Make 2016 Colorful Using Calendar Tools

The play started with a reverse stencil print that I made while Gelli® printing with my Blueprints stencil. I keep a stack of papers in my studio so that any time I need a place to start, I’ve got it!

How did I make this particular print? When I am using stencils on the Gelli Plate® there is usually lots of paint on the backside of the stencil. To clean off the stencil and not waste a drop of paint, I grab a piece of dictionary paper to make a quick print.  Once it is dry, it gets added to the stack of prints for future use.

To represent in the element of time, I used my Never Ending Calendar stencil from StencilGirl.  Bits and pieces of both sizes were used to fill in the shapes by picking numbers and months that had special meaning and significance for me.  Cosmetic sponges cut easily with scissors so I trim them down making them small enough that I didn’t have to mask anything off when stenciling only certain numbers or words.

As tempted as I was to leave the monochromatic look of black and white, color won out in the end.  Since I’m using a stencil, I was able to take a short cut to make it easy to add the color.  I put the stencil right back on top of it so that it masked off, or protected, the black areas.

With the lines protected, it took no time at all to use a cosmetic sponge and some acrylic paints to get the rainbow involved.  Life is colorful and I wouldn’t have it any other way.