This stencil helps to mimic the squares of metallic leaf that you may find in the background of Asian style murals and wallpapers. One of the experts in this style of decoration is Japanese artist Yaeko Kurimata of the Tokyo based Faux Arts Design Yaeko designed this stencil as a tool to help speed up the process of measuring and masking squares. We are pleased to be featuring it in the 'New Stencils' section of Stencil-Library.Co.Uk
Faux Arts Design often create large scale artworks therefore her stencil helps them (and us) decorate full walls as well as smaller projects like wardrobes or canvases.
There is a skill in achieving the appearance of gilding that Yaeko creates but with practice and experiment you will find your own way of using it. My first attempt gave an appearance of Northumberland stone which was perfect for the Chinoiserie panels project that I was working on.
Yaeko often uses a metallic painted background ( I use metallic wallpaper) the squares are stencilled in a vaguely haphazard manner to give the impression of antiquing or corrosion.
Yaeko uses a lint free rag to further distress the surface paint but this is only one of a myriad ways to use the stencil.
I often stencil the squares using an acrylic scumble glaze tinted with paint. I no longer sell the glazes but they are available at DIY stores. The glaze makes the paint dry slowly without making it runny and then I can make imprints into it using sponges or fabric.
I found that 'Yaekos Golden Squares' stencil also helps to create the effect of a tiled background. The background becomes the grout colour and the squares are stencilled with the colour of the 'tiles'. To add further interest keep the squares stencil in position and place a patterned stencil on top of it. Stencil though both of the stencil layers, The pattern will appear only in the squares and if all was lined up correctly gives the impression of decorated tiles. I'll try and do a demo and publish it here or at our Instagram page. However a similar project showing stencilling a pattern within a shape can be found here
This is the pair of us muralling in Tokyo some years ago. It is very rare that we sell stencils from another designer but the stencil is fabulous...and so is she so we made an exception.
Helen.