Hi creative souls! Tammy here again to share another Art Journal Page.

For those of you who know my work you know bright colors speak to me and feature in my work. Today I thought I’d challenge myself to go with more of a pastel vibe…….wish me luck!

TCW provided me with some awesome goodies to play with but the art and opinions are solely my own.

I’m happy with it….. I really had to force myself to keep a lot of that white space and refrain from adding all the colors of the rainbow! It’s a good idea to push yourself to try new things, to extend yourself creatively, there’s often magic waiting around the corner.

So let’s take a look at this one in some detail……

I began by adding TCW9001 White Gesso to a page in my large Dylusions Art Journal.

Once dry, I randomly applied some paint in large strokes using a large flat brush. I used Dina Wakley ‘Lemon’, ‘Turquoise’ and ‘Blushing’, but any paint will do. It’s important to work quickly for this step as you don’t want the paint to dry out, so don’t over-think it, just get it down. As you can see I kept the color more towards the center of the page.

Then whilst still wet, grab a damp baby wipe and lay down your stencil. I chose TCW823 Rose Bouquet. Rub the wipe over the stencil, removing the paint – this leaves a gorgeous image when you lift the stencil.

I then laid the same stencil down and to bring the color out a little further, I sponged some of the same paint colors using a makeup sponge through the stencil.

I focused on the smaller roses and the leaves around the edges of the stencil.

I didn’t add much to the right hand side at the bottom as I knew I would add an image there.

I printed off an image of a face – the one I used is by the talented Michelle Grant Designs and is from her ‘Listen Pack’. I selected this one as I felt the softness of the girl went well with the pastel hues.

I cut around the face and then adhered it to the right hand side of my page using TCW9011 Matte Gel Medium. I LOVE this stuff! I just use my fingers to apply the medium to the back of the image, then stick it down and rub more medium over the top, again using my fingers. This stuff can destroy your brushes if not washed out immediately – I’ve learnt the hard way, so now I only use my fingers and just wipe them quickly with a damp cloth after. This step seals the image which is important as I only print it on regular copy paper. I can then add paints/sprays etc.

I added a touch of color to her face and a few scribbles around her hair and shoulders at this stage.

I also outlined a few of the berries and leaves using a paint pen.

She was calling out to me to add some flowers to her hair, so I laid down a few stencils with smaller floral designs and sponged paint through the stencils using a makeup sponge.

For the larger flower in the center I used TCW750 Dahlia Blooms and variegated the color.

For the smaller flowers around the edges of the cluster I used TCW811 Floral Statement Stencil.

I also traced a few of the leaves in stencil TCW811 Floral Statement using a paint pen.

I then added some flicks of black paint and a quote with a few scribbles.

I decided to leave her there. Sometimes the trick is knowing when to stop and walk away!!

Love that gorgeous background.

When the stencils do all the hard work for you, sometimes that’s all you need!

That’s it from me today, I hope this has inspired you to step outside your creative zone! Perhaps you could try a color combo you never use? Or use your stencils to trace part of the design?

Whatever you do, I’d love to see, and so would all the creative team at TCW, so don’t forget to tag us on social media using #tcwstencillove.

You can find more of my creative work on My Blog – Tambaramba or on Instagram – Tambarambaa

Sprinkling love and creativity,

Tammy Klingner aka Tambaramba

Design Team Member for The Crafter’s Workshop