I’m a Guest Artist for StencilGirl Voices for November 2018!

I was chosen to be one of the guest artists for StencilGirl Voices for the November 2018 StencilClub stencil set! Pam Carriker created this month’s set and I was absolutely ecstatic to be selected to create a spread with them.

I have been fortunate to be able to attend some classes recently with both Mary Beth Shaw and Pam Carriker. Their techniques were fresh on my mind when I started creating so naturally I used some from both to create my spread.

My journal is an 8 in. x 10 in., Strathmore Mixed Media Art Journal. Its pages are luscious and they really hold up well when using wet media. I started by gluing random, neutral-style papers of varying textures to the pages with Matisse Matt Medium.

Next, I added a light layer of gesso, also in a random fashion. I didn’t cover the whole page and I didn’t completely cover all of the papers previously applied. While the gesso was wet, I scratched some scribbly marks into it with the end of my brush to add a little element of texture to the pages.

I really like neon pink. So, I added some of that to the page as well with a flat-edged tool (in this case a palette knife).

Next, I added some water soluble color to the page. I made more random marks with the Marabu Art Crayons and Distress Crayons shown below. Then I added water with a brush to blend them out a bit.

This is the surface on which I began stenciling. I used the large face stencil first with and I used Payne’s Gray PanPastel to stencil it on the page. (It was very difficult to see on the bright and busy background and definitely was not a good basis for a photo!) I then started adding Golden acrylic paint in White, Black, Turquoise (Phthalo), Quinacridone Magenta and Quinacridone Nickle Azo Gold. I also used Pam Carriker’s Sheer Colors Barely Black Fluid Matt when I wanted a softer black. I used the lights and darks created by the stencil as a guide to shadowing the portrait. If you look carefully, you can still see some of the neon pink peaking through in various places and you can also see the base papers that show up as texture under the portrait.

Next, I added the home stencil to the left side of the spread with black acrylic paint. I used the same paints listed above to add some more color layers to the page and to bring some of the turquoise color over onto the left side of the spread. After adding the house, I decided where and how to add the stairs. I used black acrylic again but this time I very loosely applied the paint through the stencil so as not to create any crisp edges or detail. I wanted just the illusion of a path or stairs to make the spread connection between the portrait and the house. I went back in with a brush and further distressed the stairs and in some cases draw them further across the page. I didn’t want the words to come through as I wanted to add my own words to the page. I loved that I could still see some of that pink peaking through! I added my quote and finished the page.