Stencil Newsletter Fall 2003

Hi everyone! Now that summer is over and the weather is getting cool or even downright cold I have a feeling that a lot of us will be forced indoors and are ready and eager to start some new projects.

But first – you may want to take a peek at http://www.victorialarsen.com to see if you are the lucky winner of the Acanthus stencil set. It's absolutely gorgeous and should inspire all kinds of decorating projects for you – so good luck! And if you ARE the lucky winner, be sure to e-mail Victoria at mailto:stencilstoplaster@yahoo.com to let her know that you're waiting for your prize.

Next month's winner will receive a beautiful life-sized delphinium stencil – only this is a brand new one, in plaster! (Of course you can also use it to stencil in paint, if you prefer.) It's great for murals or even an instant 3-D garden along your baseboards.

Speaking of projects – there are a ton of new ones posted on the site – let me tell you just a bit about them as they are all great for spurring our imaginations

NEW PROJECT PAGES

First – and I blush a bit here – there are some detail photos from a few of my own projects, including little cat paw prints that lead from our two real cat's feeding dish to the stenciled cat on the wall, as well as a couple of ideas for bringing 3-D detail into a painted mural. http://www.victorialarsen.com/CarolWallaceunexpecteddetail.html

And wait until you see this version of the plaster tree from Danielle Weinhoffer!  It goes from floor to ceiling in an elegant white on white version that is absolutely lovely. Just goes to show you how spectacular "subtle" can be! http://www.victorialarsen.com/DanielleWienhofferPlasterTree.html

Debbi Rigg has been full of great decorating ideas since she joined us at our Yahoo Wall Stenciling Group (Have you checked that out yet?  Share your ideas and photos, give and receive advice – a great group which should start getting active now that winter is coming! http://groups.yahoo.com/group/wallstenciling/  ) This month she has sent us several of her latest and greatest, from a "jungle" executed in paint to a puppy on a faux stone wall to the neatest idea for measuring a growing child's height that I've seen yet – plus a window where none existed before. http://www.victorialarsen.com/DebiRiggmoremurals.html

And then, meet Joannie Valenti, who has worked with Victoria on custom stencil projects and whose own work has been featured in Better Homes and Gardens and other big time publications. I can't believe how realistic her tennis shoes, stenciled on the floor, look – and there is much more to see here! http://www.victorialarsen.com/JoannieValentiairplanes.html

We all know Fay Forsyth (or Vertafay as she is called in the Stenciling club) – you've probably seen her Ask Fay column in the site, too, She and Victoria's sister, Lynne Low have been up to their elbows in outdoor projects using plaster stencils – from major designs on the house outdoor walls to small fun projects that would make great Christmas gifts. http://www.victorialarsen.com/LynnLowplasteroutdoors.html

Keeping it in the family, here is one of Victoria's own projects – an underwater fantasy complete with hints about how to create a similar effect on your own walls.  http://www.victorialarsen.com/Underwaterfantasy.html  Really unusual and provocative.

Meanwhile, Margaret Marston decided to go for the bold when she redecorated her powder room – and it really makes an impact! Both the color and the design are terrific.  http://www.victorialarsen.com/margaretmarstonbath.html

And wait until you see what Vicki McKenna did with Victoria's farm mural. It just goes to show you that stencils can be used very creatively – beyond just what the designer has given you. http://www.victorialarsen.com/VickiMckennafarmmural.html 

Victoria has added a lot of additional hints to most of these projects to give you even more inspiration. The project pages really are a gold mine of ideas.

STENCILING AND FAUX PAINTING TIPS

One absolutely necessary piece of equipment for me when I stencil is a damp paper towel – a perfect "eraser" if I happen to make a mistake. Liquid acrylics, especially, wipe away without a trace if you get to your errors immediately. For really fine work I have found a damp Q-tip works well.

More error recovery. If something just plain doesn't work for you, stencil over it in white and try again. That way your early errors disappear and you can do it over on a clean slate, utilizing everything you learned from your original mistakes.

White paint is also extremely useful if you suddenly find that you need to stencil a light color over something dark. Stencil the area first with white paint, and then when it is dry, use the colors you really want to employ. Perfect results every time.

