Guest Post: Louise Nelson
March 21, 2013
Today I'm starting a series of occassional guest posts from artists who rock. Today my guest is a serious stencil maven: Louise Nelson.
Hello Hello
Today I would like to chat and share a little about the ‘how what where’ using templates/masks in my scrapbooking. I have had a bit of a love affair with creating my own layout backgrounds for some time now so it has been only natural to use the wonderful array of masks and templates available on the market. Every now and again I will make my own or utilise some thing at hand. For example in these next two close up photos, you can see that I have used the negative waste from a sheet of chipboard shapes:
I applied a layer of gesso to the feather shape, highlighted it with mist, and then used it as a
background for my photo.
However most of the time I use commercially available templates. Over the last couple of years I have developed what I call a ‘subtle & elegant’ use of templates in creating my layout backgrounds. It isn’t always obvious that I have used them, but they contribute to the overall effect and or look that I try to achieve.
For example, for this next layout I have used a wet embossing technique to create subtle resist patterns on my backgrounds, which have then been highlighted with applications of paint and mist. This is a close up of the subtle effects that I create with the embossing resist pattern I get.
The next two shots show the completed
layout.
Using templates to create subtle background
patterns with embossing is one of my favourite techniques.
Here is a close up of another example
As you can see from this next close up I
have used a combination of techniques. First I used the mask as a stamp: after
spraying mist on the template, I flipped it over onto a grey board
background and got the opposite image of the template (Circle Explosion). I then
again sprayed the template with mist in a small area only and then flipped it
over and stamped the pattern over the other. Whilst all of this was still moist I
sprinkled on some embossing powder and heat set it.
This was a favourite technique for some
time. I loved using the same template to create subtle layers of pattern on my
backgrounds. In these next two photos you can see a layout where I used a
combination of mediums with the same template to create a background pattern.
First I used gesso spray to create the first layer pattern. Then I used the
darker chocolate mist to create a pattern overlay, and then the third and final pattern layer was with embossing.
Another fun technique with templates that I
like to use is the simple technique of creating the template pattern with gesso
or texture paste on the background, as seen below:
Sometimes I will just leave it plain and
uncoloured, so it looks like embossed cardstock, like this example:
This next photo shows a variation on this
with subtle colour shading to highlight the template pattern.
This next example is showing the extreme of this. I have used 4-5 different mists to highlight the template pattern.
This next project is a favourite. I don’t
often do off-the-page type projects. For this canvas I decided to turn it into a clock
and my theme idea was ‘time flies when you are having fun.’ So the flying geese
template was just perfect for it. The technique is quite simple: I used texture
paste with the template to create the flying geese pattern on the canvas. This
was then over sprayed with gesso before applying the different mists.
Finally I would like to leave you with a
layout that I created to celebrate my recent holiday in NYC, and appropriately
I have used one of Julie's awesome CHA winter release designs: Pattern Leaves.
Oh and I almost forgot, a while back I created a short step-by-step tutorial using another of Julie's
wonderful templates to create the background for this layout. Here is a link to
that step out.
Cheers and thank you Julie for allowing me
to share just a little of my scrappy passion for masks and templates!
Louise xxx
About Louise:
I currently live in an inner city suburb of Adelaide, South Australia. I have a day job, I work full time as a Perioperative Nurse [RN] for an agency; working mostly evening and night shifts in public hospital emergency/trauma operating theatres in and around Adelaide. I have always had creative hobbies, before taking up scrapbooking 6 years ago I loved to restore furniture. Since I have started scrapbooking I have also devloped a love for portrait photography, and more recently I have begun to dabble in painting. During the last 6 years I have been fortunate to have been a Creative Design Team member for Scrapbooking Memories Magazine [AUS] in 2009 and currently a Scrapbooking Memories Master for 2011-12. Also fortunate to have been on the Creative Design Team for UK based scrapbooking magazine; Scrap365. Currently I create for Aussie Scrap Source, Jenni Bowlin Studio, Imaginarium Designs, The Color Room, 7 Dots Studio and Prima Marketing. I have been blessed to be published in Scrapbooking Memories [AUS], and have also been featured in the last 4 editions of Somerset Memories, with technique articles and layouts in the reader gallery.