“Great minds discuss ideas. Average minds discuss events. Small minds discuss people. ” Eleanor Roosevelt
Loved playing with my new ArtFoamies and creating a pattern using the Far Out, Funky and Gnarly stamps.
I sketched the lady with some acrylic ink on a piece of deli paper and then added it with gel medium to the background.
Here are some of the supplies I used for this spread:
Today we have Maura Hibbitts with us sharing a project that is sure to brighten up any home – a lovely little Kokopelli figure! Maura is using my Downtown, Mesa Verde, Toledo, and Crackle stencils and this month’s theme: Let’s Jump! – The Creative Squad is joining the fun of Creative JumpStart 2019 this month. They’re creating objects for the home, inspired by the CJS19 theme My Home is My Castle.
We are focusing on home decor this month to brighten our personal “castles”. My husband drew a Kokopelli design years ago, following one of our epic summer camping trips to the Southwest, and then cut a number of them out of wood. I decided to use one of these figures and alter it with paint and stencils. I chose Kokopelli for a couple of reasons – one, he carried his “home” on his back as he traveled between pueblos, and two, we grow a number of cacti and succulents that have to come inside our home each winter, and they remind me of Kokopelli.
I started my project by painting the wood with gesso, and once that dried, painting him turquoise, a color I associate with the southwest. (I love the turquoise jewelry from this region.)
I laid the Crackle stencil onto the figure and using a cosmetic sponge, lightly dabbed Ultramarine Blue all over the front and back and edges. The edges were tricky to do, I had to wrap the stencil along the edge, hold it with one hand and dab the paint. It might have been easier to tape it on, now that I think about it.
I wanted to use stencils with designs that remind me of the southwest, and Nathalie has several. I chose to use the Toledo stencil next, and mixed Titanium White and Cerulean Blue, then dabbed that on with the sponge.
Now that I have all of my blue layers on, it’s time to add the gold. I used the Mesa Verde stencil with Pale Gold.
Kokopelli needs a bit of contrast, and I chose to add copper and gold to his hair, flute and loincloth. I started by rubbing on the Copper Metallic paste with my finger, and then rubbed on some Quinacridone Gold to bring out the color, and decided to add a bit to the base too.
I went back in to add more design on the loincloth area with the pale gold and the Downtown stencil.
I decided to add a bit more contrast, and went back in with some embossing powder on the flute, hair and back area. When I did my final look at my project, I still felt like it needed a bit more definition, so took a small brush and edged the figure with Payne’s Grey.
Kokopelli is playing to the sun among the cacti in our front window. Listen for the song of his flute! – Maura
Thank you Maura! Loved hearing your personal connection to this little guy and seeing him transform into something with a lot of positive energy for the home :) You can find all my Stencils in my Online Shop. In addition to her wooden figure here are some of the supplies that Maura used:
Feel inspired? Working on something yourself that you’d like to share? I love to see how you interpret our monthly themes. Email me how you used my stencils and stamps with the theme and email me an image – I would love to share your projects in my next “n*Spiration From Around the Globe“.
My wonderful friend Tina Walker is at it again – she invited several people to join her Stencilfied Prompts. The prompts are music related and each week she is posting a song. You can be inspired by the lyrics, the video, the album cover or anything related and the only restriction is that you have to use StencilGirl Product Stencils. Here is my take on Prompt 2:
This week’s prompt was ” Please Come to Boston” by David Loggins. I honestly never heard the song before-mhhh? But I liked the lyrics “she just said, no boy – why won’t you just come home to me”
I don’t use yellow a whole lot and with the winter weather here I felt like I should go right into this sunny color and ha- it was great. I used it over my Exchange Place Stencil with yellow spray paint. I named the stencil after the Path station here in Jersey city, which carries people through the Tunnel to NYC. I love the lines and circles in there and somehow that made it the perfect stencil for me for this quote – traveling – coming home – taking some sort of transportation.
