How To Use Stencils, Part 1 - Mixed Media Techniques

[@TheJudy1230]

all this time and I never thought to hold down stencil with gloss gel!!! You always have more information then any other artist!!!!

[@SandraDuranWilson]

Thanks Judy.

[@eileengavinlarsen4509]

Thanks for such an informative and inspiring lesson! I've just started dabbling in collage and mixed media and discovered your excellent channel. So much great info here, and I love that you're an "experimental artist" because I am, too! Looking forward to learning more from you!😊

[@SandraDuranWilson]

Hi Eileen Thank you and I am glad we have discovered each other 💞

[@theresawatamaniuk6562]

very interesting... surprized that you can remove dried paint with alcohol...thank you !

[@Noreenechen]

Great tips! I also use the magic combo of paint + soft gel gloss medium to make acrylic skins to use in a painting for texture and interest:)

[@SandraDuranWilson]

Yes we do that too in the online class. Thanks for watching.

[@stephanieanderson438]

Thank you! This is great information!!!

[@SandraDuranWilson]

You are very welcome.

[@maribelrios6562]

Great job!!!

[@SandraDuranWilson]

Thanks

[@dorethyhancock1688]

Thank you, Sandra, for these youtube videos! I've wanted to get started with mixed media but have been spinning my wheels not knowing how to get started. Awaiting arrival of deli sheets from online order (none in my town), so I can put your techniques to use! :)

[@sandraduranwilson6834]

Hi Dorethy and I am glad to have you along for the mixed media adventure. Maybe someday you can take a class.

[@AngelaJonesCreates]

Enjoyed this. Happy to be a new subscriber

[@SandraDuranWilson]

Hi Angie Nice to meet you here and thank you for subscribing.

[@jeannerbeck]

Hi, my sheltering-in is turning into a full-scale art and organizational retreat and I am so enjoying your videos. Informative and helping me appreciate stencils again! Now I need to cut some of my own - how about a video with suggestions for that?!?!

[@SandraDuranWilson]

Hi Jeanne What a great suggestion. I will work on that.

[@jeannerbeck]

@@SandraDuranWilson thanks, there are a ton of premade stencils, but I feel like I want my designs to be personal. I've tried the heated stencil cutters and that was a bust, also was trying to cut with DuraLar (I think that was the name of it) but it was very thin. I liked that large repeating ovid shape stencil you used in the demo and the weight of that material looked like it could hold up to a lot of use. Did you make or buy that one?

[@SandraDuranWilson]

@@jeannerbeck I bought the stencil and I looked for a name on it but didn't see one. Most of my stencils I get from Stencil Girl or Crafters workshop. I find that using a very sharp craft knife works best for cutting my own stencils. I have used Duralar but it is thin. You can buy different weights of Mylar too. I like to use sheet protectors to make my own. I will do a video on cutting stencils. It will not come up for a while but stay tuned for another idea that I have.

[@glendabloom-ackley7611]

Wow- I had no idea isopropyl alcohol would take off acrylic paint!

[@SandraDuranWilson]

It's my super tool!

[@vickihollander6527]

Can you share where the stencils you used came from? the overlapping circles? And when you look for made stencils, what do you look for in gauging what would be most helpful? Size? variation of patterns to have different effects? larger images vs smaller repetitive ones? etc? And what do you use to clean them? dish soap? Thank you so much!

[@SandraDuranWilson]

Hi Vicki-most of my stencils come from Stencil Girl or from TCW and Artist Cellar. I believe the overlapping circles are from Stencil Girl. When I get stencils I look personally for more abstract patterns and shapes. I also like numbers, maps and letters. My friend Jill Berry has some great map stencils that I really like on Artist Cellar. I just go with what I am drawn to. When using acrylic gels or pastes I always clean right away and leave in water until I can scrub. If I am using only paint, I just wipe off most of the paint. I use Citrasolve diluted in water to deep clean and a kitchen scrubber. My stencils get used a lot in workshops and if I was the only one using them I would clean them all immediately after use. It is helpful to keep a pan of water with a few drops of Dawn dish detergent.

[@vickihollander6527]

@@SandraDuranWilson Thank you so so much all this helps! I am so loving your instant workshop I'm in the thick of now...despite feeling a bit klutzy, so exciting and freeing! THANK YOU!!

[@SandraDuranWilson]

@@vickihollander6527 You are so very welcome!

[@SandraDuranWilson]

Thank you for letting me know.

[@ElizabethStHilaire]

wish we could have seen the finished product

[@SandraDuranWilson]

Elizabeth I never did finish that painting, but you have inspired me to do that. It is almost done, so now I will post a link to it as soon as I get it done. I do finish them all now in the subscription. Thanks for the motivation.

[@ElizabethStHilaire]

@@SandraDuranWilson OH I didn't mean the painting, I so totally get the fact that you are just making a background here, I was just really curious to see the soft gel gloss and the teal paint overtop when it dried. :) Thanks for sharing

[@SandraDuranWilson]

I will share that as well.

[@SandraDuranWilson]

You are welcome. The time constraints. It took it a while to dry.

[@ElizabethStHilaire]

@@SandraDuranWilson ill just have to try it.

[@bonnie_nelms]

Thanks for these tips! Can gel or medium be removed from stencil or brushes once it’s dried on? Is there a reason you specifically say 70% alcohol? I usually have 91% on hand because that seems to work much better for everything.

[@SandraDuranWilson]

Thanks for watching. Once gel is dry it is difficult to remove but I have had success with Citrasolv, Murphy's Oil Soap or DecoArt stencil cleaner. I usually use 70% because it is more readily available and it doesn't evaporate as quickly, but 91% will work as well.

[@shh1702]

How did you do the pictures behind you? I love them!!

[@SandraDuranWilson]

Thank you. Check it out on my website to see it finished. I used many layers of stencils and fluid paint. Some collage was also added. The website link is in my bio and look under Mixed Media paintings.

[@shh1702]

I was referting to the green and gold painting behind you not the one you were working on. Do you have a tutorial for that painting?

[@SandraDuranWilson]

@shh1702 that is the one I was referring to also. No, I am sorry. I don't have a tutorial for that one. These pieces evolve over time, and I can't film that process.

[@Georgiacosmahrocks]

❤

[@SandraDuranWilson]

Thank you, and thanks for watching, too.