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Friday, December 13, 2013

Creative Instinct! A Blog Hop for Jill K. Berry New Stencil



UPDATE---

Drum Roll Please...tadadada

The winner of Jill K. Berry's stencil giveaway is lucky number 26!

And that would be:
shazza said...
Awesome recycling of your canvas. Wouldn't have thought of making a heap of papers to have on hand - Great tip. Loved the way you explained your process & a class sounds like an awesome idea too. Hope you have had an amazing birthday & may your wishes, hopes & dreams be fulfilled over the next year. The stencils are awesome & would be over the moon to win the set. Thanks for sharing the process Shazza007 at Hotmail dot com (if I happen to be so lucky lol) :))) Enjoy the rest of the day Sharon


Congratulations, Sharon!!!  I'll forward your info to Lisa at Artistcellar and she will contact you for shipment info.  Yay!  And for anyone else that didn't win but would like one of the stencils or a 4 pack of the new release, the links are in the paragraph below.  Stop on over to take a look and thank you all for playing along. All the wonderful quotes and and birthday wishes really warmed my heart.  :)))   Have a very happy Holiday Season!!


Happy Friday the 13th Everyone! 
Today is NOT an unlucky day for you….no not at all!  I’m here today celebrating the new release of 



 When I was asked to take part of this blog hop I was especially excited because I love Jill’s work and was already a big fan of her first stencil release.  Not to mention, who doesn’t love stencils these days?  I’m always looking for new inspiration for my work and classes and stencils are a great way to incorporate a lot of fun marks into your work. There are endless way you can put your own ‘signature’ to them, well…it just gets my creative juices flowing when I’m using them.

  In this new line called “TEXTures 2 Series  You’ll see how Jill blends a love of . Calligraphy and mapmaking into abstracted calligraphic journeys inspired by legendary artists and quotes that serve as inspirations for Jill's work. All designs 6" x 6".


And here’s the cool part, one of my readers can enter to win a set of these new stencils by simply leaving a comment on this post. If you want to leave a quote to inspire us all as Jill was inspired to create the stencils, even more cool and I’d love that, too (although it’s not necessary to be entered).


For my project, I used all of the stencils to start creating papers for my mixed media collage/painting.  


I used deli paper because I love the translucent quality of it once collaged over paint or other papers.
At this point, I wasn’t really sure what I was going to do other than the basic concept of knowing I wanted to do something abstract and in a color family I have another painting that I wanted the piece to compliment with.

My goal was to have several papers in Black, Dark Gray, Light Gray, White, and Red.  I make way more than I need because you never know when you might need more papers or if something goes wrong, I want to have extras available as back up.



*Creating several papers at once when getting ready for a painting session not only gives you options to use, but also creates efficiency in the studio.  I always try to prepare ahead of time for future projects.
*Use a dry brush on when painting over stencils. If the brush is too wet, you won’t have as crisp of lines as you might desire.  I didn’t always follow this rule because I tend to work quick but I was okay with a little imperfection.   


I also wanted to create some textured painted paper to potentially work in even more depth into the collage.  One way to create textured paper is to crumple a sheet of your chosen paper up and then smooth it out.  You can then paint over it , blend out the paint, and even paint a second color over top of your first layer to take advantage of the ridges created by the crumpling.



Next, I pulled out a painting that I had in my studio from a recent demo. It wasn’t quite done and quite frankly, needed some help. 

Okay so here’s the hard part or the hard part to explain in writing. One day (maybe a class coming soon…;)  I will have to SHOW you my thought process and some of my techniques I use while creating abstracts.  The hard part to explain is that you just fit your papers in like a jigsaw puzzle.  You start with an idea you want to convey or an emotion and then you let your instinct take over and fit the pieces together.

Constantly you evaluate whether it all fits together, whether you need more of this or less of that…and it is to put it mildly, an ongoing exercise of pushing and pulling. You cover up, and you reveal. You create balance, and then imbalance.  Patterns emerge, and then sometimes they fade away.  



*Soft Gel medium by Golden was used to adhere the papers to the canvas.