Even if you are a fan of liquid acrylics, you really do need stencil creams for some things. Use a gray, gray brown or purplish cream to create shadowing, or the darkest color from your design (or if your darkest color is also a bright, like a red, grey it down by adding either black or its complementary color.) Shadows, if you look at them, are usually these colors, so you get a realistic effect. But the creams are also more translucent than liquids, and so look more realistic. 

The same is true if you want to create the look of sheer fabric or lace. The creams will let the background color show through and look very convincingly sheer. Acrylics will be too opaque and won't give you the look you like – although if you add glazes to them you can make them more transparent. Use at least half glaze to half paint to achieve this effect.

Did you know that you could even use wood stain to stencil with? You need to make extra sure that your brush is nearly dry, because stain can be very thin and runny. But try using a quilt block design to simulate the look of a parquet border on your wooden floors. Any design executed in wood stain will create a parquet effect. But be sure to sand lightly before you begin stenciling, and to seal the design with polyurethane or some other wood sealer when finished, especially if your project is in a high traffic area.  If using polyurethane, make sure to get the non-yellowing kind.

A quickie idea for creating an intriguing finish on small projects (or even walls, if you're careful) is to use an old piece of lace (old lace curtains work well for walls) and spray paint. An airless paint sprayer is good because you don't have to worry about overspray.  If you keep the lace just a wee bit above the surface that you are spraying, you get an amazing 3-dimensional effect. I've used this technique to decorate objects that can be difficult to stencil with regular mylar stencils because of the need for conforming to rounded surfaces – like old vases and pots. The lace is much easier to drape and the effect is beautiful.

You can create different effects depending on how you use your brush. Pouncing the brush creates a bit of texture – useful on something like an animal stencil where you want the fur to look like fur. Swirling can create a smoother look.  You can also control shading by how many times you pounce on an area. Go lightly where you want highlights, and heavily and more often where you want shadows. But you can also try different tools for applying your paint. A stencil roller (rolled on newspaper until it is almost dry) will give you a completely smooth and opaque look quickly.  A make-up sponge or sea sponge can create a highly textured look.

Have you ever considered getting little star stencils and stenciling them on the ceiling with glow-in-the-dark paint? It's a great way to get children to bed almost eagerly – and they won't even want a nightlight or they won't be able to see their sky. Make sure to stencil at least one "constellation" using their initials for them to search for.

Just for fun – try stenciling little tiny surprises in unexpected paces. I stenciled a few ladybugs on window frames and sills and have fun watching people do double takes as they go by.  Or how about a single, small long-stemmed rosebud seemingly tucked behind a switch plate?

If you want an aged look on your stencil, try lightly sanding the finished design to add instant distressing.  Or try adding texture using sand based paint or concrete bonder mixed with sand. Some crafts stores sell a clear texturizing paint which I used on my brick stencil so that it not only looks like, but has the rough feel of real brick. Even more creative – use crackle glaze to give stenciling on old furniture an instant antique look.

I love glazes for my larger stenciling projects. Just a touch added to the paint extends the time I have to work with it, and allows me to blend colors smoothly. I find it especially useful when creating backgrounds, as it helps my sponged paint to go on smoothly – I keep adding glaze and a bit of white to the original color until I have an almost colorless and transparent effect where my horizon line is. Or start in the reverse, adding color to a nearly clear glaze mix with just a hint of blue (for sky). The glaze also helps clouds to have that translucent look.

Do registration marks bother you when your project is done? I always found that pencil was really hard to get off. But then I discovered fabric-marking pens. There is a double-sided one with a purple end and a blue end.  The purple disappears on its own in 48 hours. The blue side removes very easily with a damp cloth should you need to keep those marks visible longer than that.

Did you forget one of your brushes when cleaning up after a project? Instead of throwing it away, try soaking it overnight in Murphy oil soap. It will clean up like a charm.

Make your own wrapping paper this year. Use brown craft paper or rolls of plain white paper and stencil them with your favorite designs. You can then create matching cards easily. Why not stencil your paper to match the décor of the recipient's living room so it will look lovely while sitting under the tree still wrapped.

And don't forget that you can use a stencil and powdered sugar or egg-tempera paint to create designs on your Christmas baked goods. If you're accustomed to plaster stenciling then you may also have luck using those stencils and very creamy icing to create a 3-D design on that special cake.