Five New Stencils, Part 2

Last Wednesday I announced the release of five new stencil designs from StencilGirl and shared the background and inspiration for my two new 9"x12" stencils along with some samples. Today I wanted to focus on the other three designs.

First up is my new Scribble X Mask stencil.

I've been a doodler for as long as I can remember - I doodled in my classes all the way from elementary school through college, and then as an adult I've continued; I think that's the reason I continue to take notes in a notebook instead of on my computer! It helps keep my hands busy and my brain focused. 

This particular design was inspired by a series of doodles that showed up in my notebook during meetings at work last Fall. I had the idea to turn a few of my doodles - including this one, into a hand-carved rubber stamps, and I loved this particular design so much that I knew it just had to be enlarged and become a mask that could be used for even more applications in my artwork.

Here you can see how I used it in my art journal:

And a close-up so you can see some of the details for both the stencil and the page:

Next, I also used this as the pattern for one of my 3D boho collages. This was done on a 5x5 cradled panel, and you can also see one of the borders from Not Afraid to Try as well as a bit of the Decorative Flower Stamen Medallion peeking out from under the dimensional piece.

I really love doing these collages... it's a very detailed process (some might say tedious?) but I find it to be kind of zen. Then there's the fun of finding the perfect way to embellish the openings and add fun little accents to the finished collage. Here's a close-up so you can get a better idea of the dimension as well as see a bit more how I used the Baked Texture embossing powder (Patina Oxide,) as well as some Emerald Creek Pyrite Quarry Gemstones, and more Emerald Creek embossing powders inside the collage and on the background. I also added a button from my Turkmen jewelry parts, and then triangular pendants around the circle are from my personal stash of jewelry bits.

Next up is the Decorative Flower Stamen Medallion stencil - one of my new 6"x6" designs.

Like the Scribble X Mask, this design started off as a doodle in my work notebook. I had these organic elements that looked like the stamens of a flower growing out of the margins of my pages, so I went home and turned them into a quarter-repeat hand-carved rubber stamp. When I printed and repeated the stamp, the results were so much cooler than I'd anticipated! I knew immediately that it would make a fabulous addition to my collection of medallion stencils. 

This design is perfect for creating background textures and patterns (it worked great with texture paste on my sample canvas below.) Like all of my medallions, it's also ideal for layering... try using smaller circular designs and objects layered over the center and build up from there to create a unique focal point in your art!

Here's the canvas I mentioned - lots of layered and collaged elements, and then I used gold texture paste (Wendy Vecchi / Ranger) to add the stenciling on the top.

Here's another close-up so that you can see more of the texture and how detailed this design really is!

Finally, the other 6"x6" that I released last week is my new Art Deco Peacock Feathers stencil.

It's really not much of a secret that I love both peacock feathers and Art Deco - I've already created stencils aplenty for both of these themes! That probably means that a mash-up of the two was inevitable at some point, right?

I have a particular fondness for Egyptian Art Deco designs, and have wanted to do something along those lines for quite a while now. While visiting my family in the DC area last year, I spotted a pillow in a shop that immediately sparked the idea in my head to make Egyptian Art Deco peacock feathers. I drew it out and carved it as a stamp to see how it would work, and I loved it so much that it was the first thing I worked on when I started this round of stencil designs. 

The hand-drawn pattern was created to repeat, so all you have to do is line the stencil up along any of the edges to create seamless backgrounds as large or as small as you want. You can also mask off a single feather to use as a stand-alone motif in your work.

Here you can see where I used this design to create a repeating background on some painted deli paper:

If you look closely, you can see where I tore out pieces of the above paper and used them to create the background on a page in my most recent artist book:

On this page I also added some torn sari ribbon on top, along with pieces cut from a Dresden medallion, some sari patches from my stash, printed handmade paper, and a large Kuchi patch (I seriously love these things - so much!)

I also used this stencil along the edges of one of the translucent pages in the same artist book (my Decorative Curvy Ornament stencil is the one you see in the center.) I finished it off with some trim and sari patches from my stash. (I don't have these in my shop, but you can check out my Curated Stash Packs if you're interested in this kind of thing!)

Finally, I used the Art Deco Peacock Feathers stencil for one of the layers of pattern on the background of the art journal spread I shared last week which also uses my two new 9"x12" stencils.

So that's it for this release! I'm so beyond pleased with how the stencils came out... the team at StencilGirl did a stellar job with them, as always! I'm so excited to continue using them in my work, and also to see what you do with them!

Of course, all 37 of my stencil designs are available both in my shop and directly from StencilGirl. You can also check your local stores - I know there are quite a few out there that have some as well (shop local if you can!)

For those who are interested - I've still got my anniversary sale going on in my shop... you can save 15% off of all mixed media supplies and downloadable products with the coupon 1stAnniversary15. Thanks to the great response so far, I've extended the sale so this coupon is good through midnight mountain time on Wednesday, March 28th.

 

Comments

[Linda Wyatt]

Glad to know I’m not the only one who is constantly doodling and also turning the doodles into designs, carved stamps and artwork. Gorgeous, can’t wait to get my new Gwen stencils!

[Jackie P Neal]

Gwen, every piece on this page is absolutely Gorgeous! not only did you design the most wonderful stencils but you created the most magnificent pieces with them as well! Bravo Gwen and kudos on your new stencils!!
Jackie ")