So much of working in an abstract way  is instinct, you just have to feel it as the artist. Even when you don’t create ‘masterpiece’ worthy work (how many of us do that???), just by  doing, you are learning and generating future ideas for your art .






After I got to a point that I was satisfied with, I used charcoal, pencil, and pastels to add elements of my own writing, and further shade or highlight other areas.  You just keep working and pushing through to the other side until you are ready to call it done, or complete for now.  And that my friends, is in a nutshell how I do it. For better or worse, it’s just one of many processes you can use in your art.

Take a look:







 And the Finished Piece:



 So much fun:)


Don’t forget to leave a comment to take part of the giveaway. You also can have multiple chances to win by visiting one of the other artists blogs featured in this ‘hop’.   *Each one may have different giveaway dates so be sure to read their post to find out the details.


Winner will be chosen on Sunday, December 15th and announced Monday.  Good luck!!


Before you go…be sure to check out my other blog post for the day as it’s my BIRTHDAY..whooohooo and I’m doing something I’ve never done before in celebration of another blessed year I get to be here .   Here’s the POST  to check out, but don’t delay, the Birthday Goodness is time sensitive and only going to last a little over 24 hours!!


From the Artistcellar Newsletter:                                                                                   

As usual, we are having an epic blog hop to roll out Jill’s stencils and we invite you to hop along. Are there prizes you ask? Why, of course! Each artist in the list below will be giving away a FREE set of stencils to one lucky winner who leaves a comment AND their contact info. (This part is very important! Leave an email so they can contact you.) Each artist will decide when they will pick a winner so be sure to read the post. The schedule will be as follows:
*12/7 Artistcellar www.artistcellar.com/wp
*12/8 Kecia Deveney http://www.lemoncholys.blogspot.com
*12/9 Sketchbook Challenge/Jill http://sketchbookchallenge.blogspot.com/
*12/10 Brian Kasstle http://apaperbear.wordpress.com
*12/11 Mel Kolstad http://reliefpress.blogspot.com
*12/12 Kim Rae Nugent  http://www.kimraenugent.blogspot.com
*12/13 JodiOhl www.sweetrepeats.blogspot.com
*12/14 Effy Wild www.effywild.com
*12/15 Tamara Laporte  www.willowing.org/blog
*12/16 Jane Davenport  http://janedavenport.com/
*12/17 Chris Cozen http://chriscozenartist.typepad.com/my-blog/
*12/18 Guadalupe Brizuela Cabal http://guadasartplace.blogspot.com.ar/                   
    *12/19 Jill Berry  http://jillberrydesign.com/blog


101 comments :

bwheather said...

Wow, I am so impressed with how you revived the painting you were working on. Would love to win a set of those gorgeous stencils, too. hgoldsmith@gmail.com

Louise said...

What a transformation, and I just love the new stencils. Your new piece makes me think of journeying and this quote popped into my head.

"Not all those who wander, are lost"
by Tolkien

Amanda Trought said...

Jodi, the stencils look great, and you can get some really lovely effects. I would love to have a chance of winning a set, my email address is amanda(at)realityarts(dot)co(dot)uk

Happy birthday by the way!

Amanda

Unknown said...

Thank you for sharing! I really enjoyed watching your process....the new stencils look great!

Jessica Beare said...

What great stencils..LOVE what you did with them! Nice giveaway too!

Pat Halligan said...

Jodi I love the results beautiful. Happy birthday..

Anonymous said...

I love what you did with these stencils! I love them.

Dana said...

This is a seriously gorgeous painting! Love all the dimension the stencils added but those colors!!! *swooon*

LaBonita said...

First of all happy birthday, Jodi! And congrats on an another wonderful piece of art. Love how you incorporated the the stencils into it.

lordblessu said...

Thank you for showing "how it's done"..... So cool
I would love to win the set of stencils...a girl can never have enough!!!!!!

pinkglitterfae said...

Happy Birthday Jody! I don't think 13 is an unlucky number at all!
thanks so much for a chance to win the stencils. Abstract is much harder to do than I originally thought. You must have been thinking of the holidays because your painting is gorgeous and looks quite festive!

