Stencils can add a great deal to the creative experience of art journaling. With stencils you can add pattern texture, raised areas, interesting detail to layers, featured images. There are a few techniques you can use with your stencils which you can either buy or make yourself.
Buying Stencils for Art Journaling
Amazon is a great place to search for stencils. There is a wide variety, some by small sellers and some by larger brands like Donna Downey. I have also seen some great stencils in The Range and they have an online store as well. A simple Google search brings back many stencil retailers – stencils are very popular! For original wildflower stencils check out my stencils shop page.
Making Your Own Stencils for Art Journaling
In my opinion this is where the fun really begins. To start off you might like to try a craft knife and some mylar (popular material for this purpose) or use acetate. I have even used a lamination pouch. Use a stabilo all pencil or permanent pen to draw on your design. When making your design be careful to leave connections of mylar between the different areas of your design and connections to the surrounding mylar. You may have to break up your design slightly to add these. There is also the option of creating screen prints by adding vinyl to a piece of silk and then pulling ink through this. With this approach your design does not need to be connected. If you find you enjoy creating stencils you can reuse in your journal you might want to invest in a special cutter tool. If you have the money and you aren’t keen on cutting your stencils yourself or you want to sell them, a tool like a Silhouette or Cricut might be a good option for you. I would recommend the Silhouette because the software it comes with is much better and you don’t need to be online to use it, unlike the Cricut. You can also re-purpose things like lace (a personal favourite) and sequin waste.
Ways to Art Journal with Stencils
My favourite way to stencil in my art journal is to spray acrylic spray paint through lace. It creates a lovely patterned layer that I can hide or reveal in different places later on. Using mylar stencils you can spray with ink sprays and then use the side facing you as a ‘stamp’ by turning it over and creating an impression of the inverted image. Negative stenciling is another cool technique where you apply paint to the page and then place your stencil on top of the paint and wipe away the areas visible through the stencil. When using inks this technique can work by removing ink with bleach. Gel medium can be used to make a resist and when used with stencilling you can then drip on inks that will cause your gel areas to stand out as I have done in the video below. This can also be done with embossing powder.
I hope this post will give you some ideas about art journaling with stencils. I would love to hear about/see your results below.
Hugs, Ceri xx
