Colour layering in an art journal

Hello everyone!

Robyn here, sharing a technique for colour layering in your art journal.

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The Crafter’s Workshop provided me with some product to create this project. The opinions I share are solely my own.

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The Crafter's Workshop blog post - Colour layering in an art journal - a stencilled journal page by Robyn Wood

When was the last time you did something for the first time?

This quote caused me to pause recently and consider when was the last time I attempted something brand new. I ended up ordering some photographic chemicals so I can have a bit of a play at home with black and white printing techniques. I plan to share the results in the coming months as I find ways to incorporate mixed media and stencilling techniques into my experiments.

What will be your ‘new thing’ for 2020? I’d love you to share it with me.

Supplies of ink and stencil required.

Let’s get going on how I created this page! As an initial layer, I roughly painted my page with tones of blue using acrylic paints. I love the texture this gives when stencilling with inks. (A bit of sneaky pink has bled through from the previous page).   

Next, I grabbed a bunch of Distress and Distress Oxide inks in shades of blue and a couple of browns, the TCW834 Stone Increase large stencil and a blending brush.

I used a mix of ink types so there was some variety in opacity of the stencilled areas but you could just use the one type if that is all you have. I love the subtle softness you can get from the makeup style brushes, they are perfect for this layering technique.

Gradual build up of stencilled areas

Starting with a brown ink, stencil a few areas using the smaller shapes in the TCW834 Stone Increase stencil. Keep moving the stencil around the page to break up the pattern. I started with pale colours and gradually moved to darker tones.

Move through the rest of the inks you have, stencilling here and there randomly across the page. Change colours and once you have a couple of colours stencilled, start using larger parts of the stencil. Keep going until the page is covered but don’t overdo the layering – you still parts of the initial painted layer peeping through.

Remember to clean your stencil once you are done – otherwise, you will get ink transferring onto your next project!

Stamped elements

To give the page a little pop, I have stamped a few areas with a Dina Wakley texture stamp from the set listed below. The circles are taken from the same set and stamped onto some patterned papers and trimmed out. I altered the shapes a little by trimming off some of the wording and made a couple a bit than originally stamped. This gave the images a touch of difference.

Quote - The Crafter's Workshop blog post - Colour layering in an art journal - a stencilled journal page by Robyn Wood

Next, I stamped the quote, taken from a Tim Holtz set onto some of the same patterned paper and trimmed it into strips. I felt the page still needed a pop of colour, so I grabbed a scrap of Distress Oxide inked paper and used that to sit under the quote. 

Once everything was stuck down, I flicked Chipped Sapphire ink all over the page to give it a splotchy look. It is quite easy to do this if you place a bit of ink onto a non-stick craft mat and pick it up with a small, wet paintbrush or toothbrush. You could also use black ink but I wanted something a little lighter.

Lastly, I inked all around the page to finish it off. This final step also separates it visually from the facing page in my journal.

Supplies:

  • TCW834 Stone Increase
  • Distress & Distress Oxide Ink in shades of blue and brown
  • Acrylic paint in shades of blue
  • Dina Wakley Text and Scribbles stamp set
  • Tim Holtz Way with Words stamp set

Thanks so much for joining me, I hope this page gives you some inspiration! 

We would love to see what you create with The Crafters Workshop Stencils and Mediums. You can share it with us on our Facebook Page, Instagram and Pinterest using hashtag #stencillove

Robyn Wood
The Crafter’s Workshop Design Team Member

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