Stencilled Mini Journal

 Hello everyone, you might remember that in my last post I showed how to use a chipboard element as a stencil.  So today I thought I would make a mini art journal and use some of the stencilled prints to decorate it.

To make the small journal, I am using the chipboard set called Altoids Book Cover C2F and some of the stencilled paper from my previous chipboard printing session.  In addition to the gel printing, I also used the chipboard stencil in two other ways - firstly with ink and a sponge:



Then with texture paste:

So I ended up with these prints in addition to my gel prints:

I cut down the top print down to fit both sides of the book cover leaving a little extra on the side.



I used PVA glue to adhere the pieces to my cover leaving a small gap in between so that my journal would lay flat and also close properly.



Here's how it looks on the outside with the paper overlapped on the spine.



For the inside, I repeated the process using a piece of watercolour paper already painted.



Then I took the texture paste print and cut a piece to fit on the spine with a little extra to wrap around to the front cover to make it more interesting.



Position the shaped side where you want it to be and glue that down first.  Once that is dry, glue the rest to the spine making sure that you can open and close the book.



I used wax to colour the edges of the book, but paint would also work.

I used watercolour paper (9.5 x 12.5 inch size) to cut 6 x 4 3/8 inch pages that I folded in half.



I cut 14 pages in total to make 7 signatures.  There are a number of ways to assemble the inside of the journal.  The signatures could be stitched together, or they could be held firmly in position as in the photo below and glued together, then glued to the spine.



But, since I wanted my pages to be removable, I used elastic cords to hold my pages in place. 



For this size book, these hair elastics are the perfect size!



Slide the pages through the elastics and the mini journal is ready to use!



The pages can be removed to work in them and returned to the journal when finished.



To finish off my journal I added another hair elastic to hold it closed and attached a tassel leftover from another project.

 It's a nice size to carry around or pop in a handbag or a pocket.  The pages are 6 x 4 3/8 inches and the journal will take at least 14 removable pages to work in. 

 I hope you liked this little tutorial, let me know in the comments!

Elle
Empire of the Cat

Project Recipe:

Altoids Book Cover C2F
PE126ES Seaweed Circle *coming soon*
PE129ES Oceanic *coming soon*
acrylic paints, texture paste, PVA, 
From stash: pre-painted watercolour paper, hair elastics, pre-made tassel, 

Monoprinting with Chipboard Stencils

Hello everyone, today I have something a little different for you - a technique tutorial which does not result in a finished project, at least not yet!  This post is all about using your chipboards for stencilling and in particular, using them with gel plates to make lovely backgrounds.  The two chipboards I am using are below.

I often use homemade stencils made from cardstock and they last a surprisingly long time.  Here's an example of some of my homemade stencils which have been made using cardstock and cut using dies and have been in use for well over a year!  

Using Chipboards as Stencils

So for this post, I thought I would show how you can also use your chipboards for stencilling and how to prepare them to last a bit longer and give them some protection.  I am using these two chipboards which have been designed to use as stencils.  Here they are out of the packaging and there are two in each package, so I put one of each away to use later.

Preparation

Before getting started, I gave them both a quick wipe with some paper towel to remove any soot leftover from the laser cutting.



The chipboards will work as stencils just as they are but to make them last a bit longer and stop them absorbing paint etc, I like to give them a good coat of matte medium on both sides.



Apply the matte medium on one side, then leave to dry (or if you are impatient like me, dry them with a hairdryer) before repeating the process on the other side.



For this tutorial, you will need a gel plate, any size will do.  I will be using this rectangular one:

Example One - using acrylic paint

Using acrylic paint and a brayer, apply some paint to the gel plate, making sure to keep it light and even and smooth, then place the chipboard stencil on top.



Place a piece of paper over the top and use the brayer to burnish over the entire top of the gel plate.  My brayer happens to have paint on it still since I don't really clean it but if you want, you can clean off your brayer on some scrap paper first.  You can also just use your hands to do the same thing.

Carefully peel off the paper and your design will be printed on the right side of the paper.

Now carefully lift the stencil to reveal the pattern left behind on the plate.



At this point, a print is also possible just the paint left on the plate, which will result in the print on the right.  There is still paint left on the plate which can be left on there for the next print.

Example Two - water soluble crayons

Next option is to use water soluble crayons to create a watercolour background.  Dip the end of your crayon in some water and then use it to scribble over the surface of the gel plate. The water activates the crayon and will result in something similar to this:



Place some printer paper on top and burnish with the brayer or your hands, same as before and voilà, a nice watercolour background.



Next, apply a layer of acrylic paint on the plate, and then add the stencil on top and burnish that as well.



