Using Watercolor with Stencils by Briana

Hello, Everyone!

Do you ever go through phases where you become “semi-obsessed” with an art medium? Lately, I love watercolor paint. Oh, and stencils are pretty much always on my list so . . . I decided to try the two together. In the past, I did not have a lot of success with this combination, as the watercolor would seep underneath the stencil. Recently I saw an art tutorial by Josie Lewis on YouTube, which showed how she used a stencil to trace the design, and then fill it in with color. Genius! I am not sure why I did not think of this (or maybe I have), but that’s beside the point. Something struck a chord when I saw Josie’s video, so I went with it.

I decided to give this idea a try, as I love how Josie’s art looks when she’s done.

I will share a tutorial of what I did, then share my reflection of my experience at the end of this post.

Supplies Used:

• Japanese Geometric Series Stencils by Artistcellar

• Derwent Graphic H pencil
• 140 lb. watercolor paper
• Various watercolor
• Small round watercolor brush (size 2 or 4)
• Jar of water

Step 1:

Flip through your stencils and choose the designs you like.

Step 2:

Use an H pencil (a hard pencil, which writes lightly), to trace your chosen designs from one or more stencils.

I used three different stencil designs.

Step 3:

Paint in your traced stencil patterns using a variety of watercolor paints.

Step 4:

Allow the watercolor paint to dry and soak in that beautiful color!

Reflection:

Oh my goodness, did I dislike this process, while I was doing it! That feeling certainly told me something about the style of art I like to create.

I don’t enjoy creating precise art, so I just had to roll with my paint going outside of my traced lines.

Now that it is finished, I do enjoy looking at the result. I had fun creating a lighter value of a color by adding water to my brush. I also enjoyed playing with color and making choices based what I was being called toward, versus following some sort of formula. If I try this again, I will keep in mind that my work will not be precise. I also will try a smaller brush (like the size 2 or 4 round brush I suggested for you).

I hope that you enjoyed this tutorial. Give it a try and see if you enjoy creating inside or outside of the lines!

Sending all good wishes your way!

Blessings,

Briana of OrangeSpiralArts.com

Also in News