Artistcellar Stencil Challenge with Briana

Do you have any stencils in your collection that you have not used yet? Oh my, can I relate! We simply have our go to favorites, right? I would like to put out an unofficial challenge to you. Look through your collection, grab a stencil you have yet to try, and make something. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy. If you want to play along, you can use the following hashtag on Instagram, #artistcellarstencilchallenge. It will be so fun to see what you come up with! (And if you don’t have any unused stencils, maybe it’s time to buy some new ones from artistcellar! A brilliant excuse for purchasing new supplies, don’t you think?)

Here’s what I did with my unused stencil. It’s from the Coral Series, 12 x 12 set, called Star Coral. I adore circles, so I am surprised I have not used this one yet. I am so excited to give it a try!

First of all, I love the 12 x 12 stencils artistcellar carries. They are made in the USA; they are sturdy, and well designed.

I am working on a large 12 x 18 sheet of 140 lb. watercolor paper, as I will eventually cut this up to create Mail Art postcards.

When I first started with my stencil on my paper, I thought I might do the cosmetic wedge and paint technique for application.

I quickly realized that this would take forever and a day, so I put on my thinking cap. Aha! I could use a foam roller!

I found this faster application of acrylic paint much more satisfying.

I appreciate seeing the variation in texture from the sponge roller. (See above)

Next, I flipped the paper over and scraped some new paint I purchased at Michaels. It’s called Color Shift, by FolkArt. It has kind of a smell to it, so if you are smell sensitive, you may not approve.

However, that color sure is pretty!

So, I rinsed the sponge roller, squeezed out the excess water, and applied a new color of acrylic paint over the color shift paint.

But first, with the stencil on top, you can see how the color shift paint is red on the top, and sort of pink on the bottom. OOOH AAAAH! I just had to show you!

I rolled out a periwinkle blue acrylic paint with a wet sponge roller. It looked like this.

Then I used the best invention for using with stencils, a baby wipe.

When you use a baby wipe over stencils, you clean your stencils and fill in new areas on your paper simultaneously. It’s the best!

When I lifted the stencil off, it didn’t look like much. No worries, as this is just a background for more scribbles, collage, and pen doodles to come!

I flipped my paper back over and added some colorful scraped paint stripes.

First yellow.

Then red.

Finally, I added magenta and greens.

Now I have two sides painted and ready for crayon scribbles, random collage, and pen doodles.

If you are in the USA, you want your postcards to be at least 3 ½ in. x 5 in., and no larger than 4 ¼ in. x 6 in. There is also a thickness restriction, but the 140 lb. watercolor paper meets the limit. When in doubt, add extra postage, or go to your local post office to see what they require.

I am off to turn this paper into Mail Art, and then I will post pictures to our artistcellar stencil challenge hashtag over on Instagram. Remember, your creation does not need to be anything fancy. Simply make something with a stencil you have yet to use. See you over on Instagram at the hashtag #artistcellarstencilchallenge.

All of my best,

Briana of OrangeSpiralArts.com

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