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There’s an easy way to add the color to these Sketchy Women so that it’s loose and free. As a bonus, it uses very little paint too! Along with the how in the video, I’m also sharing several ways I used the women in my play.

Creating crisp stenciled images i

  1. Use a small amount of paint. In the video, you see me dab off the cosmetic sponge so that I only have a small amount of paint on there.
  2. Pounce straight up and down.
  3. Use a thick paint like a heavy body paint. All the supplies I’ve used are linked up at the end of this blog post for you.

To add the color, I squeegeed it on using a tool called a mini blade which is flat and made of silicone (so easy clean up). The mini blade is bigger than many of the spaces so that’s why I only put small bits of paint on it. But there’s another reason why having a larger tool than “needed” is helpful.

It’s tough to get into every little space, let alone precisely when working with a tool that is “too big” for the space. That creates the loose look!

***Don’t have a mini blade? Substitute with whatever you’ve got, such as an old gift card or hotel keycard cut in half lengthwise.

What colors you use can quickly change the vibe of the women. By using red and green, they’re not ready for the holidays.

Once you’ve stenciled the women, what can you do with them? Use them in any of your play from art journals to cards to collages! Below is a quick collage card made using leftover bits from my scrap piles.

Here’s a quick art journal page using one of the women as the focal image. The title word was also created with a stencil using a reverse stenciling technique. I’ve made a video on that’s done- you can check it out here.

Creating these women uses very little paint and they’re quick to make so it’s easy to get a pile of them. One perk of having a bunch of something is that you might see something unexpected. At 8:38 in the video, you’ll see what I saw…

Stencils are one of those versatile art supplies that can’t be used up and they play with just about every art supply you already have! What you’ve seen here is just one technique of, for all practical purposes, unlimited techniques you can do with stencils. If you want more ways to use your stencils while deepening your understanding, then check out my online workshop, Joy of Stenciling Workshop.

Here are the supplies used. Some of these links may be affiliate links which means I may get a small percentage and it doesn’t cost you anything extra! And you get a really good feeling knowing that you are helping keep the free tutorials coming!

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It almost sounds too good to be true, but The Art Bundle for Good really is $5400 worth of art classes for $99. That’s more than 90% off! Actually closer to 98% off. But I’m getting ahead of myself because you might be wondering what is the Art Bundle for Good?

It’s over 100 art courses and resources on topics like watercolor painting, art journaling, gel printing, sketching, mixed media, drawing, abstract art, acrylic painting, collage, pastel pencils, colored pencils, creativity and much more all bundled together for one low price.

That’s the bundle part, what about the good?

25% of the Art Bundles for Good goes to support Courageous Kitchen, a Bangkok-based charity helping refugees. Art Bundle for Good has raised $118,950 for charity so far. That’s the good in its name. This is the 8th year that John Bardos has been bringing together a wide range of artists for this bundle.

So what all is in this bundle?

You can see everything included here. Over 85 artists contributed more than 100 classes! One of my gel printing workshops, Playing with Found Patterns, is included. When that workshop opens back up, the cost of just that one single workshop will be $79. Right now, this bundle is the only way to join that workshop.

The wildest part of this deal is that there is a 30 day money back guarantee- it’s right on the Art Bundle for Good website:

“If you are not 100% satisfied with the Art Bundles for Good, please email me (John Bardos) within 30 days for a full refund. I just ask that you take 2 weeks to try a few of the courses and resources in this massive Art Bundle. Is that fair?”

I’d say that’s more than fair John! You can see all the details about the bundle and get registered at

But you might want to hurry because this bundle goes away forever on Monday, Nov. 6th, 2023 at 11:59pm ET!

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There are 7 practical reasons why I gel print with stencils. These are in no particular order, except my #1 reason. It might be a bit controversial as a practical reason, but it is the most important thing I get from gel printing.

7. Speed! Using a gel plate is the fastest way have ever used to stencil and that makes the impatient parts of me very very happy! When I’m working with a detailed stencil and a heavier paper, like cardstock, I use my fingertips to make sure that the entire pattern is picked up. You can see this in action in the video above at about the 0:50 second mark.

6. Get a variety looks from one stencil which means getting more value out of every single stencil. Both of these prints were made with the same stencil, Once Upon a Time. In the video above you saw how to create the blue print and in Stencil-rific Layers, you can see the multi color print made step-by-step.

5. Gel plates capture all the details of a stencil to show up in the print, even when you’ve got a detailed stencil such as Words to Live By. Then you can layer details using a stencil to take a print to the next level just like the hint of black on the print on the right does below. How that subtle touch was added to this print is inside Stencil-rific Layers for you.

As a side note, these practical reasons overlap. This print was both speedy and detailed.

4. Use every drop of paint can be used. The paint on the backside of the stencil can be used in a snap on a gel plate! It’s also a very quick way of cleaning off the stencil. Plus, it enables you to create multiple looks by using the positive or negative of the stencil. It slices, it dices. Well, not really but stencils on a gel plate can do a lot of different things! What is this stencil? It’s Trapezoid Squared.

3. As you grow, the stencils and gel plate grow with you. When I started gel printing, my prints had one color and one layer. I loved them! As my understanding of the gel plate grew, I was able to add more layers and colors using the same gel plate and stencil. How that exact print on the right wax created step-by-step process is inside the workshop, Stencil-rific Layers.

2. I can create looks with them that I could never do with just a paint brush. That Venice inspired stencil can become an abstract print or a gloriously grungy one. And yes, you see how both of these prints were created inside the online workshop Stencil-rific Layers.

The #1 reason why I started gel printing and haven’t stopped, is it’s FUN! Is that a practical reason to gel print? Yes! When life is extra stressful or the world is a bit much to handle, spending a few minutes playing, printing and creating helps me decompress and turn the day around by putting a touch of joy back into it.

The reason I created Stencil-rific Layers is so you can have more fun printing. I’ve heard time and time again from students that understanding why the gel plate does what it does and then being able to guide a print to get the look they want, gel printing is even more fun! If you’d like to fast track the understanding and fun, then check out Stencil-rific Layers!

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