Friday 4 March 2016

Playing with stencils

I love stamps and stencils, and although there are tons of beautiful ones out there to buy, making your own is much more fun and you'll never have to worry about copyright and can be sure that they'll be unique.


I've been inspired by two classes to get my cutting board and knife out again. I mostly use sheets of transparencies to make my stencils. Their A4 size is large enough to make a bigger stencil and they're easy to cut but sturdy enough to paint over them. Depending on how elaborate and detailed you want your stencil to be, you can either take your time to draw the design on a separate sheet of paper and then trace it on to your transparent. Or you can just take a waterproof pen and draw it on to the transparent directly, which is what I did here.


I got my big Moleskine journal out one evening earlier this week, and just quickly and randomly put some paint down and while that was drying, I cut out the stencil. I used paint with it, which of course works perfectly fine, but I went to the art shop in my lunch time the next day to get two cans of spray paint to try out. It gives good opague and even layer, and I really like the result.


I'm still trying to do something creative every day, but I'm not always succeeding. Now, that the semester started again, and the university is filled with so many more people, I'm finding it much more difficult to sit in the cafeteria to draw and feel comfortable with it (which I already don't really feel even when there's only few people around). And then there's so many other things getting in the way sometimes, many of them things that I enjoy doing too. And that's fine. As long as I remember to sit down and paint or draw something - or carve a stamp or cut a stencil - as often as possible, even if it isn't every single day.


15 comments:

  1. Very impressive journaling. Great texture.
    Happy PPF♥

    ReplyDelete
  2. Love your journal pages. I love making my own images too. My biggest problem is sometimes I just want to play with paint after working all day and not do something a little more detailed. Happy weekend.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Love thsi reminder and you showing us your page. I am trying to be creative every day as well - it does so much for my sanity:-) But I agree that it is hard. I do find that my children are more creative when they see me being creative... but I don't always feel especially creaive with the 6 of them mulling around my canvas/book/gator board...:-0

    ReplyDelete
  4. This was my first visit here and I really enjoyed looking around your page. You are very talented.

    ReplyDelete
  5. love the journal spread! I used to cut my own victorian style stencils but haven't done that in a LONG time. Thanks for the reminder!

    ReplyDelete
  6. I love your pages, I once made a few stencils out of paper that could only be used a few times...then I bought velum...but have never tried it since...great reminder...I'm with you I'd have a difficult time drawing in public...that's why I admire Lynn Cohen so much. Making art everyday is so important for an artist!! Thanks for sharing such wisdom!

    Hugs Giggles

    ReplyDelete
  7. Love! A bit like street art--rough around the edges and real. xo

    ReplyDelete
  8. These are fabulous journal pages. Each layer I find something more interesting.

    ReplyDelete
  9. the whole working in public thing does my head in so I admire anyone who can do it in any form... and hand made stencils are great fun... I haven't done that for years!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Just what I needed to read right now. Make my own stencils is probably what I shall do next. Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  11. impressive

    have a nice weekend

    much love...

    ReplyDelete
  12. How perfectly bold and beautiful. Happy PPF!

    ReplyDelete