Hello Everyone!
It’s Robyn Wood joining you today to share my second project as a Guest Designer of the month. It’s been so much fun to share some projects with you using some of the latest TCW stencils.
I love using circles on my pages, there is something about them that I find calming and grounding. For this project, I want to share how I use a few different stencilled patterns together on a page and how you can make them unique by collage and doodling.
I started my page by scraping some white gesso all over using an old gift card and collaging parts with a few scraps of dictionary pages. I used gesso as the ‘glue’ to give the collaged paper an instant white wash effect.
Then I brayered lightly over parts of the page with acrylic paint in warm colours. I kept the strokes of the brayer in a grid pattern as a mix of random diagonals gives the page too busy a feel.
Next I sponged over parts of the page using TCW804 Mesh Blocks and blue acrylic paint.
I mixed a little of the blue acrylic paint with a touch of white gesso to lighten the colour a little and then scraped it over parts of the page. Before the paint was dry, I laid the TCW804 Mesh Blocks over the painted area and rubbed back some of the colour with a baby wipe. This gave a wonderful tone-on-tone, pattern-on-pattern effect as the base layers of pattern peek through. I also find it a great way to knock back the colour of a background a little.
Next I got out my gel plate and used it and TCW803 Distressed Lace & TCW808 Leaf Collection to add some patterns to manilla tags and dictionary pages. I used the same colours of acrylic paints already used for the background to ensure all the pieces work together on my page.
While printing, the intention is to create ‘portions’ of pattern rather than clear, complete areas. I find the randomness and abstract nature of the patterns add a special something to the page.
I then cut by freehand a variety of differently sized circles from the gel printed papers. Some were also overlaid with cut or torn pieces of gel printed papers. I was aiming for a pattern on pattern effect for the circles.
Once I was happy with how the circles were layered, I arranged them over my page and stuck them down. I intentionally put some parts of the circles over the edges of the page.
To enhance the circles, I added some doodling to each one using a black paint pen. Dots, dashes, blocks of colour or outlining the stencilled shapes all add a touch of uniqueness to the page and totally change the look of the stencilling.
For some extra interest, I spattered the page with some runny black paint.
A stamped and outlined quote finishes the page.
I hope you have enjoyed learning how I put this art journal page together, I’d love you to tag me on Instagram if it has inspired you to make something. Until next time,
