Guest Post: Creating a Stenciled Calendar with Carmen
October 20, 2014
Hi friends! I’m Carmen Whitehead. First, I want to thank Julie for being such a gracious hostess and letting me share some creativity with you today.
I’ve been a huge fan of hers and her stencils for a long time. I remember watching a video she did on layering stencils and I was hooked on that technique.
The wonderful thing is that she makes it so easy with her stencils. Today I’m using the Weekly Circles stencil.
I’ve been wanting to create a calendar with my art journal for a while and these are perfect for that project and using the layering technique.
I started off by spreading acrylic paint with a plastic card. I selected colors that were light so whatever I write will be easily seen.
You see how easily the card spread the color and you have an instant background. But we’re not done yet!
Add some more texture with everyday items like bubble wrap and plastic caps.
Now it’s time to start using this great stencil. I like to use makeup sponges to apply paint with my stencils. They are inexpensive and I can control how much paint I have on the sponge. With this technique make sure your sponge is not overloaded with paint or it will seep under the stencil and you won’t get a clear and crisp image.
I started with a dark burgundy on the frame part of the stencil.
I planned to have Monday thru Friday with more space to write, Saturday and Sunday at the bottom with smaller spaces. But, you can design it however you want and whatever works best for you.
Next, we layer the day circles on the stencil into each frame. I selected a lighter color to make it really pop. Again, make sure you don’t have too much paint on your sponge. You really want the words to be clear.
I could easily leave the calendar the way it is now and it would be just fine. But, I wanted to add a few more details, so I got out some of my favorite pens to highlight parts of the calendar.
Now, I’m happy with it! These pages are great to do scattered through your art journal instead of one after the other. The wonderful thing about art journals is that there are no rules. You can make it however you want and it’s still perfect.
Thanks so much for visiting with me today and I hope this project gives you some inspiration to create in your art journal.
Blessings,
Carmen
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Hi! I'm Carmen Whitehead and I live in Chandler, AZ. I'm a single mom of 2 incredible young adult kids, and one furry baby named Rosie. I'm a self-taught Mixed Media Artist with a love of everything vintage. I think that's why I try to incorporate vintage items and ephemera into my canvases, tags and cards. I also use many encouraging and inspiring words or phrases in my work. As a 3-year survivor of Stage III Ovarian Cancer, art was part of my healing and is now my full-time career. I want my work to encourage young girls and women to seek their dreams, never give up and to trust the journey. I'm a true believer and example that it's never too late to find your passion.
Blog: http://carmenwhitehead.blogspot.com/