I’ve had a bit of a creative block the last week or so, so I was super excited to see today’s List it Tuesday topic at Artsyville. Aimee has the awesome idea to build a master list of unorthodox stencils as an artistic resource. In the past I have loved using a couple of these stencils to build texture and backgrounds on journal pages, and I even have the fly swatter tucked into a box with my paintbrushes. I had fun wandering around the apartment tonight to see what I else I could come up with. I used cheap craft acrylic paints and a stiff bristle brush for this project.

01. Scissors. I used the scissors by placing them down on the page and blotting the paint over and around the finger holes. I love this little graphic pattern.

02. Fly Swatter. I am a big fan of argyle, and so I love, love, love the pattern on this fly swatter. I placed it down on the page and blotted gently so that paint didn’t bleed around the stencil.

03. Paper Towel Roll. I created a triangular stencil by flattening a paper towel roll, cutting shapes into it and then cutting it down the middle so I could flatten it out. I taped the stencil down so that it didn’t slide around too much while I was blotting paint down on the page. I have an image of the stencil on Flickr if you’d to see how I did it.

04. Plastic Netting. This plastic netting came from a bag of Trader Joe’s clementines (a favorite these days!). I taped the netting down, and blotted through it. This would be good to use as a background, as it slides around a bit and makes a nice soft texture.

05. Plastic Embroidery Mesh. This is the other “stencil” that I’ve used before and have tucked in with my paintbrushes. I like to dab lots of ink heavily through this one because I like how it bleeds through and creates a nice varied texture.

06. Metal Embellishment. I got this on clearance in the jewelry section at Michael’s figuring that I’d use it for a necklace someday. It’s been hanging around in my art stash for a long time, so I thought I’d give it some life as a stencil. I love the look of this one, and think it might stay in the collection as a stencil.

Thanks to Aimee for another fun challenge! Go check out her gorgeous fly swatter. I’m a wee bit jealous, and wish it was in my own collection.