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I Loved this Background and Didn’t Want to Cover it Up!

Ever have a background that you love and when it comes time to cover some of it up, you don’t want to?  That’s what happened to me but I found a way around it by using a butterfly stencil-mask and some white paint.

You’ll also see a new gizmo that I used to stencil the words with little letters. Yes, the letters are filled in with little letters!

Watch How I dealt with a background I loved and didn’t want to cover up on YouTube.

This is the background at the start of today’s play. You can see how this was created here.  This background was a blast to create with the paint splatters and I didn’t want to cover it up.  But I had an idea for this page that would involving covering up at least part of it.

Using a mask and white paint isolated parts of  the background creating the color and pattern in the butterflies.  When stenciling with a mask, if you pull the paint away from the mask as you apply it, you are less likely to get any paint under it.  That will give you a crisper image.  You can see it in action in the video.

The butterfly masks come as a part of my Butterfly Journeys stencil set.

There was a part of my brain that was a bit freaked out by the white paint covering up the background.  After all, what if I don’t like it? I can never ever ever get that white paint off and go back to the background I loved.

A bit of high drama happening in my head.  But if I don’t like it, you know what I’ll say. OOPS.  And the absolute worst case scenario is that I have to splatter more paint and make another.  Twist my arm!

As much as I loved this background, it needed to be covered up.

The layers underneath began still peeked through a touch, a compromise to the voice in my head. That voice also would not agree that the white turned the butterflies into magic.

To create the title, the stenciling was done with a non-traditional tool, an identity protection roller stamp and the Jumbo Vintage Typewriter stencil.  I just love that was pre inks and rolled little letters and gibberish text. There’s a link at the bottom of the post if you’d like to more about this gizmo.

Since it rolled and was little it was a snap to get into the stenciled areas of the letters. When you try this, just be aware that you do need a more open stencil or a large pattern so that the stamp can get in there to make contact with the paper.

Outlining the letters and butterflies gave the page the finishing touch it needed.

Here are the supplies used. Some of these links are affiliate links which means I get a small percentage. It doesn’t cost you anything extra and it helps keep the free tutorials coming!

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  • Kathyk July 20, 2018, 3:51 am

    What a terrific idea to use one of those ID protection stamps on your stencil – I love It AND your page!

    Kathyk

  • Erika Schneider July 21, 2018, 2:21 am

    I love how you turned the page into a party of colourful butterflies and you also gave me an idea how to use my roller stamps. 🙂

    As for the naming of your jumbo journal (which I adore by the way) I have a suggestion: THE M.A.S.H.

    Mash can stand for:
    Mega / marvellous / majestic
    All-access
    Stress
    Hideout

    or whatever words you fancy or need to hear on a particular day.

  • Cherie July 21, 2018, 3:48 am

    Wonderful video! Whenever I have a background that I just love, but still want to keep working on, I take a scan of it to print copies for other pages or use digitally. My own “sparks of artspiration”! 🙂

  • Amanda J Read July 21, 2018, 8:06 am

    Hi Carolyn……….another lovely day filled with colour. Your completion of this amazing background was stunning. I thought you might do this but in black. This white looks so bright and beautiful. Making the butterflys appear as if emerging from a magnificent mist………just like their true emergence. For myself im the caterpillar as I don’t like flying 🙂
    The use of masks without tape to adhere them to the picture is new to me and I struggle as to where my hand should be for the best coverage. I think more practice is needed.
    I think its about time the designers of pens should produce pens that we can use with enjoyment instead of trepidation. I have ruined a few pens this year and keep forgetting until its too late. I do find even the bigger poscas struggle for random fun use.
    I think the finished piece is a fitting end for such a wonderful old book.

    The roller security stamp is a good idea, ive not seen these before but have a simple downward stamp one with the same crazy letter supply. I have more ideas now after watching this.

    Kindness and Respect , Mandy x

  • Corrine July 22, 2018, 7:43 pm

    Cool little gadget from Amazon there that you used. I like that white paint because it brings that beautiful background shining through those butterflies. Nicely done. xox