Stencils Unlocked

You may have seen that I have launched a free, 4 day course designed to help you explore the creative potential of your stencils this week. It has taken a long time to put together and I am excited to finally share it!

My intention in putting this mini programme together is to put the spotlight on all of the stencils sitting in your stash that I suspect are being neglected! Patterned papers, stamps and colourful craft supplies often catch our eye but I personally believe that the humble stencil is the unsung hero of your craft room....in terms of sheer versatility it can't be beaten. A cost effective craft item with an endless variety of designs, stencils are an essential part of my art practice and I am hoping that you will be as inspired by them as I am after taking part in Stencils Unlocked :)

However, despite the versatility of these crafty workhorses we can easily get stuck in a rut - inking through them (which looks great, by the way) and maybe adding paint. I want to share ways that you can add visual texture with your stencils - creating dimension, lifting colour and building layers.

Here are some pages created using just a few of the techniques that I share in the course.

I have recorded short video tutorials which will be delivered to your email inbox each day for 4 days - let's face it, we all like happy mail and I am hoping this will be a gently nudge for you to do something creative in the hectic run up to the festive season!

I would love to see the results of your experimenting so please share them in our Fun with Funky Fossil FB group. And remember, the techniques that I demonstrate are a jumping off point for you to customise and incorporate in to your own style. For example, you can combine them on your journal pages as I have done here:

On this page I have used stencils with bleach, stellar paste and embossing powder on vellum.

I would love to hear what your favourite stencil techniques are....who knows, I might include them in a follow up course :) The techniques that I share in Stencils Unlocked are only a tiny fraction of the creative options that our stencils present so, if this course goes well, there may be a part 2!

But, in the meantime, I hope you have fun with the course and that some of these techniques give your stencils a new lease of life :)