I made this page last week not knowing that yet again an horrific shooting took place. I made this page after the Shooting in Buffalo as I use my art journal not only to explore materials and techniques but sometimes also to work through thoughts and things that happen in the world. This was another very sad morning when I created it – the page does not really reflect my anger and helplessness about the horrible things that keep on happening here.
I cannot even imagine the pain the families of all those incidents have to go through. All I know is that this has to stop!
What kind of a society are we where we let this happen over and over again?
Quoting Amanda Gorman “What might be if only we tried. What might we become if only we listen.”
Hello from my Creative Squad! Today we are going a bit wild with Nicole Watson and her reductive style painting using my Batik and Beacon stencils. Check out her video below, inspired by this month’s theme: WildandFree – After so many months of careful living, it’s time to go WildandFree… In our Art! Go a little crazy in there and live it up with bright colors, exuberant mark making, bold colors – however you want to go a bit bananas. It’s time to let loose!
Warning! Before you begin this project, know that it might get a little ugly, and you might want to give up and gesso over the entire canvas.
I thought I had the perfect idea for this month’s challenge of wild and crazy using only two of Nathalie’s products. So, confidently, I prepped a canvas, added some ephemera, and well… it got a little messy and the ephemera bubbled, so I threw it down to grab another canvas. The next canvas started a little better, but after all my crazy layers of ephemera, stencils, stickers, drips and scribbles, I went to bed extremely worried that I would not be able to recover. My canvas was looking like bad ‘80s fabric.
Spoiler: I recovered, barely! My project began by picking up a 9×12 canvas and gessoing it. This is total personal preference here. Even though the canvas is pre-gessoed, I still like to add a layer or two to prep it. Then, I stuck a ledger page and a couple handwritten note pages on with matte medium. Bravely, I broke the white blank canvas with color.
My next steps were to create layer upon layer upon layer. First with some number stickers and more paint.
Then, I used Nathalie’s Batik stencil as it was perfect for this task. I was able to isolate parts to use each design separately with different colors and techniques from a sponge applicator, palette knife, tracing, spray, and even my fingers! All these layers created chaos in the background.
Besides the stencil, I also made some circles that I doodled around, splatters, ink drops, and scribbled some words.
This is where the canvas started looking a bit concerning. I left it to dry hoping to rescue it the next day with fresh eyes.
After my morning walk and coffee, I returned to my studio. I picked up Nat’s Beacon stencil as my second item. The piece needed some more delicate shapes between the larger ones. Using a foam applicator, I randomly placed blues and reds in the stencil around the canvas. This stencil helped to unite the other shapes. Finally, I grabbed a fineline bottle that had yellow inside from another project and outlined the X shapes for added dimension.
With the crazy canvas ready, I began my last step. I wanted to draw the leaf shapes I use a lot in my artwork and isolate them with some gesso. Usually I am able to do this with charcoal pencil. I like to use charcoal because it wipes off so easily. I tried with black and white charcoal, but it just wasn’t working enough to tame the chaos. So, I cut out leaf shapes form paper and used those as a mask to begin the gesso.
Using a paintbrush and my fingers, I spread gesso around my leaves and stems to isolate them from the crazy background. The process of watching the leaves pop and come to life was so enjoyable!
When they were finished, I spattered some paint on the white and outlined the leaves with my stabilo pencils.
This was such a fun canvas to make….even if it was a little stressful! Beginning with the ephemera layer and ending with adding the leaf, there were over 25 different layers to bring my leaf shapes to life.
Thank you Nicole for sharing your process! It can sometimes be hard to know what to do when a piece gets a bit out of control and you have given us some great ideas on how to resolve that.
Give it a try: you can find all my Stencils in my Online Shop and in addition to some ephemera and printer paper, here are some of the other supplies Nicole used:
Play along with our monthly themes and weekly projects! Working on something yourself that you’d like to share? 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“.
