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Stencils are versatile because of all the different ways you can use them and the wide variety of art supplies that play well with them! Here are some of my favorite ways to use StencilGirl Stencils!

Of course you can use stencils with paint but what about ink? Absolutely! Here’s one way to use them!

Gel plates and stencils are like peanut butter and chocolate, meant to be together. So many ways you can use stencils on a plate!

You can “stretch” your stencil to create different looks, so that a short stencil suddenly becomes tall!

Size doesn’t matter when stenciling! You can cover any size area with a repeating pattern.

You can combine two or more stencils together. A butterfly can help her fly!

You can repeat a stencil or use only part of it to create more looks. In this video, I’m taking one arch and repeating it to create a Leaning Tower of Pisa vibe.

Ever have an ugly print or paper? Stencils can rescue that!

Create conversation starters with stencils for your next gathering!

Stenciling words onto tissue paper makes it easy to have just the word you need on hand when you’re art journaling, or collaging, or cardmaking.

Crayola crayons are great for making stencil rubbings.

You can use a stencil more than one way. In this video, you’ll see the words as the background, but due to an O.O.P.S. the stencil got used in a very different way to add a bit colorful grunge to the page.

This is an idea that came directly from Mary Beth Shaw, to use washi tape with stencils.

You can use a pen with a stencil, in fact, you can use almost anything with a stencil. I say almost just because I am sure there is something but I can’t think of it!

Fabric and stencils play together nicely! These small stuffed art dolls were made using a stencil inspired by Matisse.

Is this everything you can do with a stencil? Goodness no! But hopefully, you’ve got some ideas for how you can use your stencils in new ways! And keep an eye out here because I’ve got more videos coming with stencils!

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Can you gel print on fabric? Absolutely! This is a great way to create patterned fabric for any of your projects. Plus, the bonus is you have it in any color you want! The video above you’ll see the entire process and below you’ll see some other fabric prints used to make smaller gnomes.

The gnomes were created following a wonderful tutorial by Ruffles and Rain Boots. If you like making gnomes, check her out! You can see more fabric being printed and the mini gnomes that were made with it in the Instagram post below. The supply list is at the end of this post.

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Here are the supplies used. Some of these links may be affiliate links which means I get a small percentage and it doesn’t cost you anything extra! 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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Why do air bubbles happen to most gel plates? Because air gets trapped between a layer, like a plastic protector, and the plate. It can leave little indentations in the plate. Does this “ruin” the plate? Nope. This happens to most gel plates and in this video, I’m sharing what works for me to and my Gel Press plates to keep the bubbles from showing up in prints and also how to remove them from the plate.

***The links on this page are affiliate links and I receive a small percentage. It doesn’t cost you anything extra and helps keep all the free tutorials and videos coming! Thank you for your support***

I’ve stored my plates stacked in the plastic protectors for years and never had an issue with air bubbles. I would get some but they’d be small and not show up in the prints. But this year, it was Bubble-palooza on my stack of plates.

What is the best way to store your plate? Well, there is no world wide consensus about that. What I’ve tried and what I’ve learned I’ve put into another video all about storing a gel plate to help you as you decide on the best way for you to store yours.

Why did it happen now? My theory is it had to do with heat. My old studio was in a basement, so it was always cool there. My new studio is on the second floor and this summer, the storage closet got really hot. I suspect the heat made the air expand and create great big air bubbles. These were so big they were showing up in my prints.

There are two ways to fix this. The first is by using a thick paint and firm pressure when you take a pull. In the video, you’ll see how that makes a big difference. The paint I’m using is Amsterdam.

The other way is by cleaning the plate thoroughly and then putting a piece of cardstock on the plate overnight. This will pull out the indentations from the air bubbles. This the gist of it and the video goes into more depth about the process.

If you’ve found it helpful to understand the why of what’s happening with air bubbles, then I bet you’ll enjoy my gel printing workshops too. You can check out the current ones on my workshop page.

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