Thursday, April 4, 2013

Thursday's Dream Schemes: A Tutorial on Picasso, a Stencil Shield Extraordinaire


This month's challenge is all about clouds, showers and mists! You can take that literally or go a lot of different directions with it. Can't wait to see what people come up with...it's fun to see the way this creative group of followers interpret the monthly challenges. So link your card below on our Dream it UP link ...we will be choosing a random winner and it could be YOU! If you don't have a blog you are more than welcome to email me your creation and I will post it for you. lynell@dreamweaverstencils.com

Today I was given a challenge by Pam Hornschu, our fearless leader. She said that one of our facebook followers would like to know how to use the Picasso tool, which is a stencil shield (LL332). Stencilers have been using stencil shields in many different shapes and forms from the very onset of stenciling. I created the "picasso" shield when Karyn Busby and her sister Lori Bodnar traveled with me many years ago and they asked for a metal shield that would be long lasting for small stencils. Thank you ladies for the inspiration! So here is how I created my Clouds...Showers...Mists creation:


Sometimes I use "picasso" (LL332) to make clouds and when I do, I begin by taping out the holes so I don't stencil them onto my sky. I am very simply using removable tape (RMT). This tape happens to be my favorite, but painter's tape or drafting tape will work as well.







Load a large stencil brush (NHB 3/4") with blue pigment ink.



Offload the excess ink and work it out across a piece of scrap paper, so it is evenly loaded up inside the bristles as well as on the tips.


 Stencil the ink gently off the cloud edge of Picasso.



Now to use picasso as a shield...

I taped the palm tree stencil (LL379) onto the right side of the cloudy paper. And so that I don't have to use tape over and over as I work ...I use "picasso" to shield the green ink from getting onto the tree trunks as I stencil the palm fronds. This makes work go much more quickly! See how it is positioned onto the right side of the palms?




Please note the small red circle. If I were to try and stencil this small tip of the palm frond without a shield, my tree trunk may end up green. So I will take a small raindrop size hole from the shield and place it over this area and it will isolate the color.






Here is a picture of the small raindrop shaped hole in the stencil shield and it is now isolating the tip of that palm frond. You are now ready to stencil the green ink into that palm frond.










Later as I am stenciling brown ink into the tree trunk holes I place the shield on the right side of my work, thus covering the green frond that I just stenciled in the above step to avoid getting brown on the green this time around. This back and forth process becomes second nature as you move from one color to the next in the stenciling process.



On the opposite side of the shield from the rounded cloud area that I first showed you are some sharp tips. I am placing one of these tips at the base of the tree trunks and moving up the tree to create a palm bark. As you get better and better with the tool you will find the curves and holes are definitely the stenciler's friend.  I hope this tool will bring you as much creative satisfaction as it has me!





   

 To finish the card I stenciled the rain words stencil (LL738) using dark gray pigment ink.











I then paste-embossed the raindrops background stencil (LJ905) using the Dreamweaver Translucent Embossing Paste (DEPT). I taped out a portion of the raindrops so just about half of them showed up on the finished work. The paste spreader (LM2010) is especially wonderful for large background stencils like this...just one sweep across (maybe go back the opposite direction as well) and you are good to go.


Here is a picture of the raindrops all milky and white before they dry. Take a look at the finshed card at the top of this post to see how wonderfully clear they look when they're dry, also one last detail that I added to sharpen the image just a bit...I used a 005 Sakura Micron pen (30081) and outlined the palm tree stencil (LL379), this is also seen more clearly in the finished card above.

Thank you for joining me in this tutorial on the stenciler's friend...picasso! This tool will do other things as well, if you want to know more about a stencil shield read my two books and view any of my DVDs. Find them HERE or at your local stamp stores.

I am hoping you will have time to visit the new Dream Team's creations today, including our special guest designer, Alison Heikkila! Follow the list to see what they are creating for this month's challenge:






17 comments:

Pam Hornschu said...

Great tutorial, Lynell, for a great tool. Love your CAS card as well.

Anonymous said...

Fantastic tutorial!

Laura Drahozal said...

I love what you do to make those clouds! Leave it to the queen of stencilling to combine stencils I would have never thought could go together. This is so cute!

Alison said...

Lynell, this is a lovely card! I love the effect of the translucent embossing paste. I have had that Picasso tool on my radar...I will need to add it to my collection soon! Thank you SO much for having me as a guest this month!

Cherylynn said...

Great tutorial on how to use Picasso. I love that tool!

And, as always, your card is fantastic. Its no wonder you are the Queen of Stencils!

Caroline D. said...

Gorgeous card!! Makes me want to be at the beach... even in the rain! The Picasso Tool tutorial is great... looks like a super handy tool!

Charmaine Stack said...

Thank you for such a wonderful, clear tutorial on my newest gadget, the Picasso Shield. Your card is amazing and I can see how the shield would make that careful masking much easier. The bark and the leaf parts were so useful to show what is possible!

~Heidi~ said...

Thank you for such a helpful tutorial. I like the idea of adding the layers to the palm trees with the pointed edge of the picasso tool. This is a very beautiful card!

Louise said...

Great tutorial and I love how the card turned out!

Anonymous said...

Thank you Lynell for reminding me about Picasso. I forget about this great tool. Excellent tutorial and photos! Not to mention, I love the card.

JD/ Jill said...

Beautiful card, and a great tutorial. I have the Picasso tool, and the translucent paste, and wasn't quite sure how to use it...tfs.

Jade said...

I wondered what the Picasso tool was for! Thank you for the tutorial.

Robyn said...

great tutorial- now I want one!

CraftyJo said...

I'd never even heard of that tool - thanks for the great explanation :)

Jan Castle said...

Your raindrops on this card are amazing...Love it!
Paper Hugs,
Jan

Anonymous said...

awesome clouds! and tips!

Unknown said...

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