Stencil, Doodle and Fold Oh My!

Stencils are one of my favorite tools to get the creative juices flowing and Artiscellar has a brand new set entitled the “Diamonds Series” which is based on the faceting structures of real jewels. I am excited to be a part of this blog hop with a group of talented artists to announce these beautiful stencils and host a giveaway. So let’s have some fun!
These stencils are are well made and can withstand vigorous scrubbing and creative techniques. The new designs are versatile and really I love the six inch size because they fit perfectly on origami paper.
For this project I cut 24b inkjet paper into 6″ squares. Standard origami paper is a little too delicate. I used the ACS111 Brilliant stencil because of the mandala shape but all of the Diamond Series are great for this project.
I taped the stencil over the paper on the edges and applied dye based stamp pad ink with a stencil brush, scrubbing in a circular motion from the center going outwards.
I used several ink colors to create a blended airbrushed look. Use any type of ink or paint for this as long as the brush is fairly dry. I removed the stencil from the paper and started doodling using a pigmented pen in the spaces of the designs. This process is very meditative and calming.
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I used my trusty Prismacolor pencils to shade in the doodled areas then blocked in other areas with the black pen for contrast and wrote the word “love” around the circle to finish.
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Once the drawing was completed, I was compelled to fold it into a crane. What else does one do with a square sheet of paper? Some of the drawing was hidden in the folding process but I thought the crane turned out surprisingly beautiful. Click here for a video on how to fold a crane. Now share the love…IMG_0998

I hope this post inspired you to use stencils in a different way. I had fun participating in my first ever blog hop and the best part is I get to give away a set of  Artistcellar Diamonds Series stencils to one lucky reader of this blog post. Just leave one comment below to be entered and I will announce the winner on December 9th. Easy peasy! Be sure to visit the other participating blogs and you can even enter to win by leaving a comment on their post.
11/30 – Lisa Cousineau/Artistcellar, artistcellar.com/blogs/news
12/1 – Wyanne Thompson, www.wyanne.com/blog
12/2 – Jane Lafazio, janeville.blogspot.com
12/3 – Sue Bleiweiss, suebleiweiss.com/blog/
12/4 – Karen Elaine, YOU ARE HERE!
12/5 – Jill K. Berry, jillberrydesign.com/blog/
12/6 – Effy Wild, http://effybird.com
12/7 – Felicia Borges, artistcellar.com/blogs/news

59 thoughts on “Stencil, Doodle and Fold Oh My!

  1. You always amaze me! I love your art. These cranes are so beautiful. You’ve inspired me to use my stencils in a new way.

  2. Beautiful! Hope I win the stencils so I can try. and I read your blog and found the Rx for no sugar- I’m going to post it on my fridge too!

  3. Hi, Karen.
    I found your blog by accident (?) and totally love what you are doing! Your art and philosophy of life touch me. Thank you for your insights on sugar addiction (I’m also fighting this), the nature of creativity and living right here right now. I’ll see you dancing!!
    Jordan Ross
    p.s. could you please enter me for the stencil give-away??

  4. I would have *never* imagined this from these stencils. But since you have, I would love to try it…outside my usual (cough) creations but I am one to try new things. Love!!

  5. What beautiful colors prisma colors offer used so well by you and stencil so cool ,had me singing
    ” All You Need is Love” Beatles classic,as my eye went around the page! thank you for your art !

  6. What a beautiful crane! Can’t wait to try and make some myself…..could see a little tree with a collection of cranes on it for the holidays.

  7. Karen…clever as usual. You always amaze me. Than to make it into your crane. You are amazing the way you work color! Thank you for always sharing your projects and thoughts to inspire us!

  8. W hat a great idea, I am a prayer chaplain and considering making Crains one for each babe on my list, then making a mobile out of them, with the stencils they would totally handmade. You are a great artist

  9. This is truly beautiful. Love the way you used the stencil and then the patterns. And the final crane. It looks so gorgeous. Who would have thought of this wonderful way of using the stencil. Very inspiring.

  10. Hi Karen! These stencils are amazing and your coloring and doodling additions are breathtaking! And then you go and fold it into a crane – simply genius! I love you and your art! Thanks for the inspiration.

  11. I love your work and how you’ve incorporated them into how you create art. One of my favorite things are stencils and ink 🙂

  12. I am loving this blog hop. It gets me to think of stencil use in many ways. I loved your tutorial. Thanks for a chance to win.

  13. I love adding the doodling. to create a complex design. I have some wooden plates that would be fun to use as the substrate. It would make a great decorative series.

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