I’m so pleased to share that I have designed six new stencils for The Crafter’s Workshop:
Stencil links if you wish to buy them:
- TCW956: Viney Flowers 12×12: https://shrsl.com/3clb8 6×6: http://shrsl.com/3clbe
- TCW957: Quartered Blocked 12×12: http://shrsl.com/3clbg 6×6: http://shrsl.com/3clbh
- TCW958: Splash Whoosh 12×12: http://shrsl.com/3clbj 6×6: http://shrsl.com/3clbm
- TCW959: Rainbow Branch Circle 12×12: http://shrsl.com/3clbq 6×6: http://shrsl.com/3clbu
- TCW960: Cosmic Music 12×12: http://shrsl.com/3clbw 6×6: http://shrsl.com/3clc2
- TCW961: Basketweave 12×12: http://shrsl.com/3clc5 6×6: http://shrsl.com/3clc9
I put together a short unboxing video where I show off each of the designs and chat a little bit about my inspiration for each one and how I think I’m going to use it.
Over the next few weeks, I’ll be sharing some videos and projects using these stencils. I’d also love to know your thoughts on stencils in general. Do you use them? Do you not use them? Are there certain designs you keep coming back to? Do you have stencil questions? Let me know!
Ideas to Note
Here are some art ideas – some about designing stencils and some about choosing stencils to use – that I hope you take away from this video:
- Ideas can come from anywhere. A door, a sketchbook exercise, a doodle, a failed design, or a familiar pattern can all become the starting point for something new.
- You don’t have to copy your source literally. Inspiration can be transformed. The door didn’t become a drawing of a door; its intersecting structure became a geometric stencil design.
- Pay attention to what you keep drawing. Repeated motifs in your sketchbook can be clues to your own visual language.
- Combining recurring motifs can lead to stronger work. The rainbow shapes and dotted stalks became more interesting when they were brought together into one design.
- Serendipity is part of the creative process. A design that isn’t working can change completely because of one accidental rotation, overlap, or rearrangement.
- When something isn’t working, manipulate it before abandoning it. Rotate it, crop it, repeat it, enlarge it, or combine it with something else. Sometimes the solution is already there.
- A good design can work at multiple scales. Seeing the same stencil at 6 x 6 and 12 x 12 changes the rhythm and gives you different ways to use the same visual vocabulary.
- Scale creates rhythm. Repeating similar imagery in large and small versions gives you variation without losing cohesion.
- A stencil can function as a complete composition or as raw material. You might use the entire design intact, or isolate small sections and let them become individual marks within a larger artwork.
- Learn the difference between a stencil and a mask. A stencil lets media pass through openings; a mask protects an area and leaves the surrounding space exposed. Understanding that difference expands what you can do with both.
- Delicate and bold marks need each other. Fine, lacy protrusions and heavier shapes create contrast and prevent a composition from feeling visually monotonous.
- Not every design needs to be novel. A classic basket weave can be incredibly useful. Familiar structures can become dependable “workhorse” elements in an art practice.
- Useful designs often have flexibility built into them. A strong stencil can work for printing, collage, card making, backgrounds, focal points, or small fragments.
- Think about how a tool will function in your actual practice. Designing or choosing materials based on how you really work—gel printing, collage, black-and-white papers, layering—makes them much more valuable.
- Your best tools often become part of your visual vocabulary. Repeatedly using certain stripes, shapes, textures, or motifs helps create continuity across a body of work.
The larger lesson, I think, is that developing your artistic voice is often less about inventing something completely new and more about noticing what keeps attracting you, transforming those influences, and finding new ways to repeat, combine, and vary them.
Thanks for stopping by!
Blog Posts in This Series:
- Six New Stencil Designs from Balzer Designs: Unboxing Video (this post)
- How to Stencil: Stenciling with Ink Pads on the Gelatin Plate!