Lura said...

happy birthday jodi!!!! love what you did with the stencils, but then i always like what you do. hope you have a great birthday. sure would love to win these awesome stencils, i am fast becoming a stencil hoarder they are so fun and you can do so much. crossing everything. xoxo

Cim Allen said...

I love the way the canvas turned out. I'm not sure this is a a quote, but .. "just be you tiful" I live by that :) Thanks for the chance to win .. I love stencils !! Happy Friday
cimmieshops2@sbcglobal.net

Peggy Wilkinson said...

Happy Birthday Jodi! Love the effect of these stencils. Would love to win them and play!

It's Sunny on the Eastern Shore said...

Jodi--- I love how you demonstrated your process in a blog post --- I can totally envision you showing this live. Just beautiful.

Happy birthday!

Unknown said...

Happy Birthday! Love your abstract work - it looks like it's bursting into our out of the canvas. Very intriguing!

Chelsea *Sparks* Weiss said...

Happy Birthday, Sweet Repeat Jodi O!

Unknown said...

It is all yummy goodness!! It just screams with emotions--all good, of course! Thank you for sharing Jodi and hApPy BiRtHdAy to yOu!!

kborus said...

Happy Birthday and thank you for sharing your day. LOVE these stencils. My quote, soon to become famous of course as it is an original, follows: Letters become words, words become powers. Together they can raise hope and build dreams or they can destroy... use them wisely and creatively and expand your universe and that of others. Done being philosophical now and going to play with stencils as I am inspired!!

Lorie said...

Whoo hoo, would LOVE to win Jill's stencils! Your post is so inspiring. My quote--Whether you think you can or you think you can't, you're right. Henry Ford

Thanks, Jodi! xo

creative arts from my heart said...

Jodi Happy Birthday.....Look at you your art gets better and better...Love these stencils and would love to win them

Lkayeheart@gmail.com

Unknown said...

Jodi, I love how happy your paintings are. Jill's stencils are so full of promise, too.

Happy Birthday! Cindy Becker

Theresa Plas said...

Love it Jodi! Great tutorial! A Big Happy Birthday to you also:)

Anonymous said...

Happy birthday dear!! Your work is awesome. Great tutorial!

gabriele@artatag.de

Vicki said...

Happy Birhday Jodi. Your blog is just great, you introduce so many wonderful color combos and ideas. The stencils look like a great addition to any studio, I hope I'm a winner!! Thank you.

shazza said...

Awesome recycling of your canvas. Wouldn't have thought of making a heap of papers to have on hand - Great tip. Loved the way you explained your process & a class sounds like an awesome idea too. Hope you have had an amazing birthday & may your wishes, hopes & dreams be fulfilled over the next year. The stencils are awesome & would be over the moon to win the set. Thanks for sharing the process Shazza007 at Hotmail dot com (if I happen to be so lucky lol) :))) Enjoy the rest of the day Sharon

Debbie said...

I love the visual texture these new stencils create. Thanks for the little lesson. Your piece is very pretty!

Unknown said...

Happy Birthday. These stencils are just fantastic. They create such depth.

Unknown said...

Happy Friday 13th Birthday, a great rescue of a painting love what you did...I actually feel a skater gliding over ice with this piece...just saying x

Annie said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
AMYLEA said...

Love your work, very inspiring!
Would love to win the stencils!
And Happy Birthday!

Annie said...

Happy Birthday Jodi. I hope your day is filled with all things lovely as you celebrate another year of life. Thank you for being an inspiration to all of us through your gift of art. winterbaybe AT hotmail dot com

“A man should hear a little music, read a little poetry, and see a fine picture every day of his life, in order that worldly cares may not obliterate the sense of the beautiful which God has implanted in the human soul.” -Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Paperfanatic said...

What a beautiful piece. My favouite quote is from Oscar Wilde, "We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars"

Tammy B said...

Happy birthday! One quote that I try to take to heart is by Teddy Roosevelt: Comparison is the thief of joy.

Leslie Kallen said...

Jodi, you've done it again! What a wonderful piece! Love it!

Unknown said...

