A silly misunderstanding sparked this play and no matter where inspiration comes from there’s magic in letting yourself creatively wander with ideas.

Ever see something breathtaking and when you try to explain it someone, they just don’t understand what the big deal was? I found myself describing a burst of inspiration, only to be met with confusion—as if I was speaking in polka dots!

So I headed up to the studio, turned on the camera, and started playing. There’s lots for you in the video including:

• Stenciling on transparencies (and the paint will never scratch off for one very simple reason
• Why it was a good thing I couldn’t sew on the line
• What NOT to do when using resin

Using the July StencilClub stencils, I created colorful polka dots on plain old transparencies – the kind you use in a laser printer. You can see more ways to play with these stencils here.

I chose to do speech bubbles using a stencil and this is just one possibility! Circles, squares, diamonds and more!

But I wanted more polka dots and that’s where tissue paper is so handy. A few sheets of colored tissue paper became wonky circles.

When gluing down the tissue paper, I like to use a fluid (or runny) glue. That lets the tissue paper be wonderfully translucent!

If you’re ever feeling stuck or misunderstood in your creative journey, remember: sometimes the best art comes from the moments no one else quite understands. Keep playing, keep wandering, and let your colors speak for you.

Want more positive in your life? Want more creative encouragement? Then join my free weekly newsletter and let’s be a part of each other’s colorful journey!

It started with a feeling of wonder as I stood in an infinity room by Yayoi Kusama at the Speed Art Museum. Surrounded by a sea of mirrored circles, little did I know, those mesmerizing circles would spark the play that became the Spotted Layers stencil set for July’s StencilClub.

What I love most about playing with these stencils is the sheer range of possibilities. You can go for careful precision or let the layers land wherever they may.

Subtle or bold, random or intentional—every combination gives you a different result.

You might be wondering how the black and white spots were done with a stencil. It’s a technique I stumbled into and it’s snap to do.

Inside StencilClub, there’s a members only video where I show you the technique so you can make those shadowed spots. In fact, you can make all the papers in that photo above because there are 6 different techniques in the video. Some are gel prints, some aren’t and they’re all fun to try!

Even the clean-up papers are fun thanks to the spots!

What is StencilClub?

If you’re new to StencilClub, it’s a monthly club from StencilGirlProducts.com where on the 15th of each month you are mailed a set of stencils each month, an exclusive project video by the designing artist, a pdf, and a 25% discount for any stencils in their regular collection. 

Best of all, there is zero commitment. You can cancel anytime. 

StencilClub is only $25 a month in the US and it includes shipping. Each month you get either two 9×12 stencils or one 9×12 stencil and two 6×6 stencils. Membership mean the stencils are cheaper than if you bought them individually, if you could that is since StencilClub designs are only available in StencilClub.

One awesome change they’ve made to StencilClub is that you can swap out designs twice a year. The details about how that works can be found over at StencilGirlProducts.com.

The stencils ship July 15th so be sure to be signed up before then if you’d like to play!

Next week I’ll be sharing how I played with these on transparencies and what I used it for and I can’t wait to see how you play with Spotted Layers!