Watercolor Printing With Stencils
Get your favorite stencils and watercolors and try this fun stencil printing technique. Since watercolor is transparent you can get some unique blends by layering. You can also layer stencils for more dimension. This method is a new twist on an old favorite if you are familiar with stencil smooshing and instead relies on a more predictable result by carefully controlling water and reactivating to transfer a print.
You’ll just need some watercolors, stencils, water and a brush. You’ll also need some practice paper of your choice, I used copy paper and some junk paper for protecting your surface while you paint on your stencil.
You can leave your base layer white. You’ll want it to be wet but not shiny. For a dual color effect begin with a wash, again, wet but not shiny. Quickly paint your stencil with another color, let it dry almost completely and then flip and burnish onto your base layer. You can press, use a brayer or a soft cloth to get a good transfer.
A few tips:
- Choose colors that won’t make mud when layered or mixed.
- Try monochromatic or analogous if color mixing seems too challenging.
- Choose an open stencil for the top stencil and a tiny pattern stencil when layering two stencils. Your tiny pattern will be printed first.
This technique is a lot of fun and the combinations are endless.
Happy paper crafting!
For a mini workshop that includes this tutorial, an additional lesson and small project visit shopify….
