Have you ever made monoprints with stencils? There are loads of ways to do this. My favorite is with paint and a Gelli Plate.
Monoprint with Stencils
I started out with DecoArt fluid acrylics and squeezed dots of a few colors on my plate. I chose Phthalo Turquoise, Green Gold, and Titan Buff.
A little goes a long way with the paint. Work the brayer gently in all directions to mix the paint:
Lay a stencil on the wet paint and place a piece of deli paper on it. You can also use inexpensive printer paper to make monoprints with stencils. I prefer deli paper, but you may also like using old book pages, magazine tears, etc. Anything goes! Run the brayer all over the paper to transfer the paint onto your deli paper.
Aren’t these prints fabulous? I love the grid on the left, but I adore the reverse print on the right.
I glued the print on the right into my art journal with matte medium.
It gave me a nice start as a background. I then did a bit of stamping in ink, followed by stenciling with black paint:
The fellow is from Andy Skinner (DecoArt) and the words are from Carolyn Dube (StencilGirl Products). The squares are from one of MaryBeth Shaw’s Grid stencils (MB is StencilGirl, herself).
Online Mixed Media Class
If you’d like to see more of my art journaling techniques, check out my online class with Craftsy. It comes with lifetime access and a money-back guarantee. The class is called Inventive Ink: Colorful Mixed Media Effects. Sign up here for the newsletter for a discount. Here’s a 2-minute preview video:
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Marjie
When I first started trying to use stencils I was frustrated because I thought it was supposed to look perfect! I realize now that the imperfection is what makes them unique. particularly in a mixed media piece. I wish I still had all the stencils I gave away because I thought I was using them wrong!
Thanks for taking the time to comment, Chrissy. I hope you have some fun with stencils again, without any pressure for perfection.
I not only love the art, I love the message!
Loving the colours Marjie, that green gold is beautiful. Great choice of stamps and stencils too, your page is quite uplifting! Anne x
Thanks, Anne! I think Green Gold is my all time favorite paint color.
I like the way this turned out. Will you tell me what brand of deli paper you use? I bought some Kabnet Wax from Costco and it turned out to have some very light gray stripes on the paper. Very disappointing. I want something that is just white.
Hi, Gigi. The paper in this project is something I picked up at a restaurant supply shop. It’s labeled MX-8 Junior Waxed Deli Paper. I also use this one a lot, which I got on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Dixie-Kabnet-Paper-Inch-Count/dp/B00BQWPWYK/ref=sr_1_9_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1481503229&sr=8-9&keywords=deli+paper
Love this – great colour combination, and I love both the print and the negative. Fab choice of stamps and stencils over the top too. I’m always meaning to get my gelli plate out and play – one of these days it will happen!
Alison x
Thanks so much, Alison. I had fun with this one. Pull out that GP when you have time! 😉