{"id":276,"date":"2014-06-02T22:17:15","date_gmt":"2014-06-02T22:17:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/graphicdisplayusa.com\/blog\/?p=276"},"modified":"2020-02-11T23:51:55","modified_gmt":"2020-02-11T23:51:55","slug":"stenciled-art-journal-features-gatorfoam-and-fome-cor-board-book-pages","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/3acompositesusa.com\/blog\/stenciled-art-journal-features-gatorfoam-and-fome-cor-board-book-pages\/","title":{"rendered":"Stenciled Art Journal Features Gatorfoam And Fome-Cor Board-Book Pages"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"7a0c94f447fdc46b20b87da6793e5e3a_f445\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Artist Mary Beth Shaw, of Wildwood, Mo., wears any number of professional hats from mixed-media painter to author and nationally recognized workshop instructor. But, she may best be known these days as \u201cStencilGirl\u201d in reference to her role as founder of StencilGirl Products.<\/p>\n

Shaw had hand-cut her own stencils for years for use in creating her artwork. She founded StencilGirl Products<\/a> a stencil design business \u2013 in 2010 in order to offer her workshop students and other art hobbyists the opportunity to incorporate high-quality artist-designed stencils in their mixed-media artwork. Four years later, Shaw\u2019s original offering of six stencil designs has grown to more than 600 that are created by a team of 35 professional artists. StencilGirl stencils are laser-cut from Mylar polyester film in sizes ranging from 4-by-4 inches to 9-by-12 inches and are sold worldwide directly to consumers and through arts-and-crafts retail stores.<\/p>\n

\u201cStencils are an accessible artistic tool because you can create a beautiful pattern without having to draw,\u201d said Shaw. \u201cWe even offer stencils that you can use to draw a face. By using stencils as a template, you can easily create something pretty.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"d4b941f93337c65eae2872ad3581939a_f441\"<\/a>As a mixed-media artist and workshop instructor, Shaw continually experiments to create stenciled artwork with new techniques and media, including decorating Gatorfoam\u00ae and Fome-Cor\u00ae boards as rigid-substrate pages in a new art journal. Shaw\u2019s art journal-making process is documented in the \u201cStencilGirl Mixed Media Sampler Journal\u201d \u2013 a creative workshop on North Light<\/a> DVD. A follow-up to Shaw\u2019s second book entitled \u201cStencil Girl Mixed Media for Making and Using Stencils,\u201d this new DVD provides step-by-step instructions for creating five uniquely layered art journal pages and an embellished wooden cover.<\/p>\n

The journal provides a sort of brag book \u201cto show off your stencil work,\u201d according to Shaw.<\/p>\n

White Fome-Cor board in the 3\/16-inch thickness was utilized to create two journal pages \u2013 one decorated with stencils and PanPastels and the other with paint and dry inclusion techniques that feature stencil designs carved into the Fome-Cor board surface with a stylus. Two additional journal pages were created with white Gatorfoam in the \u00bd-inch thickness \u2013 one decorated with stencils and PanPastels and the other featuring stencils in a magazine collage. A fifth page features stencils and alcohol ink on scratchboard. Wooden covers are embellished with wood-burning techniques and metal.<\/p>\n

\"0f4eeefc51237625ced60b08dedf942d_f446\"<\/a>Shaw cut both the Fome-Cor board and Gatorfoam into 6-by-6-inch square journal pages with a sharp artist\u2019s knife and straight edge. She prepared the surfaces of both the Gatorfoam and Fome-Cor boards with black gesso, including using it to seal the graphic display boards\u2019 exposed foam edges.<\/p>\n

\u201cFome-Cor board is a really cool substrate; it makes really interesting fun pages in the journal,\u201d said Shaw. \u201cYou can do a lot with it that you can\u2019t do with substrates that artists might regularly use \u2013 such as paper, wood or clay board. \u2026 Fome-Cor offers a slick surface and is very lightweight.\u201d<\/p>\n

In one journal page, Shaw chose a fern stencil to carve fern impressions into the Fome-Cor board\u2019s paper surface, followed by paint dropped into the depressed carved areas to create the first layer in this multi-layer piece.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would stick to more dry painting techniques with Fome-Cor board and avoid water colors,\u201d said Shaw. \u201cI would apply straight acrylic paints in thin coats. Fome-Cor also works well with rubber stamp inks.\u201d<\/p>\n

Shaw chose to incorporate \u00bd-inch Gatorfoam pages in the journal to create pages with a board-book look.<\/p>\n

\u201cGatorfoam is really sturdy and thick,\u201d said Shaw. \u201cIt\u2019s cool to create fat board-book looking pages. When you bind the pages together as a book, it creates a really interesting look. Gatorfoam can be used as a stand-alone substrate for other artwork because it doesn\u2019t warp. I like the fact that Gatorfoam is sturdy and rigid but ultra-lightweight compared to wood.\u201d<\/p>\n

Shaw selected Gatorfoam to serve as the rigid-substrate base for one journal page that featured a multi-layered magazine-image collage glued down with gel medium and decorated with stencils.<\/p>\n

\u201cGatorfoam is a more robust substrate,\u201d said Shaw. \u201cIt can tolerate more layers of mixed media.\u201d<\/p>\n

Shaw developed the \u201cStencilGirl Mixed Media Sampler Journal\u201d to encourage art hobbyists to discover new substrates and decorating techniques to use with stencils. In addition to mixed-media artwork, Shaw has used stencils to create everything from embroidery patterns to decorative iced cupcakes.<\/p>\n

\u201cUsing stencils traditionally suggests using paint,\u201d said Shaw. \u201cI want viewers to think beyond the stencil.\u201d<\/p>\n

To view the complete line of StencilGirl stencils, DVDs, books and tutorials, visit www.StencilGirlProducts.com.<\/a> To learn more about Shaw\u2019s mixed-media paintings and workshops, visit www.mbshaw.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

PHOTO CREDITS:<\/p>\n

Images 1-6 \u2013 Photos by Christine Polomsky courtesy of North Light Media<\/p>\n

Image 7 \u2013 Portrait of Mary Beth Shaw by Greg Barth<\/p>\n