A to Z journal collaboration for StencilGirl

A while ago Tina Walker, artist and columnist for StencilGirl Products, introduced a new StencilGirl collaborative challenge, which I was thrilled to join. Today, on the StencilGirl Talk blog, Tina is sharing all the details about the collaboration and her project, as well as links to each of the participating artists' projects.

The challenge presented was that a person would create a unique A to Z journal in a theme of their choosing. Each person in the collaboration chose and committed to a different theme; there were no two alike. From there, we were to "create 26 art journal pages, one each inspired by each letter of the alphabet, A to Z." We were allowed to use any mediums of our choosing, but strictly SG stencils.

 

A is for arrows, B is for bamboo, C is for circles, D is for diagonal stripes.

 

As soon as the collaboration was announced, I had an idea in mind for how I would like to create my A to Z journal. Having a background in architecture and an appreciation for the art of paper cutting, I wanted to use cut patterns to form the letters of the alphabet. Each of the cut pattern designs is either a full StencilGirl stencil pattern, formed using small bits of design from a stencil, or uses a stencil design as the basis for the cut pattern.

 

E is for empty, F is for floral, G is for greek key, H is for hearts.

To begin, I drew each letter of the alphabet in uppercase on pieces of white cardstock using a ruler. These would be the boundaries for the designs. Once all of the alphabet was drawn onto the pages, it was time to select the patterns to go with each letter. I am not going to say this was an easy task; some letters proved much more difficult than others. There were letters that required a lot of  manipulating the stencil to draw a pattern, while others were straight forward. 

I is for inkblot, J is for jonquil, K is for kaleidoscope, L is for lattice.

Once the design was settled, I needed to figure out which sections would remain intact and which sections would be cut out. I learned pretty quickly that in order for the letter form to be prominent, there needed to be plenty of open areas along the edges, but that the design also need to be attached to the edges. Needless to say, there were a few do-overs in the process.

Mis for mushrooms, N is for numbers, O is for ogee, P is for paisley.

Many of the stencils I used were from the StencilGirl ATC collections. The scale was perfect for the size of my letters. I also used a few standard size stencils. For each page shown, I have listed the pattern name. At the bottom of the post I have a list of the StencilGirl Stencils used. 

Q is for quatrefoil, R is for rectangles, S is for stripes, T is for triangles.

Once I understood the balance that was needed between the positive and negative spaces, it was really fun deciding on what pattern would be used for each letter. I do have my favorite pages, but I think the best part was when they were all put together in the journal.

U is for unbalanced stripes, V is for vertical stripes, W is for windowpane, X is for x's.

Using a method of binding I learned in a bookmaking class taught by Seth Apter, I created a binding bar that was the height of the pages. Two pieces of chipboard, wrapped in black paper, create the front and back covers. Each letter page was attached with a sheet of vellum in between.

Y is for yin yang, Z is for zigzag.

Here is a short flip-through video for you to see the book in its entirety. 

I was thrilled to be part of the StencilGirl A to Z challenge. I hope that you can find time to visit the StencilGirl Talk blog to find links to all of the other artists that were a part of the challenge, as well as learn about Tina's fabulous journal and thoughts on the collaborative. 

You can find it here.

Thanks so much for stopping by today, 

I really appreciate you taking the time and hope that I have inspired you to get creative.

~Ann

StencilGirl stencils used:

ATC Mixup Adams Toadstools

ATC Mixup Apter #2

ATC Mixup Apter

ATC Mixup Missigman #1 Art Marks

Rectangles Mini Printmaking Stencil Set #1 Butler

Greek Key Small

Pilgrimage to India Stencil

Four Gates Mandala Stencil