New Age A-Z: StencilGirl Art Journal Collaboration

Back in December 2019, artist Tina Walker posted an idea for a group project: an art journal using the alphabet. Each person would choose their own theme and the only real rule was that we use StencilGirl® products along with our other art materials. At first I was baffled about what theme to choose, but the light bulb went off in my brain as I realized that it was the perfect way to synthesize all of my years of reading about, and practicing, alternative healing and energy concepts.

My interest in things alternative started over 25 years ago. I had suffered from debilitating panic disorder--I was more than stressed or occasionally nervous. It was like the feeling of losing your child in a crowded store, or the panic when a plane is in a storm's turbulence. The fear didn't peak then subside--it peaked and stayed and stayed and stayed for hours.

I had to stop working. I could barely eat. I spent days in bed, in the dark, medicated and groggy. I missed my seven-year-old daughter's summer theater production because I simply couldn't leave the house. Fear of extreme heat was a trigger, so I had a some agoraphobia. I had the air conditioning so high my family was shivering, but freezing was the only way to stay calm. I discovered--as I bravely drove through the Midtown Tunnel one summer afternoon--that pharmaceutical medications for panic disorder didn't work. They also had side-effects I couldn't live with. After reading an article on reiki, I went for treatments, which led to rediscovering myself as an artist and practicing, in addition to reiki, xi gong and meditation.

The block in a circle is the Antahkarana healing energy symbol done in fabrics. The surrounding Japanese symbols are from a stencil designed by Jill McDowell.

A friend mentioned the book "Indigo Children" to me, and that further sparked my interest in New Age concepts. That interest continued over the years, and I found books by Lee Carroll and Monika Muranyi fascinating.

This Indigo Child illustration uses a stencil by Judy Wise.

I decided to call my book "New Age A-Z." I combined concepts from different New Age paths. Some of the pages are general, and others, like the X page, deeply personal. For X, I chose Xanthic, meaning yellowish, because during one of my first reiki treatments, my reiki master asked what was my favorite color. I replied "yellow" so she said "go home and paint yellow." That simple idea led me down the artistic path that I am now on. It gave me permission to be me, rather than try to paint what other people considered the right colors, subjects or styles. I had shied away from using straight out of the tube colors, such as yellow, for fear of being considered unsophisticated and artistically immature.

Shades of yellow, my favorite color, and a tapestry stencil make up this special page.

I started my A-Z New Age journal by making my own journal from 140 pound watercolor paper. I hand-stitched the binding and constructed a book with 6" x 9" pages, and the cover slightly larger. The cover background is made from recycled teabags, with a white tapestry stencil over the teabags, and a golden angel figure on top. It is accented with some gorgeous lace, and the tie closure has some of my own handmade tyvek beads.

On each top corner, I stenciled the letter of the alphabet for that page using an art deco alphabet stencil designed by Gwen Lafluer. Rather than working methodically from A-Z, I worked on each page as inspiration struck.

Some letters were easy, like A for angels or E for earth. Some were challenging, like X for xanthic, and Y for Yawee, an ancient name for a doctor who is pioneering studies in energy healing and macro-entanglement.

Here's a few of my favorite pages. Some are bold and simple, some are muted and subtle, some have notes written on them explaining my ideas and thoughts.

A golden rooted, blooming flower grows out of the Earth

Gaia, or Mother Earth, with a crown of leaves

The background of a geometric Earth-shaped stencil was overprinted with leaf and thistle stamps for a very organic look.

Freehand circles, spirals and joyful shapes were overprinted with a favorite shape--the paisley. A loosely painted flower adds to the joyful feel.

A feminine, pink and gold portrait represent Mrs. Takata, who brought reiki to the Western hemisphere.

A favorite stencil, Lacy Lotus, done in pink and white forms the background for the bold, loose flower, and vibrates with positive female energy.

Here's my video of the whole book.

Lemurian Garden Stencil Debut!

One of my lifelong dreams has been seeing my own designs used in fabrics, wallpaper, clothing, packaging, paper goods, sheets other useful products. After finishing college with a degree that didn't really suit me, I went back to school and studied Textile and Surface Design at the Fashion Institute of Technology. For about 10 years, I worked in the fashion industry as a print stylist, selecting designs, patterns and colors for a textile converter, and going to the mills to oversee the production quality. The company's look was different than my personal style, so I rarely produced my own designs. After my daughter was born, I shifted into layout design for magazines and newspapers. Still, in the back of my mind a little voice kept asking: "What about YOUR designs?" I often sketched ideas and doodled and imagined what my own designs would be.

