It's been a minute! I've just been living life... enjoying family, peaceful moments, and a little binge TV. I've also been planning how to move forward with my illustration and surface design business. There are so many options for artists today it's easy to go down a rabbit hole. For someone like me, whose mind is always going, I had to focus and get serious about what I wanted to do with my joy of coloring. I'm happy to say that I am on my way!!
One of the communities I joined last year was Draw A Dot. I have been learning so much about fashion illustration and the industry - so interesting! I've had the opportunity to work with an illustrator agent, hear directly from fashion experts, get insight into their processes, and be inspired by beautiful fashion artwork. The Orange Dot Project is a celebration of the Draw A Dot Community's 10th anniversary. The Patreon members have been invited to each create an artwork to celebrate this special occasion for sale in the shop. I'm excited that I get to participate! This project is particularly special this year because there is a fund behind it. For each sale from this collection, $5 USD will go to an artist fund, and $5 will go to the artist who created the print. At the end of January 31, 2024, the artist who sells the most prints from this collection will receive this fund. You'll see interesting and artsy prints at the shop for this celebration/contest. I hope you like mine, but if you find something you like better, we'd appreciate your support! .
Independent artists doing what they love... Below is my print.
Shout Out:Marcus Kan for starting the Draw a Dot community and for ALL the support, encouragement, and connections he makes for the community. He also collaborated with me on my print. I loved the way it turned out!
Happy Thanksgiving in the USA! Many of us spend time reflecting on what we are thankful for - our families, friends, opportunities, joys, and challenges.
This is also the time of year when there are many, many... many sales as we move into the Christmas season. I'm sharing a sale with you!! November 27th - November 30th StencilGirl Products is having its biggest sale of the year! All my stencils, plus thousands of others, will be on sale. Three days of SuperStencil Savings starts November 27th!
Alcohol Ink After Party - Paint a Pumpkin In this class, you will learn a controlled way to paint a colorful pumpkin using alcohol inks. Iāll share tips that will help you get the results that you want. I would love to have you join me in class!!
I'm excited to share my new collection available from StencilGirlĀ®!!
The Couture Collection features models, clothes, and fabric designs. You may have noticed that I've been a bit fascinated with fashion illustration over the last few months. :)
The couture collection was inspired by my love of fashion illustration and warm memories of playing with paper dolls when I was a child. The collection consists of Couture Models (a 9x12 model stencil with two sizes of three different models), Couture Closet #1 Small (a 6x6 closet for the smaller size models), Couture Closet #1 Large (a 9x12 closet stencil for the large models), and Couture ATC Patterns (a 9x12 ATC fabric/texture and other little bits stencil to complement the models).
The set includes masks and fitted openings for endless possibilities for your artwork. Outlines provide a jumpstart for coloring, masks and open stencils allow for your customized designs, or you can use the ATC stencil included in the collection for fabric designs. The couture models also include a curvy woman, as many of us have curves and we embrace all of them! The women can be used as focal points for greeting cards, journal spreads, on canvases, on walls, and included in larger art pieces. They work well with a variety of supplies. There are so many possibilities!
Below is a short video that introduces the collection and describes how I get to know new stencils.
Below are pieces of art that I made using the new collection of stencils. I had such a great time AND I have so many more ideas. If I didn't have to sleep, work on other projects and eat, I might get to them all. hehehe
I cut it out - TIP: Lay the bathing from closet1 small (S920) over the colorful piece and trace it so you can easily see where to cut.
For finishing touches, I used a variety of colored pencils and pens to add her face features and hair, show subtle shading on her neck and back leg, and add shoes. Nothing fancy, just little touches to make her pop on the card. The stamped sentiment is from Papertrey Ink.
Evening Wear and Showing Hands
I cut out a model (L917) and her dress (L918) from the large set of sprayed images in the video. Next, I laid the dress over the model and drew a simple outline of hands with a white pencil - extending the lines from her wrists.
I cut out hand shapes in the dress.
I cut out the inside area of her arms and trimmed around her body.
I tried on her dress to make sure that it fit around her hands.
Added a design to her dress with one of the ATC sections (L916) and a gold metallic pen.
I repeated these steps for the other two large models and added jewelry and cute shoes with pens. They are ready to step out into the evening!
