Playing with Owls

Technically, I am still playing to unwind after finishing a major project.  But this project also marks a turn towards my new project (or projects).  I am experimenting now with a product and technique that will soon be incorporated into a painting, perhaps some Halloween cards, and a quilt.  At this stage I am not entirely sure where it will end up, but it will appear somewhere in my art.

Within the last year or so, owls were a hot crafting topic.  I had wanted to make something with an owl on it even before the fad started.  Once they became the rage, I felt a need to wait a bit.  I feel a little more comfortable making something with an owl in it now that the rest of the world has turned its attention to other things.  Now I am ready to do something with an owl.

When I make a project, I always start by creating a drawing of my subject.  I don't do it because I think I draw well.  I make a drawing because I need to practice drawing if I am ever to get any better at it.  Drawing a subject helps me to understands its muscular and bone structures.  It helps my creations look more authentic.  (I would say realistic, but I am not sure that any of my drawings are realistic.)  Anyway, I made my own drawing by looking at pictures of live birds.   It is somewhat of a composite drawing because I was trying to get a good look at several features.   Once I have made an acceptable picture, I get on with my project. 

I like to make seasonal projects, and owls are closely associated with Halloween, my favorite holiday.  I have made Halloween paintings before, but I wanted one to have an owl up in a tree.  So I am starting my projects with a painting.  Most of the painting will be freehand, but I plan to make a stencil for the owl.  I find that drawing for me can sometimes be like a bad hair day.   Sometimes I can draw something exactly as I want it and other days I am nowhere close to what I want it to be.  I spent a fair amount of time working on my owl drawing and for the most part I am satisfied with it.  By making a stencil, I can reproduce the silhouette, and then paint in the detail.  Or not.  It could just end up being a silhouette.  I have not decided yet.

Anyway, the important part of my play was to create a drawing and cut a stencil, so that is what occupied my time this week.  I made the drawing on graph paper.  The lines help me keep things in proportion.  Then I made a stencil using Martha Stewarts's brand of stencil film.  I had not planned to purchase that particular product, but the store was out of template blanks and other brands of stencil plastic.  So I guess this is also going to be a product review.  It worked well, but there were things that I liked and that I did not like. 

Her stencil film comes rolled up into a scroll.  I prefer to have my plastic flat because the film wants to roll back up into a scroll.  However, once it is unrolled and taped down, making the stencil goes well.  The film is very thin.  This is good because it allowed me to cut the material easily.  (I was using a craft knife because it was too hot outside to open the windows and ventilate while using the stencil cutting tool.) The stencil film was blue.  Even though it was blue, it was translucent.  I was able to place my drawing under the stencil film and trace it rather than taping it to the top of the film and tracing around it.  It was a little harder to see than if the film had been clear, but it was manageable.  On the plus side, a blue stencil meant you did not have to search as hard for it as you would with a clear stencil.  The stencil film was not as thick as a commercially  prepared stencil, but I believe it will hold up well over the long run provided the stencil is stored properly.

Once I made a stencil, of course I had to test it.  Since I am playing, I just stenciled onto some card stock I had laying around.  I think it worked quite well.  I used a pounce applicator to apply the paint.  There was no bleed under the stencil.

So now I am ready for an owl project or more likely projects as I am gearing up for Halloween.  I can see this owl being used in different ways.  The good part of making the drawing is that it can be sized up and down on the copier to work in whatever scale is appropriate for the project.  Most of these projects will be quick relative to some of my long term projects, but they will be a nice transition to get back to working on a serious project.

Check back for the next blog post on Sunday.