Happy Birthday lady! I hope it is a blessed and happy day. I will also keep my fingers crossed for a chance to win those stencils! Thanks for the opportunity.

JKK said...

Happy Birthday Jodi! Thank you for sharing your process. What a spectacular piece! Jill's stencils are terrific and seeing how you use them is great.

Gill said...

Fabulous!! and I love those colours!

Penny L Weaver said...

13 is one of my FAVORITE numbers :) Love these new stencils from the FABULOUS JKB, and love, Love, LOVE how you put them to use in this piece! Heading to Artists' Cellar now to check them out, and have my fingers crossed for the "win" :) I, too, love incorporating words and texture in my work.

Vickie said...

Gorgeous work and great stencils! I would love to win a set of them! My quote: "Paining is just another way of keeping a diary. - Pablo Picasso

katilady said...

oh jeeze, this is awesome! happy bday!

Barbara said...

What a fabulous piece you created!

NANCY COULSON said...

I love that you weren't afraid to layer over your original work. The additional textures really make the painting.

Lisa Chin said...

“The chief enemy of creativity is good sense.”
― Pablo Picasso

Love your work! Thanks for sharing how you used Jill's stencils. They are beautiful!

Sandra Strait said...

Awesome canvas! Thank you for sharing your process!

Barefoot Driver Studio said...

One More Fantastic Spin Around the Sun!
Happy Birthday! Enjoy....
I adore the abstract calligraphy graffiti look you have going here. And your colors are so luscious and juicy!

Love your work!

Janis said...

I really enjoyed seeing the process and transformation. Thanks for sharing.
<3 J

jwoolbright at gmail dot com

Deanna said...

Happy Birthday! I would love the opportunity to win these stencils. I am taking your funky cityscapes class now and LOVING IT!

Mary Jo said...

What fun you are having with art. Playing is the key! Happy Birthday!

Angela said...

Love how your piece turned out, would definitely be a fun class. You could even have people bring pieces they are unhappy with. Would love to play with the stencils too. Also Happy Birthday, hope you have a great weekend!!!

marguerite1997 said...

Your painting came out so vibrant and colorful. I would love some time to get to know and play with these super stencils.

Ali Gitt said...

LOVE LOVE LOVE THE TEXTURE AND THE STENCIL. SUCH AN INSPIRATION IN ART.

Unknown said...

Those stencils look like a lot of fun!!

Saranne Valentine said...

Love Love Love the colors. Beautiful &Inspiring!

Unknown said...

I want to start right now. These are way cool.

Anonymous said...

deli paper...i would have never thought of that...I gonna go try it out...would like these stencils to try it out also...so if I win I try again. LOL ruth
glassart58203@yahoo.com

Anonymous said...

Would love to win this set. Thank you for the opportunity, Mary

just jody said...

Awesomeness......Happy Birthday!

Cahos' Chaos said...

Very nice. I love how someone takes something they have not completed (for what ever reason) and finished it up beautifully. Love the vibrant colors and technique! TFS

Carina said...

Wishing you a very Happy Birthday my lovely one. And there are definitely a few paintings laying about here in states of semi-completion that could use the spark of some stenciled deli papers to wander toward the finished stage.

Carina said...

Wishing you a very Happy Birthday my lovely one. And there are definitely a few paintings laying about here in states of semi-completion that could use the spark of some stenciled deli papers to wander toward the finished stage.

Raine said...

I love how you used the stencil!

KarenS said...

Wonderful painting! I would love to win the stencils.

Lisa said...

that looks so cool!!!

upstatelisa(at)gmail(dot)com

Stephanie said...

Happy Birthday Jodi =) Hope you've have a fabulous birthday! I love your painting and I love how you describe your process. I've never attempted an abstract...I should...and I like what you say about it not necessarily being a masterpiece, but learning for future attempts. Making the attempt is what counts. =D
"What would life be if we had no courage to attempt anything?"
Vincent Van Gogh

Cindy said...

What a great way to celebrate your birthday. Love what your doing with crumpling up the paper and smoothing back out. The stencils make all the painting so much easier. Love your collages.