Last week Kim and I got together for a little stenciling playdate. We had already done some things with fabric paint but this time I was wanting to try fabric markers.
I found this nice set of non-toxic permanent fabric markers with both a fine and a broad tip ends and some silk scarves online. I chose a white scarf as my backdrop and Kim went for yellow. We gathered all my stencils to decide what patterns we might like.
I jumped right in with my Santiago stencil – trying to decide how best to line it up. These are large square scarves so we decided to decorate the corners so you can see the design as it’s wrapped around your neck.
The fine tip end worked nicely with the stencil and the colors were pretty and bright – especially on the white scarf. The thin and smooth silk fabric was a bit tricky to hold down and we found you had to really hold the stencil and fabric in place to keep the pattern lined up. Another trick on thin silk – use very little pressure with the marker – it doesn’t take much ink to make a mark.
The ink spreads and gives a watercolor look to the design. This is maybe not a project for the very fussy – the silk and markers produce a more hand-painted look than precise line. I found the broad end of the marker worked well for filling in large areas of the design. As you can see, I switched colors several times with the same stencil.
Another tip: make sure you have paper or some protective surface underneath the scarf to catch the pigment that bleeds through. I added another stencil here: Amsterdam, and a few more of the marker colors. My tactic was “more is more”.
And finally I added a bit of the Versailles stencil and one final color. You can see that this scarf is thin and translucent (those marks near the orange pattern are actually on the paper underneath) and the markers are transparent too.
Kim chose to use only the Beacon stencil on her yellow scarf.
The designs look like flowers and she stayed with pinks, orange, and purple colors. Again, she worked on the corners of the scarf.
Here is her field of flowers when she was done. You can see the markers bleed on the thin silk, but it gives a pretty painted look.
My scarf is a colorful collection of patterns and so unique!
And here is the final result for Kim, a one-of-a-kind scarf for summer! This was a fun and easy project and just took an hour or so. I also really liked the color selection of the marker set so I’m definitely going to try them on some other things too. I hope you try it and share your results with me!
Here are some of the supplies we used for this project:
Hello from the Creative Squad! Today we have a gorgeously colored art journal spread from Cheiron Brandon that uses my Beacon and Amsterdam stencils, and this month’s theme: Artful Adventures. Are you planning an Artful Adventure this summer? Whether it’s a day at the beach or a full blown International Vacation, don’t forget to take the time to soak up the uniqueness of your new surroundings and gather some inspiration for future artmaking. This month we’re turning to Nat’s new book Artful Adventures in Mixed Media, to help us find inspiration as we travel. We’ll be noticing color, shape, texture and more and then we’ll be taking that to the studio to help inspire some mixed media projects. Join us in the adventure!
Hi there. It’s Cheiron here with my monthly post, I haven’t had a lot of adventures this summer, but I did head down to a family wedding in Virginia with my siblings. Here’s a picture of us at the wedding (it was on a farm):
I was inspired to create a fun painty summer background on a page to add my “family” that used the Photo Manipulation technique in Nat’s book, Artful Adventures in Mixed Media. I used some Tim Holtz paper dolls and colored and doodled on them with some paint pens. Then I created a super fun painty background for them.
To begin my page, I put down some paints in turquoise, cheddar and medieval through the Amsterdam stencil. I also added texture paste in a layer to some spots.
I created lots of painty layers and marks. I kept adding and adding the layers until I was happy, I used the back of my paintbrush to add some sgraffito, revealing the layers underneath. I also added some white paint through the Amsterdam stencil on top of everything.
I added my Tim Holtz paper dolls that I had colored in with acrylic markers and pens. I love giving them fun clothing and details!
To make the page more cohesive and add extra pops of color, I used the Beacon stencil to create a pattern all over the blank page.
I also added some more stenciling with the beacon stencil around my focal image.
I hope you have enjoyed this fun, colorful page. Even if I haven’t had a real vacation yet this summer, I have sure enjoyed some fun times with my siblings!
