Artistcellar Pocket Stencils Blog Hop - Stop #2 of 7!

When I first opened the envelope and saw these stencils on the metal ring, I said "friggin" adorable" over and over to myself as I looked them over and thought of all the different ways that I could use them.  I hope that the few projects that I have posted here shows how easy these stencils are to use while pumping up your creativity.  These stencils are NOT for ATCs only.

As an artist, I like to experiment, so sometimes, things don't always turn out the way I thought it out in my mind.  The fun is in the process and the surprise in the end result.  A lot of the times, my end result is not very structured and is kinda messy.  What I really liked about these stencils are the variety of shapes and words so that I could experiment.  Also, I really liked that the stencils come pre-punched with a hole for the metal ring so I can keep the stencils together for future use.

At the end of this post, you will see the list of blog hop artists, please visit them each day  and comment on their blogs so you will get a chance to win a set of Pocket Stencils (your choice from one of the fun 5 sets).  If you would like a set or two (or more) NOW, you can purchase them here at artistcellar.com.

One last thing, DON'T forget to comment at the end of this post for your chance to win one of the Pocket Stencil stencil sets!  What would I like to know in comments? I would like to know which of the stencil sets would you like to win or which one of the stencils from the sets is your fave?  Personally, I am grooving on the mini gears in the Steampunk set, crown in chakras, charity (heart) in the Mini Virtues set, and absolutely love, love, love, all the words in both sets of create words/virtue words sets.  Can't help that I love words since I'm a reading teacher. If I had to pick an absolute fave it would be the vintage key.  It can do so much.

 I used the stencils here with wood blocks and styrofoam blocks with a text paper background on watercolor paper.  The color was done with Derwent Watersoluble Inktense Blocks. Some the stencils were used with modeling paste plus acrylic paint and some with crackle paint. White marker was Uni-ball Signo.  Loved the look of the stitching - at least some of it!  The wood blocks were sanded and then colored brown first to provide contrast to the background and stenciled images.

I have always loved creating houses.  I thought that these stencils were the perfect sizes for this project. I had recently seen a technique where you sand magazine images over the stencil to get the stenciled image.  Hint:  Don't sand too aggressively or it goes through the paper every time and you sand into the stencil.  Sigh.  Great experiment where you can try different things with color and vibrancy to get the image to show through more.  I decided to not add color but just to leave it "as is".  The other side of the house is full of color, as you will see.  The word stencils were awesome for this project.

This side of the house was done on large sheets of watercolor paper.  I sprayed Clearsnap Smooch Spritz through the Pocket Stencils and got fantastic images.  I love using Spritz as an alternative to acrylic sprays.  I placed some of my favorite little fun things in the windows for contrast.  I love anything metal and buttons are always somewhere in my art.

As I created and cut the shapes for the blocks and houses, I used the extras for ATCs.  As I went along, I discovered that I could use just part of one stencil on an ATC, overlay 2 parts to create a different image, or use a wet wipe to erase part of the stenciled image to create an entirely different look.

Bonus:  Reference cards so you know what each image looks like and you know exactly what you have!

Hole-punched for organization.  Clean-up is easy.

Don't forget to go back and visit Lisa from yesterday. She has some fantastic artwork using these stencils!
Hope you enjoyed my artwork.  Here are the list of artists and the schedule:

May 31 Lisa Cousineau 

June 1 Belinda Spiwak 

June 2 Amy O'Toole

June 3 Lea Cioci

June 4 Lynn Krawczyk

June 5  Effy Wild

June 6 Tamara Laporte

Good luck and don't forget to comment each day at each artist's blog for your chance to win!

One last thing, I am hosting an Artistcellar ATC swap to celebrate this fab blog hop that I am participating in this week.  You will find the details on how to become part of this ATC swap in a separate post in this blog.