Tempting Templates Tutorial with Ann

Hello Practical Scrappers! It's Practical Scrapper Ann here with some fun ideas to share with you!

Lots of online challenges ask us to get messy on our layouts and projects. One of the easiest ways to get messy is to incorporate the use of templates. Today, I am showing you a number of ways to use them. Templates are sometimes called stencils, depending on the brand, and come in a variety of sizes. Your favourite store likely carries a wonderful selection.

For the most part (depending on the media you use), templates clean easily with a damp cloth or running water. Decide on the surface you are going to work on: light-weight paper will not support a "wet" medium like mists or paint, but may work for ink. Watercolour paper and canvas will withstand just about anything you throw at it.

To show you a variety of things to do with templates, I chose a small sheet of canvas that came as a blank page in a mini album.

1. Watercolour crayons 

Trace around the edges of this cloud template with a dry watercolour crayon. 

Then use a wet paintbrush (aquabrushes work as well) to trace the lines, wetting the crayon and smudging the lines to create a watercolour effect.

2. Ink

Apply ink using a sponge. Try mixing your ink colours for different effects.

3. Markers or specialty pens 

Trace the outline of your template with markers or specialty (metallic) pens.

I outlined some but not all of the rectangles, after ink had been sponged on.

4. Mists 

Apply mist to the paper or canvas by spraying through the template. This template is almost as big as my canvas surface, so to minimize the area, I tucked some scrap paper under the template and limit the misted area. Have fun playing with more than one colour of mist, to create fun effects. Or try misting through more than one template - just allow the mists to dry between coats. It is advisable to mist in a contained area. I keep an unused pizza box just for misting. I didn't do it on this project, but you can create a neat effect by: After you've misted through the template, flip it over and apply the mist to another part of the page, or a separate page for another project.

5. Texture Medium 

Use an old gift card to spread texture medium over the template. Carefully lift the template and allow the texture medium to dry. A heat tool can shorten the dry time. You can add colour, such as acrylic paint to the texture medium before applying it, if you do not want white. Once it is dry, texture medium will act as a resist, so you can apply colour around it, and the paper will take the ink or mist, while the texture medium doesn't.

6. Pearl Ex Powder 

Place the template over the paper, then smear a VersaMark ink pad over the place you want your image. While still sticky, use a brush and apply the Pearl Ex powder. You could use more than 1 colour for interest and effect. The VersaMark should seal the Pearl Ex, but you can apply a clear fixative to be sure.

7. Paint 

You can use a brush to apply gesso (which is a white acrylic primer), acrylic paint or watercolour paint using a template. For small holes, like on this template, a stipple brush works best. Acrylic paint will give a more dense colour, while watercolour paint will provide a lighter, more translucent effect. Do you want to see my final page, after all that messing around?

Next time you see the display of templates in a store, think about how you'd use them to enhance your next card, layout or art journal page!

**Designer projects are not always linked in our posts, but you can always find their blogs in our sidebar or in the staff tab**