Next take your "watercolour" background and apply it on top of the stencil and burnish.  Carefully peel off the paper to see what has been created!



Another masterpiece!   Each print is one of a kind and you never know exactly what you will get which is part of the fun!

Bonus Example! Using the chipboard negatives for printing

Here is a lovely Leafy Swirl chipboard which I will use in a future project but in this example I am going to use the negative piece for a quick print.  As this is a waste piece, I have not prepared it like the first two examples, so this is just the unaltered chipboard.



This time I am using two different colours of acrylic paint - magenta and gold.  


 
Brayer the paint until it is blended smoothly and covers the whole gel plate.



Place the negative chipboard piece on top of the plate and burnish it firmly onto the plate.  Carefully remove it to reveal this lovely pattern underneath.



Carefully cover the plate with another layer of paint - I used gold - then pull another print using some printer paper as before, burnishing on top.



When you pull the print, it will reveal the lovely design of the negative piece with the background colour (gold) behind it.

So now I have a lovely background printed and ready to use with the positive chipboard piece if desired.



Here are all the prints I made using these chipboard stencils.  



Warning - monoprinting can be addictive! 



For these examples I used regular printer paper, which I like to use for collage, but you can use many different types of paper including deli paper, Bristol paper, cardstock etc. 

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial and that you will try this out for yourself.

Till next time

Elle
Empire of the Cat

Ingredients:

gel plate, acrylic paint, neocolour II crayons, brayer, printer paper
PE126ES Seaweed Circles *coming soon*
PE129ES Oceanic *coming soon*
Leafy Swirl C7G

The Journey is the Destination - Mixed Media Card

Hello again friends!

It's Elle again with another fun project using some cool chipboard elements to make a card suitable for many occasions or for any gearheads out there!

 

LET'S GET STARTED - TRUCK PAINT JOB

Firstly, give the edges a wipe down with a slightly damp cloth or paper to remove the residue left by laser cutting. Then paint the chipboards with a layer of white gesso followed by a layer of blue acrylic paint.  For this rusty truck effect, I am using two different paint colours - blue and jade.

After the paint was dry, I added the metallic paint using a sponging technique, except I used a paper towel, which works just as well.

Keep adding more paint until you are happy with the effect - make sure you let all the layers dry in between applications!

THE BACKGROUND

For the background, I selected some gelli printed backgrounds I made last September.  This technique creates a peeled paint/weathered wood effect and you can read more about that technique on my blog as it's not covered in this tutorial, but if you have a gel plate you might want to try it out as it creates a very cool effect and it's really fun to do!  At the time, I made nearly 20 of these backgrounds using this technique!

I pulled together all the bits and pieces I wanted to use on the card to see how they would work together and snapped a photo of it for reference later!

BACKGROUND DETAILING

Then I cut the card down to size - 8.5 x 5.5 inches - and covered it with transparent gesso

Once the gesso was dry (only a few minutes) I added some paint splatters and brush-strokes around the edges just for some extra interest and texture.

Using a blending brush, I inked the edges with some Vintage Photo Distress Ink to make it look a little more vintage.

I added some random stamping in the lighter areas using some light grey Archival Ink

I selected a co-ordinating cardstock for the card base and adhere the background to it.

TRUCK DETAILING

Before adding the truck to the card, I decided to add a layer of cardstock underneath the chipboard to show through the cutouts, and to add some clear acetate for the windows using some old packaging.

This particular bit of acetate has a small crack in it and I like how it looks like the truck has a crack in the windscreen!  I also painted the windows with some diluted fluid acrylic paint to tint them a little.

TRUCK CARD ASSEMBLY LINE

Time to assemble the card - refer back to the reference photo if needed - and adhere all the elements in place on the card front.  I added some touches of colour on the girl and woman's hair and shoes and stockings, added some ephemera snippets and word stickers and a stamped quote to the centre of the gear frame and the card was complete!

Here's a couple of close ups so you can better see the rusty effect

Till next time,


Elle
Empire of the Cat

PROJECT RECIPE:

GSL Cuts - Truck 1 C25C,Chain and Gears Frame D20H
Tim Holtz baseboard dolls, word stickers, Distress Markers, Distress Ink, Snippets, Stuff 2 Say Stamp set CMS110
Finnabair - Azure, Jade acrylic paint, Sepia, Turquoise liquid acrylic, White Gesso, Transparent Gesso
Jane Davenport - Copper metallic acrylic
Archival Ink - Watering Can
Gina K cardstock
Nuvo Deluxe Adhesive
From Stash: gel printed backgrounds, acetate from cake box, blending brush