Your Favorite Technique

 

 Hello Monday, my friends! And welcome to another week on the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge. Thank you for joining us for the  Birthday  Challenge and we hope you will all join us again this week too.

This week the challenge is: YOUR FAVORITE TECHNIQUE

Once of my favorite techniques is layering color and pattern. I love to use stencils and acrylic paints for this technique, but stamps and other media work beautifully too. 

"GO OUT ON A LIMB FOR THOSE YOU LOVE"

I began with a blended paint layer on my art journal in warm colors, pink, yellow and orange. Staying in the same color range, I started to stencil areas on the page using several stencils.

Here you can see the Diamond Circles and Mermaid Scales designs. 

I continued to layer with these stencils and colors.

Next I added in pops of white using the Bubble stencil. I dried the paint, then added a layer of clear gesso and let that dry. The cool technique here is that with a layer of clear gesso, I can wipe down through any layers on top of it and get back to this layer.

Next, over the gesso layer, I began blending my cool colors - blues, purples and greens. Once again, I layered more paint on top and this time blended with my fingers rather than a brush. I also smudged out edges by going over it with a baby wipe.

Time for the Bubble stencil again and a darker blue = Lapis.

Detail...

This time I added black stenciling with the Mermaid Scales.

And now for the really awesome part of the technique ! I used the White Lotus stencil and a baby wipe and scrubbed back the cool color layer to reveal the warm colors and patterns beneath.

It does take a bit of elbow grease to do this on both pages. Maybe if I had done it when the paint was still a bit wet it would have been easier, but I din't want to blur the design on top.

Detail...

Close up - if you look carefully you can see the stenciled pattern in the underlayer.

I tried out several characters to add to the pages and decide on these colorful owls.I also fussy cut a tree branch for them to stand on.

Final step was to hand letter with a paint marker "Go out on a limb for those you love"

Sweet owl side...

Patterns and layers of color...

I really love working like this in my art journals and need to do this more often. It makes me happy! What technique do you have that brings you joy? I'd love to hear about it.

 

As always Simon Says Stamp will be giving away a $25 voucher to shop at the fabulous Simon Says Stamp Store 

Supplies:

Dylusions Creative  Flip Journal

AALL and Create White Lotus stencil

Simon Says Stamp Mermaid Scales stencil

Simon Says Stamp Diamond Circles stencil

Tim Holtz Bubble Layering stencil

Studio Light Art by Marlene Out of This World Paper Elements

Dina Wakley Acrylic Paints - Lemon, Tangerine, Magenta, Lime, Evergreen, Ocean, Turquoise, Lapis, Blackberry, Orchid, White, Black

Clear Gesso

Simon Says Stamp Fine Detail Scissors

Simon Says Stamp Black Card Stock

Bearly Art Precision Glue

Ranger Heat It Tool

Acrylic Paint Brush

Baby Wipes

Paint Marker

Cosmetic Sponge 

 

So now it's YOUR turn, Happy Crafting! Maura

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You have until Monday 8am Ohio time. 1pm UK time, 2 pm CET to join in .