Thank you Cheiron for this peek into your beautiful family! Cheiron used the following supplies (some are affiliate links):
Play along with us too: 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 “n*Spiration From Around the Globe“.
Hello again from the Creative Squad! Today we have a gorgeous art journal spread from Tina Walker that uses my Beacon stencil, the Stroll Through the Hood #1 and #2 stamp sets, and this month’s theme: Artful Adventures. Are you planning an Artful Adventure this summer? Whether it’s a day at the beach or a full blown International Vacation, don’t forget to take the time to soak up the uniqueness of your new surroundings and gather some inspiration for future artmaking. This month we’re turning to Nat’s new book Artful Adventures in Mixed Media, to help us find inspiration as we travel. We’ll be noticing color, shape, texture and more and then we’ll be taking that to the studio to help inspire some mixed media projects. Join us in the adventure!
Hi! Tina Walker here today with a new month and a new theme. August’s theme is Artful Adventures and we are continuing the celebration of Nat’s new book ‘Artful Adventures in Mixed Media’. We will be using inspiration from our summer travels to create a mixed media project. I was super excited when I saw this month’s theme as I had recently took a short trip to Washington DC. And Nat’s stencil and stamps collections are perfect for the project I had in mind. Let’s get to it!
During my mini vacation to Washington, I took many pictures of the government buildings and historic sites. One particular photo, of the Capital building, inspired me to create. Here’s my inspiration photo.
Using the image of the Capital, I sketched the general shape into my journal. (for this spread, I choose to work in my large, 8x11in journal. I wanted plenty of room to work). Not being a sketch artist, I took liberal direction on specific building designs and shapes. Once I had the rough shape of the capital, I began working on the background of my page.
Apply Texture Paste with the Beacon stencil over the entire background. Let dry completely.
Add watercolors over the entire background, working around the sketched and stenciled areas. I graduated deep blues to light tans on my page. I love how the watercolors pool and blend, especially around the stenciled shapes.
To create a representation of all Americans, past, present, and future, stamp several building images from both the Stroll through the Hood 1 and 2 stamp sets. Since I was using multiple stamps, I wanted to ensure proper placement before stamping. I stamped them onto a transparency first, so I could move them around the page before committing to the stamp.
In order to create a cohesive look across all sketched, stenciled, and stamped images, paint with watercolors, then doodle over the images with a white pen.
The finished page had such a powerful and graphic image, no words were needed. ?
Do you ever use photographs as inspire for your art? I would love to see what you create.
I hope you enjoyed my project today. Have a great day!
Thank you Tina for this beautiful page and for showing us how your Artful Adventures helped inspire it! Tina used the following supplies (some are affiliate links):
Play along with us too: 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 “n*Spiration From Around the Globe“.
Happy Tuesday (or should I say Hoppy?) and hello from the Creative Squad! Today Cheiron Brandon has a lovely and very apropos card for us that uses my Beacon stencil and the monthly theme Live Like it’s Spring – Springtime is when Mother Nature kicks it into high gear. It’s the time to wake up and approach life with renewed energy. Let’s join Mother Nature in this reawakening and create some things in the Spirit of Spring!
Hi there! It’s Cheiron here with my monthly post. I am so excited for spring here on the east coast, but it seems like it’s never going to arrive. I always have best intentions of sending cards for the holidays to friends and family, but they never seem to come to life. I decided to “spring” into action in my studio with some stencils and spring colors and make this fun card that can be easily replicated to send out for Easter to family and friends.
To start, I used some Distress Mixed Media Heavy Stock and applied a thin coat of gesso. Once the gesso has dried, apply Distress Crayons in spring colors to the panel (I used spun sugar, squeezed lemonade, shaded lilac, cracked pistachio and broken china ) blending each color with your finger as you go along.
Keep blending until the entire panel is covered.
Once you are finished blending, put the Beacon stencil over the panel and rub through the stencil gently with a baby wipe to reveal the gesso underneath and create a pattern.
