Retro Modern Woman

 

Artistcellar.com carries a wonderful selection of Jane Davenport face stencils. A lot of people—artists and non-artists alike—are uncomfortable drawing faces, and using one of Jane’s stencils is a good way to get over the “fear of faces.”

 

This journal page began with the Jane stencil called “side.” I used a fine black pen to trace it onto my light blue cardstock journal page. The stencil allows the hat/hair and clothing choices up to the artist.

 

I decided to start the design by stenciling a soft collar on the woman, and used the Balzer Deco Doily stencil and a white paint marker for a soft, turn-of-the-20^th century lace collar effect.

The next issue was the top of the head—hair or hat? I was thinking about the contrast between what is on the outside of a person and what is on the inside, and tried a steampunk lace stencil to imply a brain churning with ideas.

She began to look like a weird retro sci-fi woman. I added color to the face and head with the white paint pen and brush tipped markers. To further illustrate the sci-fi idea, I added gears from the steampunk pocket stencils, and a few shapes from the Garden Gate stencil.

The last addition was words—small words, printed on Avery clear mailing labels were added, along with the inspirational pocket stencil word BELIEVE. Last, I hand-wrote the word “dream” on the right side of the page. My aim was to illustrate the many women—past and present—who are stronger and smarter on the inside than the soft, feminine façade the world sees at a quick glance.