TIP: When you use an outline to paint/color your model's body, you can get the shape of her arms by laying the mask over the body and painting inside her arms with the same or similar color to the background.
Original Designs
For this journal page in a gray sketchbook, I traced each model mask (L917) in white pencil, then traced over the white in a dark gray. Next, I used acrylic paint to add their clothes, blending on the page - but not too much, so all that rich texture will show through!
Tag
Single layer (no scissors needed)
I drew one of the small models (L917) with a colored pencil and colored it with water-based markers. NOTE: I traced inside the stencil and used the mask use draw in the shape of her arms and also drew in an outline for a suggestion of her hands. Donāt worry about detailed hands, just the shape works. You can also use the dress mask to trace around her hands' shapes.
I drew in a line with colored pencils to separate the shapes of her legs, as well as a little lipstick. I laid her dress stencil over her body and colored it in with a marker.
I laid the dress mask right inside the dress shape and held it in place with my opposite hand while I colored a darker blue, adding design and interest.
I used colored pencils and markers to add hair, lipstick, shoes, and shading. I had so much fun creating three women!
Bookmark 1
Using the mask from her large closet (L918), I traced her outfit first, then traced the body as if she were wearing the outfit. I added a line to show her leg in front and a wavey line to show the bottom of her shirt.
Next, I colored her shirt with a marker and gave it a design using one of the sections of the ATC Pattern stencil (L916).
TIP: To keep the design inside the clothing, lay the closet1 large stencil over the ATC stencil to keep your pattern in bounds. Be sure to line it up. Here I was showing an example where the ATC stencil goes down first and the clothing stencil on top. That way your design lines are crisp.
I colored in her pants, and added shoes and festive flowers in her hair, inspired by Frida Kahlo.
'Oops Note': After I colored in everything, I realized I missed adding the ATC pattern to her sleeve. It was easy to line the stencils back up and add the design. :o)
Bookmark 2
For this bookmark, I traced the model mask (L917) onto the cardstock and colored her in with markers. Next, I colored her hair, drew in shoes, and added details to her face with colored pencils and markers. I added her swimsuit (L918)from one of the spray pieces shared in the video. For the decorative flooring, I used the ATC Pattern stencil (916) and a colored pencil. I like the soft look the pencil created.
Journal Page - Happiness Is...
For my last example, I colored her body and her hair with acrylic paint. I used alcohol inks to create bright festive dresses. I traced around the dress mask, traced all of the inside designs, and cut them out. I used a marker to draw on her shoes.
TIPS and SUGGESTIONS:
Be sure to wipe all water soluble supplies off your stencils to make sure you only get the colors you want the next time you use them.
When drawing shoes, hair, and facial features, I use references to help me with shapes and stylized designs. It's easy to keep them as simple shapes to finish off your model.
Shout Out: To the StencilGirlĀ® team!! They are awesome to work with and I just love all of them!! For fashion design instruction and inspiration, I appreciate Jane Davenport , Zoe Hong, Jessica Durrant, and Marcus Kan!!
Soā¦.I was sketching in my āA Year in Small Drawings Sketchbookā by @matildatr. I started by following directions for the subject, and then I donāt know what happened - other subjects just popped into the squares. Thereās always at least one face. LOL! Faces happenā¦ Sending out positive vibes!!
I'm sharing a couple of ideas for how to use stencils to bring some colorful joy to yourself and to others.
Here's a little peek:
Please visit my post on the StencilGirlĀ® Talk Blog to see two ideas with step-out photos. I also included a link for videos with tips for creating with word stencils and African symbols.
Hello Beautiful! Sharing my illustration for the @drawadot@schiaparelli Haute Couture F/W 2022 open call.
I did some research on Elsa - a fascinating woman with a very interesting story! @danielroseberry is the current Creative Director. His 2022 F/W collection is fabulous!! Having so much fun with drawing fashion and seeing all the beautiful creative illustrations!!
I started this piece by painting the individual illustrations in my art journal.
