Daisy Mask

A stencil blocks out the background leaving the focal image exposed for paint or whatever.  A mask blocks out the image leaving the background exposed.  I really have to think about the difference when I'm printing on the gelli plate. 

For my round eleven 4 x 6 card exchange I used this daisy mask as my inspiration. I wanted something simple this round because I'd been focusing on my class....and my first experiment took about 5 minutes. I traced the negative space around the daisies on a book page and filled them in with colored pencil.  It didn't look like ANYTHING at first....maybe bats flying around in the air.

It was hard to even make out that there were daisies....like one of those illusions you have to squint to see the hidden image. That's the funny things about a mask....and negative space.

 

But once I outlined the edges of the daisies...it all became clear. This was just a quick practice run several weeks ago....but I circled back to it and finished it up as my keeper card this week.  It's not all that bad.

Brenda's only took a few minutes too and she got hers the first week. Just the daisy mask and some colored pencil on a page from one of my manuscript books....which by the way....was the best score ever at the Lexington Library sale: https://joyfulputtering.blogspot.com/2020/03/a-good-score.html

For Becky's card I used the same technique.....the mask and colored pencil.  For hers I collaged a background using punched squares of different text and music giving it a little more interest. I think it creates a great effect and I'm quite pleased with this one.

Here are the cards I received from round 11.  Becky used distress oxides on watercolor paper.....and I can't even really tell you what that is. She has a wide variety of media and is experimenting with it all!  

And...she added her signature dimensional component. 

I love the texture of this flower on the back.  Nice job Becky!

Brenda was inspired by graphic designs on dinnerware....and used copic markers and posca pens. It's very effective!  Round 11 is a wrap!  Time to start thinking about round 12.