Every time I was cutting using the star assets I uploaded to IS, the leftover pieces kept catching my eye. Almost as beautiful as the cut itself. They made me think that decorating my windows with snowflakes could be a lovely idea. I considered permanent vinyl, but it felt like a waste for something so ephemeral. Besides, those leftovers were clearly calling out to me: stencil, stencil.
I decided to prepare some templates with vellum paper. Something quick with spray snow to add one more small touch to make my home feel cozy and charming. A disaster! The nozzle clogged almost immediately and it was very hard to get a fine result for such small and thin shapes.
I didn’t have much time for this complications, so I turned to a more classic stenciling approach. I received a StazOn Pigment ink pad, Snow White. To my disappointment, the pad arrived almost dry. It was definitely not the experience I expected and it complicated everything again. I couldn’t spend more much time on this. The result was very beautiful though, just a shame, but I didn’t have time to ask for a replacement.
My old art student mindset thought about what I already had at hand. I decided to use my old Talens gouache. A wonderful paint, durable, easy to handle and remove. I quickly made a small sponge pad, took the Tsukineko dabbers and I just had to find the right consistency and voil.
Total success. I finished the windows quickly, I got the experience I was expecting from the pigment pad and I almost wished I had more time to enjoy it, as it truly took me to the easel. It looked beautiful, super white, very similar to the ink, even whiter. The edges were slightly rougher, so it looks more like real snow. My classic gouache came to the rescue.
I liked it so much that I wouldn’t rule out doing more stenciling throughout the year. Why only at Christmas? I also now have a new dabbing sponge ready to adapt to other materials and keep experimenting.