I took a photo of the pages and pulled them into Adobe PhotoShop. Inside the tool, I put the individual images on their own layers, improved their look, and played with the layout to find something I really liked. I learned how to do all the steps from Sarah Watts. Sarah is offering a course on how to take your artwork into Adobe PhotoShop and create surface pattern designs. I took the course last year, and I'm taking it again this year as she has made updates. I just love how Sarah explains the tools and shows examples with her own artwork. In addition to teaching PhotoShop, she shares a lot of information, and has guest speakers, from the surface design and illustration business. You can use what you learn to create your own designs for your personal use or for your own business. I continue to take classes from Sarah and had such a great experience, I became an affiliate for the course.
I have been taking courses from Sarah for the last year and found that she makes it easy and fun to learn the tools. In the mini-course, she'll teach you everything you need to know to digitize your art.
I am excited to be her partner in sharing this opportunity!
In this class, you will learn an easy way to make beautiful, vivid tiles by adding color with alcohol inks. Iāll share tips that will help you get the results that you want. Alcohol inks are a fun and vivid medium that is quickly becoming more and more popular worldwide. If you love mixing colors to create a vibrant marbled effect that can only be limited by what you are willing to try, this class is for you! If you have never used Alcohol Inks before, you may find it helpful to watch the Alcohol Ink Party: An Introduction to Alcohol Inks available here on SkillShare. If you don't already have a SkillShare account, you can use this link to my class and get a month free access to check out thousands of classes in addition to mine.
In this class, youāll learn:
How to safely use the inks, what to be aware of.
A fun way to add color and style to ceramic tiles. The tiles can be used as coasters or to add some joy points to your space.
How to seal your artwork.
Youāll also receive a student handout with a summary of the techniques, as well as links to supplies and additional resources. Creating vibrant and interesting artwork with alcohol inks is easy and fun! You do not need to have a lot of supplies - a few alcohol inks and a tile will get you started. For the project, youāll be making colorful coasters. They make great gifts and will be special because you made them. When you join me at the after-party, Iāll show you how fun and easy it is to make beautiful, colorful tiles!
During the last week, I participated in a fun challenge with Ohn Mar Win.
The prompts were identified to challenge creators to see how extraordinary the ordinary can be. She encouraged us to find items from our homes to inspire our daily artwork - jars of food, worn-down shoes, or that tube of toothpaste thatās almost run out, as well as share stories about them.
She encouraged us to think about how we may feel like we just live ordinary lives, but actually, we all live very extraordinary lives if we practice a little gratitude.
The prompts and my artwork are below. To see all the lovely artwork and interesting stories, you can check out #ohnmar7 on Instagram.
BOTTLES & JARS
COOKIES & BISCUITS
KETTLES & JUGS
CLOTHES
TUBES
SHOES
LAMPS
Shout Out: to Ohn Mar for being a lovely host and creating a fun and engaging challenge!
Hilda and I have been so excited to share this sweet story about diversity, inclusion, and friendship. It's a lovely way to introduce a variety of important subjects in our society to your young children. We hope you and your children will enjoy it!!
Now is your chance to save 25% on not only my stencils, but all StencilGirl Stencils*! The discount will be taken automatically at checkout. No coupon code is needed!
If you buy 6 stencils of the sale size StencilGirlās 10% everyday discount is automatically applied to those stencils.
But the best part is there are FREEBIES to be had! $100+ Anniversary Stencil by Mary Beth Shaw $300+ a StencilGirl Studio class by Mary Beth Shaw Please note: Freebies are calculated after the discounts are applied.
You can take advantage of colossal stencil savings through 11:59 p.m. CST, November 30, 2021. *Some restrictions apply.SALE FAQ
Thanks for loving stencils like I love stencils!
Do you have an SG wish list? StencilGirlās biggest sale of the year starts November 28th. You know youāve been good!
I just published Alcohol Ink After Party! In the SkillShare class, you will learn an easy way to incorporate texture and depth into your alcohol ink art pieces. It's fun and colorful! If you currently do not have a SkillShare account, you will get a free one using my link to the class for one month to check out the platform and choose from thousands of classes.
The West African collection released last October has been very popular, and we are now releasing two 9x12 stencils with larger images and words to provide a variety of sizes for your artwork. The West African Symbols Mix-up 5 stencil includes four large symbols that represent supremacy of God, learn from your mistakes, humility and strength, and royalty and greatness. The large word stencil includes words that represent love, intelligence, ingenuity, freedom, feminine qualities, supremacy of God, learn from your mistakes, humility and strength, and royalty and greatness. Use these stencils in art journaling, mixed media projects, and larger bodies of work. They are wonderful as a focal point in your art or for gelli printing, and you can use them to create marvelous patterns on fabric. The stencils are now available at StencilGirl Products.