I used my ArtFoamies Exchange Foam Stamp with some acrylic paint underneath- the pattern is smaller then the stencil but it works well together – and I love how the purple and yellow look- nom nom.
Here are some of the supplies I used for this spread
It’s time for a special edition of Currently Digging – with my Creative Squad! Once in a while I like to share with you some nifty finds – like an Artist who’s work caught my eye…, some Inspiration that got my creative juices flowing, and Tools & Techniques I am currently digging. Today we asked Jennifer Gallagher from my Creative Squad what SHE is Currently Digging :) Hope you enjoy this.
Nat often shares with us current inspirations, artists of interest, and new things she has discovered. In that spirit, I am excited to share with you a few things I am currently “digging”.
First, I’d like to introduce an artist, local to my community, that I am very inspired by. His name is Aaron Dennison. I recently had the pleasure of meeting Aaron and viewing his work at a local art show. His pieces speak to his passion of creative reuse, many of which include bold and expressive illustrations on wood mountings or upcycled assemblages. Each and every piece tells a compelling story. Visit www.aarondennison.com to see more of his work.
I am a huge fan of indigenous art from cultures around the world. lately, I’ve been very inspired by aboriginal art. It differs in style, depending upon which region of Australia the artist is from, and it is centered around storytelling. Their stories are portrayed by symbols throughout their artwork. There is something about this type of art that speaks to me as an artist. Each painting is telling a story that has been passed down through generations. Visit www.aboriginalart.com.au to learn more.
Having been so inspired by the art of the aboriginal people, I recently purchased a set of dotting tools. These acrylic rods, available in a variety of sizes, are perfect for dipping in acrylic paint. Their smooth surface is easy to clean and paints perfect round dots.
Thank you Jennifer! I hope you all enjoyed hearing a bit more about what inspires Jennifer as an artist. Stay tuned for the next Currently Digging Creative Squad edition for more from our other members :)
A Look Back – Today I’m starting a new blog series to show you some projects and posts that you may have missed – sometimes going WAY back in the archive. I think it will be fun to revisit a few ideas that we haven’t seen for a while. I’m excited to see how a little look back might inspire something new in the future :)
This time I’m going to show things related to the theme “Layers”. I am big on layering in my art journal and my mixed media paintings. Layers can do a lot for you when you’re trying to pull a piece together or give a spread a little extra oomph. Here is A Look Back at some ideas. Enjoy!
First is an Art Journal spread way back from 2013 when I was just planning my move to the US! I went a little crazy with layering up the background here with my Circuit and Crackle stencils and all kinds of media. Check out the full post to really see all the deep layering I created.
This is an Art Journal page where I used a stencil as my final layer to resolve a not-so-great background. I had done a lot of stamping and stuff underneath and wasn’t too happy with it. Then I added my Buenos Aires stencil as a final layer and presto! Background resolved and now I love it. You can check out the full spread here.
Here’s another Art Journal page from 2013 where I played with spray paints and stencils to build up a really layered background. I still love how grungy it turned out and totally works with the mood of the page.
Next I want to talk about choosing a strong focal point in contrast to a layered and complex background. Sometimes you need a place for the eye to rest. Choose wisely – this focal point will be the “focus” of the piece :) Here I used my Lady Liberty stamp to grab your attention. You can see what the page is all about here.
How about layering up a combination of marks – both stamped, stenciled, and by hand? I love to mix it all together to create something that really is fun to make and to look at in the end. This is an art journal spread from 2017 where I’m mixing up my Kassel and Manhattan stencils, my Versailles foam stamp, and my Satin Doll rubber stamp. Lots to look at :)
Creative Squad alum Marsha Valk did a wonderful layered project for us back in 2017 involving the use of embossing powders and resist to create these “faux batik” papers with my Batik stencil and Batik 3 foam stamp. You can check out her video in the post – it shows just how she both adds and subtracts layers to make these super fun designs.
