StencilGirl and Art Squares (from inchie arts) Blog Hop

A long long time ago in a galaxy far away, I participated in an Inchie Swap. 

Remember when those were 'the thing?' At that time, we were using card stock that we handcut into squares.  

I about lost my mind because the squares were so little, as in one inch by one inch (duh) and I had an awful time decorating them, it was as if my brain simply wouldn't work that small. I famously (or infamously?) declared inchies were not my thing. 

Flash forward and my team here at StencilGirl developed the idea to do a Blop Hop with inchie arts llc. I'll fess up; I agreed to participate just to be a team player and, because it is (after all) my company, right?

Imagine my delight when I found out how totally cool and fun the Art Squares are! 

I love these little substrates!!

Art Squares of various sizes 

The minute I took them out of the packages, I started to see their potential in a new way. Yes! They looked like tiny substrates to me and I imagined working on them as part of an overall piece. 

I took some tape and arranged it sticky side up so I could lay out the Art Squares in a pleasing composition. I used delicate surface tape because they are made of museum grade mat board and I didn't want to tear the surface. There is a 'right' side and 'wrong' side to the Squares which is clearly explained on the packaging.

Once I had my layout, I started painting and working on the Squares just like I would any other piece. 

Initial painting using Golden Fluid Acrylic paints and white gesso.

The Art Squares tolerate quite a bit of water which was a pleasant surprise. During the course of this project, I created several layers and the squares held up beautifully. Naturally I used stencils, my own Grid stencils seemed made for this project, right??

Mary Beth's Grid Stencils

I also used Carolyn Dube's Building Stencil which is a 'must have' for a grid obsessed girl like me.

Carolyn Dube Buildings Stencil

Painted batch of Art Squares

I ended up with a gorgeous batch of square is a variety of sizes. Not wanting to be influenced by my initial layout, I took them all off the tape and contemplated them anew. I used the larger Art Squares as the background and painted them Raw Umber to blend with the smaller squares. Then I arranged them mosaic style and created a piece of art. I did a little bit more embellishing with stencils and ink, then called it done. I even have several leftover squares to use in other pieces.

So much fun to make, I adored working with the Art Squares. 

GIVEAWAY

We'll be picking one lucky winner

to receive a $25 StencilGirl Products Gift Certificate and

1 package each of White 4", 3", ATC (2.5" X 3.5") and Swatch (2" X 4") size Art Squares!

All comments left on the hop list participants’ posts will be entered. 

One comment per blog. 

Comments close on January 30^th @ 11:59PM Central.
Winner will be announced on StencilGirl Product’s Facebook Page on January 31^st.

Below are the hop list order (with links embedded) and attached is the giveaway image!

Blog Hop Order:

January 25
StencilGirl Talk
Mary C. Nasser
Mary Beth Shaw
Lisa Lee

January 26 StencilGirl Talk
Maria McGuire
Gwen Lafleur
Dina Kowal

January 27 StencilGirl Talk
Janet Joehlin
Sharon Harnist
Kae Pea

Thanks to everyone for hopping!

All Aboard, 2016 - the year of the Mulligan

Today I am starting 2016 over. 

Yep, it's a do-over 'cause I've had a shitty year thus far filled with way too much death, illness, miscellaneous mayhem and more. 

I don't want to talk about it particularly, that's what my art is for. 

But really, it's time for a Mulligan.

Starting right now.

All Aboard!!

mulligan

A Mulligan, in a game, happens when a player gets a second chance to perform a certain move or action; usually due to lack of skill or bitter luck. A "Do-Over". Like getting an "Extra Play" in pinball due to sinking the ball before obtaining an arbitrary amount of points.

by Isaiah Hall February 22, 2006

These pieces were made using stencils and stamps by Seth Apter. The stencils are (of course) available at StencilGirl Products.  I am especially fond of Seth's stencils because he incorporates words that nearly always help me process the things going on in my life. Plus the extra gnarly little shapes are just plain fun to use! His rubbers stamps are available several places, you can find out more information on his blog. 

These paintings are 4" x 4" painted on all sides. They are available for $45 each. If you are interested, just leave me a comment below. 

Who else is on board the Mulligan Train of 2016?

Art Journal for 2016

Typically I have a bunch of journals 'in process' at the same time. Naturally that doesn't stop me from starting a new one like yesterday when I got a hankering for a smaller format than my mongo Moleskine.
Here it is, a small size Canson Mixed Media XL, the 5x8 one.

I used scraps of fabric and just glued them onto the cover. Then I stenciled some marks using Rae Missgman's Repetition stencil.  I am a wee bit obsessed with that stencil, it pretty much looks good on everything. Here, I used white Gesso.


My new journal makes me so happy.
I intend to use it primarily for Gratitude journaling.
If you want a peek at my journaling space in my house, click over to StencilGirl Talk to watch my video.