{Spotlight Project} Shery Creates a Mixed Media Inspirational Artwork Using Monoprinting, Stenciling, and Stamping

Back in April, hubby and I bought a 21-foot travel trailer to convert into my home office/art studio. With our baby girl making her grand entrance in August, we needed to make big changes in our home, and that included decluttering the rooms (specifically our bedroom and living room) and getting my work/art stuff out and into a dedicated space.

As Mr. STAMPlorations worked to convert the trailer, I began creating a few pieces I can put up and decorate the walls. Here's artwork #1: a simple mixed media inspirational piece I plan on hanging on the wall by my art station to remind me every day of why I'm doing what I'm doing. This one is done on 160# letter size (8.5" by 11") cardstock.

With a small squeegee, I spread yellow and milky white acrylic paints on my Gelli plate...

...placed my thick cardstock on it and brayered to transfer the paint.

Next, I spread 4 different colors of acrylic paints on my Gelli plate and laid down a couple of stencils (Shower of Flutters and Bloom Factory).

I wanted to pull the ghost print of the stencils so I placed a different cardstock on top first and brayered to transfer the ink. (I saved this one as the base for a second mixed media artwork.)

I removed the stencils and I'm left with this:

I laid my first cardstock on my Gelli plate and brayered over it to transfer the paints.

To tone down the colors just a little, I spread gesso over the background.

Then I started stamping collage-style. I focused on stamping on the upper left and lower right, mixing and matching the stamps (from The Birds and the Blooms, Mixed Media Grunge, and Trendy Birds). I stuck to one color, and here I used Memento Luxe mixed media ink (Rhubarb Stalk).

For the inspirational message, I used coarse texture gel over my stencil*.

*one of the ARTplorations stencils in a larger size that we'll be introducing in July

When the texture gel dried, I went over the words with my Japanese watercolor brush pens. I sealed the artwork with matte gel medium after everything was dry.

Here's the finished artwork again. I'll finish it up by matting and framing it.

I hope you enjoyed seeing how I created this piece. You can apply the monoprinting, stenciling, stamping techniques I used here on your cards as well -- it'll be on a smaller scale, but you should be able to get that mixed media look. And if you don't have a Gelli plate, you can improvise. For example, before I had a Gelli plate, I used the glass that came with the cheap-o $1 frames I bought at the dollar store.

See you in a couple of weeks!

Products Shery used in today's project:

      

  

Mixed Media Grunge (April/May 2015) and The Birds and the Blooms (June/July 2015) are our premium 5x7 sets offered in the STAMPlorations stamp club! We've got lots of perks, including free worldwide shipping, a free 4" by 6" stamp set sent every 3rd shipment (or immediately after signing up for the semi-annual subscription), 2 personal discount coupon codes, and choice of 2 ARTplorations stencils ($10 value) in every stamp club package mailed out to subscribers! For more info and to sign up, click here.


Prize alert! Leave a comment in this post for an entry to our Spotlight Projects random drawing for June. We'll pick ONE (1) commenter to win a $10 gift certificate or her choice of 1 ARTplorations stencil. We'll announce the winner on the first week of July!