Finally how about a layered landscape I created back in 2015. I call this painting 2 Tallest and it’s the view of the NYC and Jersey City skylines from the perspective of the Statue of Liberty. You can see a little video in my original post of how I layered up paint and stencils to create the mood of the piece. This view never gets old btw! I’ve got some nice Giclee prints of this one still available too :)
I hope you enjoyed A Look Back through my archive and maybe you are inspired to try some of the layering techniques I shared.
Here are some of the supplies that were used in these pieces:
And catch me chatting LIVE today on Facebook at 12 noon EST. I’m showing my NEW ArtFoamies stamps!!!
My latest ArtFoamies foam stamp designs are here!!! These are all based on some cool mid century vintage stamp rollers I found in an antique shop in Germany. They are abstract, great for pattern and mark making, and I’m not gonna lie – they’re my new favorite stamps!!!
Here is the bunch :)
These play really nice together: Far Out, Funky, and Gnarly.
Gnarly used in this “You are Groovy” card.
Here is Far Out in some flaming hot red on a card.
Signals is perfect for all over pattern.
Here are Groovy, Jazzed, and Neato all together.
And here is Mid Century Squared repeated for a fun pattern too.
Join me this Friday January 18th at 12noon EST on Facebook for one of my LIVE Kaffeeklatsch chats. I’ll be showing the stamps and chatting with you as we go. It’s a lot of fun and I’d love to see you there.
these are fantastic.
Far Out…I am in love with all of these!
On my wish list right now Nat.
Today we have a post from Jennifer Gallagher from my Creative Squad! She is sharing with us a super cool wall hanging project that I love because it upcycles some materials you probably have around the home, and she transforms them into something gorgeous! Jennifer is using my Flower Maze, Toledo, and Batik stencils, and this month’s theme: Let’s Jump! – The Creative Squad is joining the fun of Creative JumpStart 2019 this month. They’re creating objects for the home, inspired by the CJS19 theme My Home is My Castle.
It’s a new year and that means another chance to join in and play along with Nat’s Creative JumpStart. The theme this year is all about home. We were challenged to create a home decor piece and that got me thinking that you don’t need a lot of money to decorate your home. All you need for unique decor is imagination and a little inspiration.
I began by cutting circles out of the cardboard: one large, one medium, two small, and one extra-small. I then applied a thin coat of acrylic paint onto each circle.
Next, I applied layers of stenciled designs in contrasting colors using Nat’s Flower Maze, Toledo, and Batik stencils. The final layer was painted in black for heavy contrast. I edged around each circle in black as well.
I placed a piece of mounting tape in the center of one of the small circles and attached it to the center of the medium circle. Then I attached the medium circle to the large circle with mounting tape as well.
Next, I punched a hole in the top and bottom of the large circle (this is to attach a hook to the top and hang the small pieces from the bottom). You can use a hole punch or a safety pin for this step. Using wire snips, I cut small pieces of wire, about two inches long each. Using a safety pin I made several small holes around the edges of the large circle to attach my wire.
Finally, I attached a piece of wire for a hook and to hang the final small circle and extra small circle from the bottom. You could use string if you prefer.
This piece really speaks to my funky, tribal aesthetic. If this style doesn’t suit your tastes, use it as inspiration only. You could definitely change up the stencil choices to make one perfect for your home. Be sure to check out Creative JumpStart and get loads more inspiration.
Thank you Jennifer – we are always big fans of using materials in new ways – even stuff that you might first think of as trash :) You can find all my Stencils in my Online Shop. In addition to cereal boxes or other thin cardboard here are some of the supplies that Jennifer used:
Feel inspired? Working on something yourself that you’d like to share? I love to see how you interpret our monthly themes. Email me how you used my stencils and stamps with the theme and email me an image – I would love to share your projects in my next “n*Spiration From Around the Globe“.
Comments (2)
Sue Clarke
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I love the quote and the art work.
I have your new ArtFoamies on my wish list Nat!
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nathalie-kalbach
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Yeahhh so glad you like them Sue!
Reply