Wow, what happened to August?

Okay, I am very excited to be back in the studio creating. There's no question that the creative tool of the moment is the stencil. I picked up so many at the Artists' Faire at CREATE NJ and they are really a joy to use. 

I recieved a birthday card incorporating Dina Wakely stamps and techniques, so after watching YouTube videos to inspire me, I got to work. Here is my latest page. I played around with a technique involving paint, stencils and baby wipes. It's really fun. I finished it off with some of my fun face stamps, since I haven't picked up any of Dina's stamps yet. 

The best thing is to just dive in and try her techniques. So I first laid down a gesso layer, using an old hotel key card. It is the best to get a smooth, thin layer. Then painted and used stencils and baby wipes to remove paint. Then added more paint and using a different stencil, the mask, removed color everywhere but the masked image (blue figure on lower right). So clever. 

I have more to do on this spread, but it's a start. I used a water brush filled with ink for the brushed black images. Finally, I made use of one of my birthday gifts, an Ohto Fude roller ball 1.5 mm black pen. It's a big smooth rollerball pen and it writes on anything, painted pages, etc. I am so hooked I ordered more at Jet Pens today. Try them, you will love 'em. 

Well, it's a start. I have loads to share including my art retreat with my nephew Brandon, we created a pile of cool papers with stencils and spray inks. Then there's my "online" class with Dottie and Brenda making cool canvas art. Can't wait to show you more. Later!