excess foil by rubbing the image with my fingers. While doing this technique be sure your "sandwich" is thick enough to make a good impression- that's the key! Next step was to cut out the butterfly and ink its edges with black StazOn. 

I decided not to add any more words to the page- two previously stencilled ones are just perfect!  In the middle of butterfly I adhered a photo of a woman- again for more contrast. This was my final touch.

If, by any chance, this project looks a tiny bit complicated, believe me- it's not. It's rather a cool play with stencils and I know that there are a lot of crafters who love using them! I think this page helped me to fall in love with stencils a little bit more- especially with the embossing technique. Even though you won't get a 3D embossing effect with stencils, you can create something different and be able to optimise the use of your craft supplies. I am waiting impatiently to see your creations!

Asia

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2022 Topic 06: Mainly Stencils {by Autumn Clark} with Lin Brown Stamps

 

Hi everyone, it's Autumn Clark from SewPaperPaint with you today, and I'm here to share with you a simple stenciled art plaque created with very few products and very simple methods, in hopes to inspire those of you who are just beginning with mixed media and want to extend a bit beyond card making. 

I chose to omit my gel printing plate for this project and focus on basic painting and stencilling techniques, because so many times I hear stampers say they cannot find a rhythm with their printing and they are discouraged in mixed media. Here on the PaperArtsy blog we hope to inspire every level of crafter and offer a wide variety of techniques. I hope you will see that simple techniques can lead to beautiful and detailed projects and be inspired to try these yourselves.

 

I envisioned a jagged edged layered plaque, so I decided to work with watercolor papers and tore them down to size using a ruler. For my base layer I wanted to make a nice earthy background. I used a stencil sponge and applied Fresco Chalk Acrylics in Toad Hall and Chocolate Pudding to my water misted panel. The mist helped avoid harsh lines in the paint.  Next I sponged through PaperArtsy Stencil by Lin Brown (PS006) with more Chocolate Pudding. What a beautiful stencil!

  

I developed this project with a very simple color palette in mind, so those of you with a limited stash can see just how far a few colors of paint can go. PaperArtsy Fresco Chalk Acrylics in Toad Hall and Chocolate Pudding are a match made in heaven and the addition of Caramel really adds life and bright contrast. 

 

For my middle layer, I wanted to go dark, so I sponged mostly Chocolate Pudding with my muddled brush, then used the flower center portion of PaperArtsy Stencil by Lin Brown (PS003) to create a polka dot effect with sponged Toad Hall. I am a huge fan of circles and dots and will definitely be using this stencil for more dotted effects in the future!

Here you can see just how these layers work together. I probably could have gone darker with this middle panel, but it worked out well regardless. In addition to creating contrast with my colorway, I almost always try to balance organic with geometric elements, such as leaves and circles. Contrast and balance are good themes to consider as you work. Ask yourself along the way if you are achieving this.

 

 

For my final layer I tried to lighten things and painted the panel with pure Toad Hall. I then used Grunge Paste through the flower grouping in PS003. After this was dry, I went back over the flower with my paint colors.  The white Grunge Paste creates a bit of a halo effect, which I really like. You can see I added a few more stenciled dots to ground the image. Then I splashed all of my panels with watery Caramel.

 

I further roughed up all of my edges with a little sponged Walnut Stain ink and some messy stitching. I chose an assortment of fibres to use as a hanger, tied around a broken, mossy branch.

I picked a favorite sentiment from Lin Brown Stamp Set 5 (ELB05) and stamped it onto scrap inky paper and mounted onto the layered panel. This was the hardest part, choosing from all of the beautiful stamped phrases in this fabulous set.

 

 

To bring some additional texture and life to the piece, I rubbed over my flowers and the perimeter of the bottom panel with a glue stick, then adhered transfer foil. The subtle metallic shimmer catches the light beautifully and contrasts with the chalk finish of the Fresco paints.

Now, I'm known to use earth tones in my work, but I hope you can imagine these beautiful stencil patterns in your preferred colorway. What three colors come to your mind?

 

It's always so exciting to think of the transformation from plain white paper to a finished project, especially one you can hang in your home or use as a gift. Stencil work is a great way to add layers of color and pattern. Lin Brown, a classic stamp designer, has created such beautiful nature inspired stencil designs, many of which coordinate with her stamps, and I know you will find them a pleasure to work with. I hope these simple concepts have got your wheels turning for your next stenciled project. Make sure to tag @paperartsy so we can revel in its coolness!

xx, Autumn

Blog: SewPaperPaint

YouTube: SewPaperPaint

Facebook: Autumn Clark

Instagram: @sewpaperpaint

Pinterest: SewPaperPaint

 

2020 Topic 06: Stencils - Topic introduction {with Keren Baker}

Hi everyone, Keren here with you today to talk about what could be described as one of the unsung heroes of the crafting stash. We all have them, they're often made from Mylar and they don't look particularly exciting. We won't get the same reaction just by looking at it in comparison to viewing a beautiful stamp BUT ohhhh the possibilities.

