It's a few weeks into the summer, but I'm finally caught up with taking pictures so I'm ready to start my new series...
Like (500) Days of Summer. Get it? Get it???
(I've actually never seen that movie because I thought it would make me cry.)
Anyways, here is my Craft #1, and it's coming up roses!
I've been interested in creating surface patterns for a while now and decided to do something floral. I was inspired by this Amy Butler fabric that I have a swatch of:
I decided to do a simpler version of the graphic rose. I started with a photo and manipulated it on Photoshop so I had only a couple of different colors.
I printed off a couple of versions in the size I wanted (around 6"x6") and taped each one to a sheet of freezer paper. I am obsessed with freezer paper! I use it for stencils (especially fabric stencils, because the shiny side can be temporarily ironed onto fabric) and as a makeshift paint palette (paint globs won't dry out for ages!).
After the print-out is securely taped, I used an X-acto knife and a cutting board to slice the rose pattern into the freezer paper, making sure to cut through both layers! I simplified a few of the complicated details as I cut to make things easier on myself. I made one stencil for each color of the rose. Here are my finished stencils:
As you can see, I made three layers of colors: light, medium, and dark. The medium stencil fills up the entire outline of the rose, while the light is layered on top, followed by the dark. I had to mark the TOP of each stencil so I could align them properly!
In order to paint the stencils, I had to tape them into my sketchbook-- but I used masking tape that I had stuck onto my jeans to get rid of some of the stickiness first. That way the paper didn't rip when I pulled the stencil off!
After painting each color, I allowed it to dry for a few minutes with the stencil still attached, and then carefully peeled the stencil off to let the paint dry completely before starting the next layer.
Here is my first attempt:
Unfortunately there were more white spaces than I intended, which was why I made the medium stencil take up the entire background of the rose (as seen in the stencils above).
My second attempt:
This time my stencils worked better, but I am kicking myself over that color combination! It didn't quite work out as planned.
I am hoping to improve even more on my design, and then eventually cover an entire canvas with perfect, stenciled roses. I've even bought my paint for the background: it's a beautiful, pale, almost Tiffany greenish-blue. I can't wait to start!
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