- How to Stencil: Some Tips on Using a Stencil Brush
- How to Stencil: Making Ghost Prints with Stencils on a Gel Plate
- How to Stencil: Stamping Through a Stencil
- How to Use Spray Ink with Stencils: Get Two Prints from One Spray
- How to Stencil: Stamping with a Stencil
Love these! Oh a shopping I will go to the lss!
Love these! Oh a shopping I will go to the lss!
Love these! Oh a shopping I will go to the lss!
Love these! Oh a shopping I will go to the lss!
Love these! Oh a shopping I will go to the lss!
Love these! Oh a shopping I will go to the lss!
Love these! Oh a shopping I will go to the lss!
I think Splash Whoosh made an appearance in our Member Livestream – but I could be mistaken. I really like that one and Rainbow Circle Branch.
To answer your questions: I own a bunch of stencils, but, I’m always a little disappointed with the end result. It’s never quite as crisp as I hope. I did recently switch from make-up sponges to actual stencil brushes – but the first time was a complete fail because I was still dabbing. The second time was a little better, but still…not perfect. Needless to say: I need to practice more.
The TLDR: I like stencils but wish I was better at stenciling.
I think Splash Whoosh made an appearance in our Member Livestream – but I could be mistaken. I really like that one and Rainbow Circle Branch.
To answer your questions: I own a bunch of stencils, but, I’m always a little disappointed with the end result. It’s never quite as crisp as I hope. I did recently switch from make-up sponges to actual stencil brushes – but the first time was a complete fail because I was still dabbing. The second time was a little better, but still…not perfect. Needless to say: I need to practice more.
The TLDR: I like stencils but wish I was better at stenciling.
I think Splash Whoosh made an appearance in our Member Livestream – but I could be mistaken. I really like that one and Rainbow Circle Branch.
To answer your questions: I own a bunch of stencils, but, I’m always a little disappointed with the end result. It’s never quite as crisp as I hope. I did recently switch from make-up sponges to actual stencil brushes – but the first time was a complete fail because I was still dabbing. The second time was a little better, but still…not perfect. Needless to say: I need to practice more.
The TLDR: I like stencils but wish I was better at stenciling.
I think Splash Whoosh made an appearance in our Member Livestream – but I could be mistaken. I really like that one and Rainbow Circle Branch.
To answer your questions: I own a bunch of stencils, but, I’m always a little disappointed with the end result. It’s never quite as crisp as I hope. I did recently switch from make-up sponges to actual stencil brushes – but the first time was a complete fail because I was still dabbing. The second time was a little better, but still…not perfect. Needless to say: I need to practice more.
The TLDR: I like stencils but wish I was better at stenciling.
I think Splash Whoosh made an appearance in our Member Livestream – but I could be mistaken. I really like that one and Rainbow Circle Branch.
To answer your questions: I own a bunch of stencils, but, I’m always a little disappointed with the end result. It’s never quite as crisp as I hope. I did recently switch from make-up sponges to actual stencil brushes – but the first time was a complete fail because I was still dabbing. The second time was a little better, but still…not perfect. Needless to say: I need to practice more.
The TLDR: I like stencils but wish I was better at stenciling.
I think Splash Whoosh made an appearance in our Member Livestream – but I could be mistaken. I really like that one and Rainbow Circle Branch.
To answer your questions: I own a bunch of stencils, but, I’m always a little disappointed with the end result. It’s never quite as crisp as I hope. I did recently switch from make-up sponges to actual stencil brushes – but the first time was a complete fail because I was still dabbing. The second time was a little better, but still…not perfect. Needless to say: I need to practice more.
The TLDR: I like stencils but wish I was better at stenciling.
I think Splash Whoosh made an appearance in our Member Livestream – but I could be mistaken. I really like that one and Rainbow Circle Branch.
To answer your questions: I own a bunch of stencils, but, I’m always a little disappointed with the end result. It’s never quite as crisp as I hope. I did recently switch from make-up sponges to actual stencil brushes – but the first time was a complete fail because I was still dabbing. The second time was a little better, but still…not perfect. Needless to say: I need to practice more.
