Hello creative souls!

Tammy (aka Tambarambaa) here again to share another colorful Art Journal Page. We are in the thick of Winter here in Australia, so I decided to play with some spring colors to warm me up!

TCW provided me with some awesome goodies to play with but the art and the opinions are mine!

I again created in my black Dylusions Art Journal – I’ve been having so much fun using black as my starting point – it’s a completely different way of creating and I’m loving the journey so far. If you don’t have a black journal, just paint a layer of TCW9002 Black Gesso over your pages!

I love the way the black background adds depth and an element of grunge!

So let’s take a look at how this page was created……

I began by very roughly adding some TCW9001 White Gesso to the background using a large brush. Note that I haven’t gone all the way to the edges and I’ve NOT been neat about it!!

Whilst drying I decided to get out those yummy Stencil Butters – I chose Marigold, Crimson, Fuschia, Turquoise, Gamboge and Chartreuse (Sorry about the light and shadows in this post – we actually had a couple of hours of afternoon sun on this day!!! and I didn’t dare block it out – who knows when it will come again!)

I began by sponging some of Crimson and Fuschia through TCW346 Honeycomb stencil using a makeup sponge. I made sure some was added to the white sections and the black sections. I moved from pink into the red colour for a variegated look. At this point you are just building the background so just apply to a couple of areas.

I then added some of the Marigold using the same method and TCW157 Flower Frenzy Stencil, and some of the Gamboge and Chartreuse using TCW5036 Flower Field Stencil.

I then added some Turquoise through TCW876 Screen View Stencil (12×12 size)

I also added a few swipes of the stencil butters into the gaps, just using my fingers.

Now it’s looking like a bit of a hot mess right now, but don’t you just love the colors?!

I decided to come back in with white and TCW876 Screen View Stencil (6×6 size). I love this stencil for blending – it’s so forgiving and covers up all my sins! I used it to cover the white brush marks, so added TCW9001 White Gesso, again using a makeup sponge, focusing on the outer areas.

Ok now for the magic…….

You’ll need a large single image stencil for maximum effect. The ones by Valentina Ramos Harper are just perfect – there’s a few to choose from but TCW933 Joyous Butterfly Stencil is my fave of hers, so I went with that.

Lay it down over your page – I used a small amount of washi tape to hold it in place. I also placed it off center – I wanted room for some journaling on one side.

I sponged TCW9002 Black Gesso, again using a makeup sponge over the top of the entire stencil and around the edges. This is the point where it looks like you have ruined it…….but just wait until you lift it up!

Now I sponge some more TCW9002 Black Gesso around the edges of the page, moving inwards and applying less pressure as you move in.

Now the final touches are a quote, a few flicks of colorful paint and I added a few paint rings using TCW9001 White Gesso and the end of an empty toilet roll!

There you have it….. a beautiful butterfly just waiting for Spring to fly free!

Just love the grungy feel!! I just wish the camera could capture the shimmer in those Stencil Butters. Believe me it is a gorgeous combo – pretty metallic and grunge! A great alternative to acrylic paint as you get the bonus sparkle.

I hope this has inspired you today! We love seeing your art too so don’t forget to tag us using #tcwstencillove.

If you’d like to see more of my colorful art you can find me on Instagram – Tambarambaa, or head to my BLOG for all the links to find me!

Much love and creativity

Tammy Klingner aka Tambarambaa – Design Team Member for TCW