Finally I had the opportunity to produce stencils for StencilGirl. Out of the hundreds of designs I had scribbled on sticky notes and doodled on the edges of notepads over the years, I selected five. They are all designs I doodle, sketch and draw over and over--shapes that have showed up in my paintings and drawings for many years. Realizing that they were all designs based in nature, I named the group Lemurian Garden, after a magical place that some believe was the Garden of Eden, located in the area where the Hawaiian Islands are now.

The five designs in the group are the Spiral, Leaf, Pansy, Tulip and Lily, and they work beautifully together, but also stand on their own individually.

Here's some samples of how the stencils look with various methods and colors. The earrings and necklace were stenciled onto shrinkydink film, then baked in the oven. Some are Intention Cards, some are journal pages. There's also a greeting card and handmade envelope as well as a little gift box.

LEAF

TULIP

SPIRAL

For the birthday card and envelope, I started with a piece of deli paper that had blobs of paint on it. My silicone mat had been covered with paint, and it looked really pretty, so I covered the mat with thin matte medium, placed deli paper over it, pressed out the excess with a credit card, and let it dry. I carefully peeled away the paper from the mat and was left with some pink., orange and green splotches. Next, I used black archival ink through the spiral stencil in a random, allover pattern until the paper was covered. Using an opened, flattened envelope as a template, I cut the envelope shape, folded it, and glued the sides. With the leftover bits, I used a folded 8" x 5" white index card to make the birthday card. I stamped "happy birthday" onto deli paper, then glued it in place with matte medium. 

Click HERE to see a short video on the making of the card and envelope.

PANSY

LILY

 And here's a few things I made using ALL the stencils together. I liked the pastel (on the left) so much that I scanned it and printed out paper from my inkjet printer, which I used for the limbs of the paper doll.

I'm so excited about the stencils, and can't stop using them. They are full of energy and life. I hope you enjoy using them as much as I do!

Shrinky Dink Earrings!

This post originally ran on Nathalie Kalbach's N*Studio blog on March 24, 2020. Click HERE to see that post.

What keeps me motivated to create art? New products!

For March, Nat asked us to think about what motivates us. I’m motivated by sooooo much: a shadow on the sidewalk, a pretty leaf changing colors, buds beginning to grow, architectural details on my daily walk, and advertising I see on a billboard or in a magazine. But, one thing that really gets me percolating with ideas is discovering a new product. Often, it’s a new stencil or stamp. But my latest discovery is something I totally missed in my childhood: shrinky dinks! One of my artist friends included a few sheets in a recent package, and I have to say, I’m addicted. It is so magical to watch it suddenly start to shrivel and buckle and turn into a miniature piece of art in minutes.

When I got the shrinky dink film, I thought, “Let me test that beautiful fan-shaped Van Vorst art foamie and see what happens.” It printed beautifully on the film using black Archival ink. I also tested a few stamps and stencils with both ink and acrylic paint.

I punched holes in the top center of all the stamped, stenciled and painted pieces with the idea of using them in the future to make jewelry. I heated the oven, put in my shrinky dinks, and waited for the magic.

Once the stamped film had shrunk, flattened, and cooled I painted the back of the shrunken Van Vorst pieces with white acrylic. It looked fine without painting the back, but I wanted to make the design pop a little more.

I got out my jewelry-making components and tools and rummaged around in my containers to find some earring wires that would work with the stamped design. I also selected a small silver ring to connect the fan design to the earring wire.

Carefully, I opened the small, round ring and threaded it through the fan and the hole on the earring wire, then closed it with my jewelry pliers.

Take a look at the final earrings with the art foamies fan stamp for comparison. The design shrunk to about one quarter to one third of its original size, and also got much thicker. The details of the design were even more crisp and clear.

Here’s the “how-to” steps:

1-carefully stamp the chosen design onto the shrink film. Press carefully, being careful not to slide the stamp. Lift the stamp straight up to avoid smearing.

2-cut the shape out with scissors. I cut close to the design edge, but you can also leave a little border.

3-punch a ¼” round hole near the top of the earring so that you can attach the earring wire or a jump-ring loop. (It will look way too big but once it shrinks the hole will be just the perfect size.)

NOTE: Be very careful when you cut and punch so that the ink does not smear. Hold the stamped design by the edges only.

4-bake in the oven or a toaster oven according to the directions on the shrink film package until the design shrinks. It will cool quickly. If your piece looks curved or buckled, quickly flatten with a spatula. Once it is fully cooled you cannot reheat to take out any curve or buckle.

5-attach earring components to shrinky dink artwork and, viola! You’re done.

You can also use the shrink film to make necklaces or pins—the possibilities are endless!