Ever have trouble covering up a background? That didn’t happen here. Starting with an ugly background makes it easy to cover up. What did I use to cover it up? Stencil masks. They transformed the background that was yuck into colorful creatures. Feel free to chuckle about what my daughter pointed out to me in [...]
Carolyn Dube’s Stencils
Ever have a canvas or a page in your art journal that just stalled out when the mojo just vanished? What can you do when that happens? Give yourself a do over. If there is any part you like, keep that and then cover over whatever you don’t like. That’s what I did to jump start this canvas with white paint. [...]
What can you do when you have the blahs and just feel, well, blah? Make a mess. Just get the art supplies out and do anything. Even making something ugly can help shake off a blah mood. In this video, you’ll see how I made a hot mess of ugly and that it doesn’t matter [...]
Quotes make great wall art, especially when you use a quote that is meaningful to you. What if you could stencil it without having to worry about lining up the letters or keeping the rows straight. That is why I designed this masking stencil, so that it was easy to create any words or phrases, and [...]
The rumors are true! Golden did bring back Cobalt Teal paint and the first thing I wanted to know was, “Is this same as the old Cobalt Teal that I loved?” Since I happened to be hoarding a tube of the old stuff, I did a side-by-side test to see if they were the same in [...]
How do you know if an art journal page is finished? Here’s my perspective on it. It’s a very personal thing because what you create comes from your soul and is unique to you. When you look at it, if it feels finished, then it’s finished. If it doesn’t feel finished, then it isn’t. You get the final say. That also means [...]
Can you stencil using paint without a brush or a cosmetic sponge? Yes! Then what was used to apply the paint? A gel plate! Not only did it make for speedy stenciling, it also gave it a grungy flair. In the video, you’ll see how to use a gel plate as a paint applicator and the exact [...]
Going from the blank canvas to a finished one can feel like the the 12 trials of Hercules, an epic journey. I had a gesso’d canvas, actually a wood panel, fully prepared to tackle the challenges that were waiting as I began playing. The first challenge happened when I started layering some colors and pattern and it looked hideous [...]
What can you do when things go horribly wrong in your art journal? Say O.O.P.S. because that avert-your-eyes-horror on the page is really an Outstanding Opportunity Presenting Suddenly. While working on this page, I drew the ugliest butterfly that was ever drawn in all of history. That might be a bit dramatic but that is what the voice in [...]
Just because spray inks come with a nozzle for spraying, doesn’t mean you can only spray them. They can be used with a paint brush too. In the video you’ll see an OOPS as well as some color mixing. https://youtu.be/LhLEOsQ2oWw Watch Spray Inks Aren’t Just for Spraying on YouTube. Why the word “start”? It is [...]
