Soothing Blues of Summer

I was asked to be a guest blogger at Artistcellar recently and was given 2 stencils to use to create some art.  The 2 Artistcellar Stencils I played with are Reims in the Cathedral series and Ripples in the Water series.  I want to show you a couple of different ways to use the stencils on Yupo Paper using Alcohol Inks, Viva Décor Inka Gold, Liquid Pearl & other supplies. 

Reims supplies

Reims 6x6 stencilin the Cathedral series

White Yupo Paper

Ranger Adirondack Alcohol Ink in Pool, Purple Twilight, Aqua, Sailboat Blue, Stream & Bottle

Adirondack Alcohol Blending Solution

Viva Décor Inka Gold in Cobalt Blue and Steel Blue

Spectrum Noir markers in BT5, BT4, BT7, TB3 and the Blender marker

Ranger Liquid Pearls in White Opal and Royal Blue

  

I first started by dropping a light color background of inks on the Yupo paper with the blending solution.  I used a piece of felt and smeared it around to give it a mottled look.  

 

 Lay the stencil over the Yupo paper and apply Viva Inka Gold with your finger or part of an old T-Shirt.  T-shirts are nice and soft and don’t leave fuzz behind.  Periodically lift the stencil to make sure you have covered the whole piece with the Inka Gold colors.  I like to use both colors blending them together.

Next I dropped more alcohol inks on the Inka Gold and painted some areas to add more depth.  I highlighted it with the markers.  To add shadow I used the deep purple marker on some of the edges.  If you go into the light part of the design where you stenciled, simply use the blender pen to lift off the ink. 

Finish off the piece with some dots of Liquid Pearls.  I wish I could have captured the shine better because it is so beautiful in person. 

Have fun with this.

I couldn’t stop with just one stencil, so I played with the Ripples stencil to give you a whole different look and technique. 

Ripples supplies

Ripples 6x6stencil in the Water series

White Yupo Paper

Ranger Adirondack alcohol ink in Pool, Aqua & Sailboat blue

Adirondack Alcohol Blending Solution

Grumbacher Misket Liquid Frisket for Masking

Micron Marker

Trace your stencil onto the Yupo Paper using a pencil.  Mask the areas you want to keep a crisp white with the Misket fluid.  Let dry completely before you drop in the alcohol inks.  

Drop in the alcohol inks in random splashes all over the Yupo Paper along with some blending solution.  Move the paper around to let the alcohol inks play around together.  The inks dry very quickly, so add enough ink to get it to cover the paper.

When the inks are completely dry, peel away the masking fluid with your finger.  To make the edges crisp and give more depth, use a Micron marker and define the top edge of each water line.  

Have fun with these.  The fun part of working with Alcohol Inks on Yupo Paper is they have a mind of their own and create their own look.  You have more control adding the inks on top of the Inka Gold as in the top piece of art. 

Enjoy!

Happy Summer

I love summer, beaches, warmth, and painting mandalas.  The best way to celebrate summer is to add some designs to beautiful rocks.  These rocks were found in Minnesota at Wacouta beach, Lake Pepin and the North Shore on Lake Superior.  Each one is painted with someone special in mind. Here is a bit of summer happiness sent to you.