Kindest regards,
Cindy Coleman
sweetsetr@aol.com

denthe said...

these stencils are awesome and I love how they/you transformed your canvas.

Anonymous said...

This is awesome, you leave me breathless! Lissag123@verizon.net

Candice Thomas said...

Fantastic stencils and piece of art!
"One hand washes the other but both wash the face"

Jeanne said...

Fun looking and very useful stencil! Liked your project and had thoughts on how I could utilize those stencils, too. Thanks.

Sarah said...

I love these! (I foud your blog via pinterest and will now be following you!) I have been looking for stencils just like these for awhile! These are perfect!

BethB said...


One word comes to mind, for some reason when I look at your finished work, and that is "freedom". Beautiful work. I would love to win the stencils. Thank you for the opportunity! (h(dot)character(at)gmail(dot)com. Most importantly, happy belated birthday!

Karen said...

hat was awesome-great use of the stencils. I love making the deli collage paper too!

Angela said...

I love these stencils! Thank you so much for the opportunity to win!

Karen said...

First of all, I am crazy about your use of color and texture! WOW! Part of the glory of these giveaways is all of the inspiration I am getting along the way AND new websites to peruse and admire. The stencils are fabulous and of course I would love to win a set!

arlsmom aka Lynda said...

love how you used the stencils!

Bibliofil said...

I love abstract art but I have no confidence in doing it!
So, If you have a class upcoming - count me in!!!

(Oh and I love the stencils, thank you for the chance to win!)

Sarah Barber said...

I am in love with what you did with these stencils... that finished piece is absolutely amazing! Thanks for the chance to win!

sarahbarber.design@yahoo.com

Toni Stacey Simpson said...

I love your work! I sure would love to win!

Jenny R. said...

Your work is such an inspiration! I would love to win the stencils! Thank you!

DWA @ Studio Z said...

What cool stencils! Those would be fun to play with!

lindsey piereder said...

Great painting! Lindseypiereder@yahoo.com

Deb said...

What a fantastic process. Love your use of layering and colour.
deb @ wildbees . me

Jackie said...

Beautiful canvas Jodi!

Emma said...

Wow, just love your abstract piece. I always think text adds more interest to a piece. Awesome! Ejfield27@gmail.com

Shells said...

Very inspiring artwork, I love Jill Berry’s stencils and would use them with texture/moulding paste for an awesome background. shellsinthebush(at)gmail(dot)com

Unknown said...

the finished piece is awesome. I so like the way u have used the stencils to make this striking piece. Very creative.

jnuse said...

I am really enjoying seeing your new abstracts that you post in your blog and on Facebook. These stencils are way cool! Very inspiring blog! Thank you!

Art Expression said...

Beautiful ......love it. Could really used these stencils...

Textile Recycler said...

Love that abstract painting..
wow..and would love the stencils as well :) and Happy Birthday! textilerecycler(at)yahoo(dot)com

Unknown said...

This is SO inspiring- thank you!

susan berkowitz, slp said...

Wow! This is a different sir of you I hadn't seen before. (I've taken your pretty in pink class and a couple of others - always faces). Very cool and edgy. I can't wait to try these stencils. Everyone has had such great ideas for them.

Suzanne said...

Not only do I love your use of the stencils, but this is one of my favorite color combinations.

Pambi7 said...

I loved how you explained your process, tips and ideas. I am learning so many different things in this blog hop. It is very enjoyable.

pambi7(at)yahoo(dot)com

Unknown said...

Happy birthday even though I'm late! Love to see what I could do with these using texture on fabric!
psytoad@aol.com

Unknown said...

Love these!

Sue Young said...

LOVE LOVE LOVE these stencils! And love your use of them! LOVE your use of turquoise and red!So creative! Thanks for the inspiration!

Tahn said...

I love seeing how everyone in the blog hop uses these stencils!

Anonymous said...

very cool, as always!

Jo Anne O. said...

I took one look at this on your FB page and smiled! It is fab, Jodi!

Jo Murray said...

Love the way you work...all those layers. A gorgeous piece...and fabulous stencils.