Remove the stencil, add a die cut and some word stickers to you card. It’s as easy at that! You could even use multiple stencils to create this effect. I hope you enjoyed this Easter card, and maybe it will inspire you to make some fun cards to send out to those you love.
See you next month!
Thanks Cheiron! This is so cute and happy! We just love your card designs. Cheiron used these supplies – some links are affiliate links:
Play along with us! 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 “n*Spiration From Around the Globe“.
“Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed, to me:
I lift my lamp beside the golden door.”
Emma Lazarus
Lady Liberty is right at my front door …well I used to see her until last year from my studio window- but now a tall new building is blocking the way. I love to take the bike in the summer and go out to Liberty State Park and enjoy a view of her. What a wonderful symbol she is.
It was freeing and good to create this page springing from a crazy mash up of added paints, patterns, texture and colors. I thought that was fitting for this page.
Here are some of the supplies I used – some are affiliate links:
Happy Valentine’s Day Everyone! Today is Tuesday and time for a post by my Creative Squad . Cheiron Brandon is sharing a beautiful Art Journal spread using the Batik 1 and Batik 2 Foam Stamps as well as the Embroidery and Stroll Through the Hood #1 Stamp Sets and this month’s theme: Let’s Go Somewhere. We’re in the depths of winter here in the Northern Hemisphere and looking for an escape! This month let’s reminisce about past vacations and plan future adventures to help us get through these gray days.
Hi there! Cheiron here with my monthly post. This month’s theme is Let’s Go Somewhere! I always love warm weather, but I am not opposed to snow an winter either. As we are approaching Valentine’s day my thoughts for my journal page drifted to Paris and the romantic pinks and blacks. I wouldn’t mind wandering through Paris in the snow and stopping to warm up every so often with some warm food and wine…
I created this page by laying down a foundation of gesso, then stamping with paint to create lots of layers using the Batik Pattern 1 and 2 ArtFoamies and stenciled using the Beacon Stencil. I partially applied paint to the shapes I wanted by using a foam blending tool. I used lots of stamps from the new Mixed Media Stamps Embroidery Set and the awesome graffiti style love from the Stroll Through The Hood #1 Set.
To finish off the page, I added some splatter in coordinating colors. I can tell that these new stamps are going to be a staple in my art journal. I hope you are having a great day, whether its warm or cold where you are, and if you are planning a vacation or just dreaming of one!
Thank you so much Cheiron! I love how she used bits and pieces of the Foam Stamps instead of using them as a whole image and I also love the grungy feel of this page and the wonderful colors. Now I want to go to Paris too :)
Here are the supplies Cheiron used in her post- some links are affiliate links:
Play along with us! 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 “n*Spiration From Around the Globe“.
Hey Nat! Of course you would have a Creative Squad. I’m glad Cheiron is a member. I have always enjoyed her work, it’s light, colorful and nice to look at.
I love this quote – such a beautiful thought and call to action!
For this spread I used my new Beacon 9×12 Stencil . The stencil design itself was inspired by the gorgeous Art Deco era buildings known as The Beacon in Jersey City. It used to be a hospital and some people believe they are haunted. The Beacon towers sit on a hilltop not far from me and I can see them from the deck.
I used different colored spray paint through the stencil. I cleaned the access paint off the stencil by dabbing a deli paper onto it – you can see a torn out piece of the “clean up” deli paper as an collage element revealing the negative image of the stencil.
I added the journaling and some marks with a pencil.
Do you have a building close to where you live, that inspires you?
Here are some of the supplies I used in this spread- some of the links are affiliate links:
I got this stencil but stumped for inspiration so thank you for this post. Love the layers, colors and message. There you go again with the spray paint LOL! I had so much fun playing with them in class. Thank you!
Yeahhhh- so glad you liked the post and hey there will be more with that stencil to come :) And …do the spray paint —it is so much fun! So glad I was able to show you girls in the San Jose weather :)
What a fun project! Both scarves are lovely
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