Our new topic will look at different techniques using the wonderful stencil- but are there other things you can make stencils from other than plastic? How can you layer, rotate even cut up stencils to get more options. Are there favoured mediums to use on them? There are so many ideas that we just can't cover them all here but I know that our talented bloggers will come up with inspiring ideas and even surprising uses for the humble stencil.

It's easy to assume that everyone knows (or remembers the basics) how to stencil. So I thought I'd begin with some easy ideas. Even if you've done it for ages and love doing complicated techniques, a refresher on the basics is always welcome.

Here's a PaperArtsy video from a few years ago that should give you a good start.

Don't forget how stunning using a stencil simply can be. Kay Carley has used a number of stencils in the background in different colours that gives depth and richness.

PaperArtsy Blog

Stencil resist is a super technique that you can use so many products for...gesso, paint, embossing powder, PaperArtsy glazes, masking fluid, rubber cement, Vaseline, embossing pastes, inks, salt, wax crayons, wax and more. There's something wonderful about seeing pools of paint creep up to an area and contrast beautifully with a stencilled design. How many of these have you tried?

Here's an example using Vaseline as a resist. Follow the link for a video plus some other inspiring links.

Julie Fei-Fan Balzer

How about alcohol inks, watercolours and stencils? Amber Rain Davis shows 3 techniques using the trio in the following video.

Here's an example of just using alcohol ink with your stencils. You'll need an alcohol ink friendly surface like Yupo but it gives a fabulously fluid result. There's a tutorial in the link.

Ginny Markley

Have you tried foiling through your stencils? This beautiful example (follow the link for a bonus video) uses a hot foil gel medium and a 'tacky when dry' medium. 

The Crafters Workshop

Lots of us own a die cutting machine- have you tried dry embossing using stencils? The sample below was using a JOFY stencil and stamp set. How about dry embossing with stencils on metal?

PaperArtsy Blog

Art isn't just for inside the home. If your garden needs pepping up, try taking your stencils outside and paint your boring paving slabs using an outdoor suitable paint!

That's So Gemma

Staying with art outside, one of the most infamous artists using stencils is Banksy. Using multi-layered stencils gives bold but detailed images that often have a specific message.

Source

Speaking of a cool way to use stencils, I remember seeing Leandra doing this 'Stencil Bumping' technique that she'd learned from Lynne Perrella. She demonstrates it in the following video.

Gel printing with stencils is a quick and easy way to build up layers, but Carolyn Dube shows a clever technique to get reverse printing, which is particularly useful for lettering when using gel plates.

a Colorful Journey

PaperArtsy has an awesome range of stencils, but sometimes you might try to make your own. Do you cut them out with a craft knife from mylar, cardstock, acetate or recycled plastic? You could create them from vinyl cut out using a electronic cutting system like Silhouette Cameo or Cricut and more. There are lots of free downloadable stencil images available, so well worth hunting out. You could also grab your dies and die cut those shapes from plastic or similar to start getting creative.

This blogger cut her own based on a Photoshop design, and gives a great tutorial on how to do it if you're up for making a unique stencil.

Salvaged Inspirations

Why use one stencil when you can layer many? This colourful collection features many different layers and stencils but by using a limited palette and knocking back some of the colour using white, you end up with an intriguing and harmonious design.

Artists Network

If you love textiles, you might enjoy stencilling onto fabric. This next tutorial shows exactly how to do it. Depending on whether you want to wash your final result you can use paints or add a product like a clear fabric medium to allow for washing.

Pretty Handy Girl

Using Grunge Paste with stencils creates dimension and it also can be textured before it dries. Anneke De Clerck created this stunning canvas.

PaperArtsy Blog

We all love Infusions. How do you make them work with stencils? This stunning project by Brenda Brown has step-by-step photos to show the process.

Source

Stencils can give us something to add embellishments onto. If you like fibre art, mesh stencils might be good to research. Or simply use more bold solid stencil images with paint and sew onto them. On fabric, you might find using a repositionable adhesive on the reverse of your stencil will make life a whole lot easier.

Source

All of our PaperArtsy designers use stencils so cleverly. If you search 'stencils' over on the PaperArtsy blog, so many examples to inspire will be listed. This piece of art shows gorgeous Fresco Finish Chalk Acrylics layered to perfection.

Tracy Scott

Does this topic push your creative buttons? We would LOVE you to share what you get up to with us! A great place is tagging us on Instagram @paperartsy or why not join us and post in the PaperArtsy People Group on Facebook. We love to see what you make!