Challenge # 246 and Newly Designed and Cut Stencil

Challenge # 246 - Monotangle Trees

This week's challenge was a wonderful guest post by Dilip Patel (here).  I could spend hours on this one and try all different things, but since instead of hours, I have minutes... I went with a Bijou tile (2x2 inches).

Newly Designed and Cut Stencil

I have been thinking about designing a stencil of a repeat pattern.  So, on Sunday, I went at it and this is what I came up with.  I think I will have a lot of fun with this one.

Started out with a print from a hand-carved stamp (bottom right), trying different things on graph paper, seeing what would work as a stencil, and finally drawing the piece (top left) to be copied over and over to make up the complete design.

This is what the stencil looks like after the first test (it is 4x4 inches).  It took me forever to get each of the little pieces out - apparently I didn't press hard enough with my x-acto blade.

This is what my first print looks like (using the stencil 4 times, of course).  I also outlined all the shapes with black ink, just so I could see the pattern better.

Then I started thinking what would happen if I were to go into some of those bigger white shapes and "cut out" the inside.  I haven't done it on the stencil (yet!), just wanted to see what it would be like.  So I drew the shapes, and painted then with some of the acrylic paints I had used with the stencil.  I like it, but drawing/painting them and cutting them out are 2 very different things, so I'm still thinking if I will attempt it or not.

Challenge 238 and Tree Stencil / Mask

Challenge 238

This week's challenge was to learn and use the tangle Tri-bee created by Beate Winkler.  You can see the instructions and the challenge here.

I probably should have practiced it before I grabbed the tile, but... that's the way it goes :).  I did have fun with it.

Tree Stencil / Mask

I have been thinking for a while that I would like a tree stencil, mainly to play around on the Gel plate.  I felt really courageous one afternoon and cut it with an X-acto knife.  I wanted to end up with a stencil and a mask, but... when I picked up the stencil, 2 big pieces just fell from it :(.  OK, so now I have a tree mask :).  Next time I have to be a bit smarter with my design, and not get so close to the other branches.  

Still... here are a couple of gel prints I got from a quick session last Sunday.

 

Challenge 217 and File Folder Journal in progress

Challenge #217

This week's challenge (here) was a duo tangle:  you can only use Dex and Bunzo tangles.  I found it hard, and I'm not sure why... maybe because they are so different I didn't know how to make them work together?  Maybe?

Anyway... here it is on a Bijou tile (2 in x 2 in).  The left side is the unshaded version, because I forgot all about the shading until I saw the scanned, larger version :).  I thought is would be fun to show them both.

File Folder Journal - In progress

For some reason I thought that using a file folder would be a really easy way to make a journal where I could play with my hand-made stamps.

OK... so far, it has taken a lot more work and thinking that I thought it would.  Mind you!  I'm having fun, but I don't think it will ever be as "quick and easy" as I thought.

So far, I have folded it and unfolded it about a hundred times ... lol... ok, maybe not quite that many, but... a lot!!  I put a couple of coats of gesso on the outside (it was patterned and it had a big purse design on it - you can still see it in some of the pictures).  Then I painted it with water soluble wax crayons - I just felt like it, no other particular reason:

Then I grabbed one of my designed stencils, and went at it with Golden acrylics and a bit of glazing medium.

I pounced the sponge over the inside pattern until the sponge was completely out of ink - just to give it a bit more interest and tie the pocket with the interior a bit.

Hopefully it will turn out well when it is finished, but you never know!

Challenge 216 Brella

The Diva's challenge this week (here) was to use the tangle Brella created by Bunny Wright. 

I am not going to have much time this week and I wanted to do the challenge, and play a bit in my mini accordion journal I posted about last week (here).  So, I decided to do this week's challenge in 2 of the pages - that's why it is so colorful :)

This is probably my shortest post ever, but it is content that counts, right?  :)

Enjoy your week!

Challenge 215 and Quick Accordion Journal

Challenge #215 - Labyrinth

This was quite a fun challenge (here); I learned how to draw all different kinds of labyrinths :).  It was so much fun!  The idea was to draw a labyrinth as a string and then tangle away :)

Here is mine.  I think that I would have liked to have made the spaces between the walls wider and less patterned so that it would be easier to walk the labyrinth.  Oh well... next time :)  I went with a leaf shape, but if I turn it upside down it could also be a heart.

I made it extra large today so you can "walk" the labyrinth if you want :)

Quick Accordion Journal

A few years ago a bunch of people at work were moving to another floor, and lots of office supplies were being dumped.  I asked if I could take a couple of sheet protector packages, and the admin told me to take anything I wanted.  Oh boy!!  I got lots of transparencies, some sheet protectors, tent cards, brochures, labels, etc.  

I have used lots of transparencies and have started using some of the sheet protectors to keep my home made stencils.  But I had not found a use yet for the tent cards and they are made with good heavy paper.  So, after the envelopes last week, I decided to try to see how the same technique would work on these tent cards, and then use them for a journal or something like that.

It took no time at all to paint them on both sides.  I used 2 tent cards for this - one in blue tones, the other in red tones.  I then cut them up in 3 equal parts and put them together with come washi tape I had gelli printed a while ago.  It really cannot get much easier than this :)... and it is so colorful!

Now it is ready to tangle on :).  I have started on one of the pages already.  Here are a few pages close up.

Challenge # 200!!!! Carving, Stamping, and Journaling

Diva's Challenge # 200

Wow!!  It takes a lot of time and effort to create and think about an interesting and creative challenge!  But 200!!!  I'm really impressed, and I'm sure it has not been easy with 2 little ones!  I have only joined in the fun a few months ago, but I can always go back if I want to, right? :)

OK... so, this special challenge # 200 (here) was to use your go-to tangle all the way to the edges of the paper - no border - and have the number 200 somewhere.

I grabbed a couple of number stamps I have carved a long time ago and never used and went at it without a string.  It turned out very blah... if I get the time and energy this week, I will try another one.

Carving, Stenciling, and Journaling

I really enjoyed the carving inspired by the Portuguese Ironwork window, so I played with it a bit.  You can see the original post and the carved stamp here.  I wanted to see if the same stamp could be used to create different patterns, maybe a border?

And then used it on one of my art journals.  Painted around it in black to see if it would look like stained glass, and added some more details with H2Os and Sakura pens.  I also added some of the things I didn't want to forget about the stamp in white.  I may end up doing more on the black, but it will stay like this for now.

I can really see how useful stencils are especially for Art Journaling and Gelli Printing - 2 things I would like to do a bit more of - and, like anything else, I would rather use my own designs.  I finally decided to try making one myself, so I grabbed a transparency, a stencil tool, and went at it.  

Well, I can say the lines are not even close to perfect, like the ones you buy, but... they are unique and I made them.  What I hear is that with a bit of use, they will lose some of those little blobs of melted plastic.  Even if they don't, it's ok, the image is good enough for me for now :).  The first one is the window, but I haven't made the border yet - still thinking how I want to do it.  The second was completely random... just kept cutting our shapes until it was done.  I'm not sure about it, but it will be fun to test it out different ways on the Gelli Plate.

Priscila's Window - Bottom is the stencil, and top is the image it creates

Abstract - Random Shapes - Top is the stencil, bottom is the image it creates

I hope you enjoyed these.  Feel free to comment.