Including stencils in our mixed media artwork allows us to add a uniqueness to our work without having to worry about creating perfect shapes or drawing the same elements many times over. Stencils make it easy to add shapes and patterns that can be repeated many times across our work. In this class, we will harness the power of stencils and a explore few of the different techniques you can use them with. The beauty of stenciling is that it can be undone!

This class, Create and Use Stencils for Procreate Mixed Media, will show you some of my mixed media illustration methodology, and ways to use brushes to create a stencils. In the class, I take you from start to finish in creating a full mixed media art piece, notably with the use of several stencils to create a richly layered authentic-looking organic art piece. And, I have techniques to make it so easy, you will use the techniques over and over again. No two pieces will be alike! I provide everything you will need including some stencil shapes, sponges in many forms and a variety of other assets. I have used this method over and over and have developed workflows to keep the art completely editable. But the star of the show is definitely the “stencils” creating and using brushes to create these patterns.

In this class I’ll walk you through:

my step-by-step method for making stencils in Procreate
tips for creating compositions for a varied and appealing design using brushes
my workflow for use of layers and other great features like snapping
adjusting stencils to perfect the flow and adding elements
full mixed media background creation
methods for keeping the artwork fully editable for later adjustments and recoloring

If you’re an aspiring pattern designer with a good basic knowledge of Procreate, you’ll be able to go through all the steps. This class will benefit anyone who wishes to simplify creation of seamless patterns and methods to improve efficiency.

The key concepts I will include:

review of my brush alterations and adjustments
a look at Procreate brushes and their various idiosyncrasies
approaches you can take in your creative work
use of blend modes to create even more exciting effects

This is an ideal class for you, even if you are not sure what you will use the art for, whether it be for fabric design for sites like Spoonflower, scrapbooking paper, custom web graphics, or whatever! Learning new Procreate workflows is always desirable. I guarantee you will create something really appealing, and it’s so much fun, once you get the hang of it!

Intro to Create and Use Stencils for Procreate Mixed Media

This short intro will give you an overview of the class.

Lesson 1: Discussing the Overview and Objectives

In this lesson, I will show you the objectives for class and show you a bunch of examples of the use of stencils in mixed media art.

Lesson 2: Methods to Create Stencils

In this lesson, I will break down the complete process of creating your own custom stencils. I show you everything from creating the source file, to importing it into the brush studio, and finally, adjusting settings. Knowing how to adjust brushes is very important in Procreate.

Lesson 3: Stencil and Clipping Mask Set-Up

In this lesson, I will explain the import of the asymmetrical stencil. I will show you some of the key techniques I use and explain every step of the way. By the end of the lesson, you will have the beginnings of a lovely layout with plenty of interest, and you will know how to use clipping masks with brushed or imported images to create that stencil effect.

Lesson 4: Sponging and Erasing

This is the lesson in which I teach you about adding the textures and fills to make this look like authentic mixed media created with stencils. I show you a bunch more adjustments for brushes as we work our way through this lesson. Our goal is to start creating contrast with the foreground images in as interesting a method as we can invent!

Lesson 5: Blend Mode Experiments

In this lesson, we start getting to essence of the final mixed media piece. You will see me use several different techniques to add interest and detail and blending modes is the star of the show here. I show you the texture brushes I have created, and I explain the settings. Throughout the process you learn much more about brushes and erasers.

Lesson 6: Finishing and Finessing

At this stage, we pull our layout together, and I will correct the small details that make it work. I bump up the contrast on the white of the leaves and many other small adjustments. We take a quick look at color adjustments and talk about next steps. This is the last step, and in this lesson, I will be wrapping up. This will show you just how versatile this technique can be and how valuable experimentation is in your development as a surface pattern designer.

Lesson 7: Conclusion, Mockup and Next Steps

We will conclude everything in this lesson. I show you a couple of quick mock-ups with the pattern and we end with a chat about next steps.

Concepts covered:

Concepts covered include but are not limited to Procreate pattern design, Procreate repeat Patterns with brushes, layering, transparency, Procreate brush stamps, Procreate canvas settings, Procreate snapping and guides, Procreate floral brush creation, art licensing, creating original brush stamps in Procreate, the Brush Studio in Procreate, adjusting Procreate brushes, sizing of documents and brushes, using the streamline setting in the brush studio, compositions with brush stamps, adding texture brush stamps, procreate brushes for adding interest, workflow best practices, painting best practice, Procreate composites, techniques with paints and blending, and much more.

You will get the bonus of…

52 minutes of direction from an instructor who has been in graphic design business and education for over 40 years
knowledge of multiple ways to solve each design challenge
an outline with links to further research
a list of helpful online sites to further your education into surface pattern design

Susan Harrison

Fused glass artist exploring other media

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