Stenciled Backgrounds by Donna Lee

When we saw Donna Lee's gorgeous creations in both the Club Scrap Galleria and our Coffeehouse Chat forum, we knew immediately that folks would be interested in hearing more about her artwork. Take it away, Donna Lee!

I have always enjoyed stencils, and these “Stencil Week” blog posts reminded me just how much fun they can be! While there are lots of different techniques that one can employ to create art with stencils, I wanted to keep it simple this time, so all stenciling is done with Club Scrap Hybrid ink pads and ink applicators.

Since I was hoping that "Stencil Week" will reappear soon in Club Scrap’s upcoming Pro Scrapbookers League competition, I grabbed my stencils to create some custom papers to use in my scrapbook pages.

For this first background, I used Club Scrap's Autumn Splendor Leaf stencil (October 2004), stenciling the image with Topaz, Moss and Earth Hybrid inks. Notice that the leaf images are incomplete around the edges of the page? This is often called “extending off” the page, and the technique gives your artwork a more “natural” look. Next, I stamped the text stamp from Memoirs (July 2009) at an angle across the page. To add depth, I sponged the same three colors randomly throughout the background, and applied Earth Hybrid ink directly to the edges of the page. A spritz of glimmer mist and it was finished!

For my second background, I created a stencil collage combining images from older and newer Club Scrap kits – along with a smattering of stamping. Again, I used Club Scrap’s Earth, Moss and Topaz inks, and added Onyx to the mix. I started with the Versailles (August 2011) border, and built from left to right with stencils from Rhapsody (March 2007) and Papillion (May 2011). To add balance to the design I added butterfly stamps from Papillion and the Mileage stamp from Road Trip (March 2005). I used the same technique of sponging, inked edges and glimmer mist to finish the piece.

Finally, I wanted to make a card for my Dad. I think the simplicity of black and white is perfect for masculine cards. Starting with a piece of white cardstock measuring 5 x 8 inches and Onyx Hybrid ink, I stenciled the car image from Journeys (June 2003). I made a mask by tracing the same image onto copy paper, cutting it out and using removable adhesive to cover the image I had just stenciled. With the mask in place, I added the dots from the Comics (February 2011) stencil around the car. The Chocolate Shoppe (February 2005) flourish and the title from the Textiles & Notions (September 2004) Frou Frou stencil were the perfect finishing touches.

More inspiring artwork by Donna Lee
found in the Club Scrap Galleria.

I hope "Stencil Week" has inspired you to play with stencils. Don’t be afraid to mix and match images that at first glance don’t appear to “go together” – you’ll be pleasantly surprised with the results. Try it- you’ll like it!

 Donna Lee