The TLDR: I like stencils but wish I was better at stenciling.
Less paint is key! Also thicker paint! Try using stamp pads too. They give neater results.
yay!
Less paint is key! Also thicker paint! Try using stamp pads too. They give neater results.
yay!
Less paint is key! Also thicker paint! Try using stamp pads too. They give neater results.
yay!
Less paint is key! Also thicker paint! Try using stamp pads too. They give neater results.
yay!
Less paint is key! Also thicker paint! Try using stamp pads too. They give neater results.
yay!
Less paint is key! Also thicker paint! Try using stamp pads too. They give neater results.
yay!
Less paint is key! Also thicker paint! Try using stamp pads too. They give neater results.
yay!
I love these stencils also. I agree that they will be very useful to people. I am just now working through your gelli plate class and am at the stencil module. I’m practicing the right amount of paint for the print I want to see as an end result. Love the practice. And I seem to get paint all over my hands, well maybe not ALL over but am managing to not get on my clothes.
I will be using stencils with my gelli plate going forward. I want stencils that I can make my own.I mean make the end result my own.
I love these stencils also. I agree that they will be very useful to people. I am just now working through your gelli plate class and am at the stencil module. I’m practicing the right amount of paint for the print I want to see as an end result. Love the practice. And I seem to get paint all over my hands, well maybe not ALL over but am managing to not get on my clothes.
I will be using stencils with my gelli plate going forward. I want stencils that I can make my own.I mean make the end result my own.
I love these stencils also. I agree that they will be very useful to people. I am just now working through your gelli plate class and am at the stencil module. I’m practicing the right amount of paint for the print I want to see as an end result. Love the practice. And I seem to get paint all over my hands, well maybe not ALL over but am managing to not get on my clothes.
I will be using stencils with my gelli plate going forward. I want stencils that I can make my own.I mean make the end result my own.
I love these stencils also. I agree that they will be very useful to people. I am just now working through your gelli plate class and am at the stencil module. I’m practicing the right amount of paint for the print I want to see as an end result. Love the practice. And I seem to get paint all over my hands, well maybe not ALL over but am managing to not get on my clothes.
I will be using stencils with my gelli plate going forward. I want stencils that I can make my own.I mean make the end result my own.
I love these stencils also. I agree that they will be very useful to people. I am just now working through your gelli plate class and am at the stencil module. I’m practicing the right amount of paint for the print I want to see as an end result. Love the practice. And I seem to get paint all over my hands, well maybe not ALL over but am managing to not get on my clothes.
I will be using stencils with my gelli plate going forward. I want stencils that I can make my own.I mean make the end result my own.
I love these stencils also. I agree that they will be very useful to people. I am just now working through your gelli plate class and am at the stencil module. I’m practicing the right amount of paint for the print I want to see as an end result. Love the practice. And I seem to get paint all over my hands, well maybe not ALL over but am managing to not get on my clothes.
I will be using stencils with my gelli plate going forward. I want stencils that I can make my own.I mean make the end result my own.
I love these stencils also. I agree that they will be very useful to people. I am just now working through your gelli plate class and am at the stencil module. I’m practicing the right amount of paint for the print I want to see as an end result. Love the practice. And I seem to get paint all over my hands, well maybe not ALL over but am managing to not get on my clothes.
I will be using stencils with my gelli plate going forward. I want stencils that I can make my own.I mean make the end result my own.
I am always covered in paint when gelatin printing! I cant seem to stay clean!
I am always covered in paint when gelatin printing! I cant seem to stay clean!
I am always covered in paint when gelatin printing! I cant seem to stay clean!
I am always covered in paint when gelatin printing! I cant seem to stay clean!
I am always covered in paint when gelatin printing! I cant seem to stay clean!
I am always covered in paint when gelatin printing! I cant seem to stay clean!
I am always covered in paint when gelatin printing! I cant seem to stay clean!
Nice ones!
Nice ones!
Nice ones!
Nice ones!
Nice ones!
Nice ones!
Nice ones!