Create
your own Stencils
Supplies:
Manila
folders
or
Plaid
Simply Stencil blank sheets
Can get them from Amazon $12.00
for 6 (8’x10”) sheets
and at Michael's as well.
Magazine/book
pages with interesting patterns
Mod Podge
Black
Sharpie pen
X-acto
knife- sharp new blade
Light desk
or bright window-optional
Scanner
–optional , if you want to change the size of your images
Stencils
are all the rage now in mixed media canvas art as
well as art journals. I love
what they add to your layering
process. But they can be
expensive and sometimes
the craft supply companies just don’t have the design
that
you need or want for your particular project. Pre-cut basic
stencils are
about $3.00 and up from Plaid and
about $5.00-$20.00 for Martha Stewart brand
stencils.
How about
making your own? It really is quite easy and if you
dedicate a few hours you
can end up with a nice stash of
new and
unique stencils. I find inspiration for designs from
magazines,
newspapers, books as well as just free-hand drawing of
simple
shapes.
I use
both manila folders and blank stencils sheets.
You can
also use the plastic packaging that comes
with a
lot of the supplies you buy. It’s a good way
to
“green” up your supplies.
This was
a design that I found in an old spanish language
text book. I scanned
it into my computer and then manipulated
the size and printed it out on the
manila folder
(cut to size to fit the printer). I could
have traced the original
image but it was a bit bigger than I
needed. Having a scanner
gives you that flexibility to change
the size of your image,
but it is not necessary.
Using an
X-acto knife with a new blade, cut your shapes out.
When you
are finished cutting the stencil out, coat it with 2 layers
of Mod
Podge on each side and let dry. This will give your stencil
durability
and you will be able to clean it with baby wipes.
I had
received a really cool post card from Australia
from one of our
Paper Traders members (thanks Jo M.)
and it had a wonderful hexagram
pattern on it. I used
my Plaid blank stencil sheet and copied the design
with
my Sharpie pen. You will not need to coat
this with Mod Podge as they are made of plastic.
Here, I
just free hand drew some fat squiggles on a manila
folder section; cut it out
and coated it with the Mod Podge.
This
wonderful design was from a local specialty newspaper
we have
here in the South. Because the design was rather light,
I traced
over it with the black Sharpie. I then used my light desk
and traced
the design onto the blank stencil sheet. Using a
light desk is not
necessary unless you are tracing onto
manila folders where it can be
hard to see the design.
You can also tape your design onto a sunny
window
and trace it from there. Nature’s light desk!!
My
husband made my light desk from a 4 bottle wine
box and a Fluorescent
light fixture.
Sometimes,
you can find some really unique designs but
the
backgrounds may be dark and so the lines are hard
to see.
If you trace over it with a white sharpie, you will
have no
trouble seeing it through the blank stencil sheet.
Some samples
of the designs used on blank art journal pages.
I really
like the ghost print you get when you
flip the stencil over and
press all the extra ink off.
In some cases, I like it better.
Also, if
you own a die cut machine, it is very easy to
create
stencils with your waste paper. Another way
to keep
your art “green”.
Now that
you can see how easy it is to create your own
stencils,
we hope you will give this a try. You will be
on your
way to creating unique journal pages that will
be as
individual as you are.
Cathy C.
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