Shout Out: Wendy and the art of collaboration! š
I'm sharing a project and a couple ideas for how to use stencils to create something for positivity.
Here's a little peek:
Please visit my post at the StencilGirlĀ® Talk Blog to see the the full project with step out photos, as well as a couple of other ideas. I also included a link for a video with tips for creating with word stencils.
I have been working on an illustration project for the last 2.5 months - Iāve been illustrating a childrenās book!! It is surreal! This is a dream Iāve had for years.
I thought it would not happen until I gained more experience and exposure as an illustrator. Well, God had a different plan for me! Cliff Notes: Through a Facebook group connection, I learned of an independent author who was looking for an illustrator. I decided to take a chance and reach out to the author. We used email to chat. I learned she lived halfway across the world. She looked at my IG page and agreed to meet on Zoom. I instantly felt a connection with her. She described her next book, which resonated with me. We continued to chat through email. I sent her a couple sketches. And then it happened! Hilda said she would love to work with me on the project! I have been smiling inside ever since! This project, this journey, this partnership that weāve shared over the past few months has blossomed into a friendship across the world. For you - your dream may come sooner than you think in the form of an opportunity that you initiate. I encourage you to go for it! Even if you think youāre not ready. You get ready along the way!
In addition to all the joy I experienced working on this book project with Hilda, I learned so much! I learned: how to understand another personās vision well enough to draw it out; what independent book publishing looks/feels like; more ways to use Adobe Photoshop and how to use InDesign [sending a big shout out and a bug hug to Helena, the illustrator of Hildaās first book Snowy and Zoey In a Whole New World, who gave me some great tips.
It was so much more than just drawing and coloring!! Snowy and Zoey go to school in this story. For some of the pages I actually had to do research. š Itās been a minute since Iāve been in a grade school classroom. š
Hoping you are having a wonderful weekend!
Shout Out: to all the people (in person/on line) who have encouraged me!! Peace and Love to you!! XXOO
Today I'm sharing new stencil designs that I've had to keep secret for several months - ohhh, that has been a challenge for me! :)
I am the artist for Augustās StencilClub at StencilGirl Products! I am over the moon - where did that saying come from anyway?! I don't know, but it accurately describes my joy!!
I have a video on StencilGirl Talk today that shares how I got the inspiration for these designs.
StencilClub is a monthly subscription for exclusive designs that are revealed the first day of each month. It is like getting a present every single month! Members also get 20% off StencilGirlĀ® āstencils all the time.
Each month, you get:
One 9" x 12" EXCLUSIVE stencil, one 6" x 6" EXCLUSIVE stencil, and one 4" x 4" EXCLUSIVE stencil.
An EXCLUSIVE video for MEMBERS ONLY provided by the designing artist.
A downloadable PDF with basic instructions to go along with the video for that month.
Entrance into a SECRET Facebook group for MEMBERS ONLY! A place to share, inspire and talk all about stencils!
You are eligible to purchase ANY past month for the membership price.
Shout Out:MaryBeth Shaw. MaryBeth is a savvy business woman, talented artist, and has big heart! I am feeling grateful.
You will get a free trial to check out, not only my class, but have access to thousands of creative and business classes. I've been a student of SkillShare for over two years and have taken so many awesome classes! Even though, I'm now a teacher, I will continue taking classes - there's so many to choose from and I am a lifelong learner!
Outline of my class:
OUTLINE of Videos:
Introduction
Your Project
Supplies & Safety
Ink Basics
Drop, Tilt, Blow
A Splash and Kiss
Spice it up with Metallics Part 1
Spice it up with Metallics-Part 2
Spice it up with Metallics-Part 3
Add Texture to Your Painting
Sealing Your Paintings
Summary
Bonus - Greeting Card and Ink Organization
I hope you will check it out and see what you can find to bring you joy.
All the Images and Text on this site are owned by the original creator, Trena Brannon. Please do not copy or use anything without asking permission. These projects and stories are shared for inspirational use only. Designs may not be copied for the purpose of publication or contest submissions. Thank you for your support!
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