Stenciling with Sierra Dew

Nadine Kam photos
People of all ages can appreciate the ease and results of stenciling.


Spent a fun and creative afternoon at Fresh Cafe, where Sierra Dew was sharing her time, talent and materials to present her workshop "Using Your Stencil Pencil" as part of GirlFest.

Apparently, it was craziest in the morning, when people were anxious to get started creating. I showed up in the afternoon when things had calmed down. The downside was the T-shirts were all gone so only tote bags were left.

Sierra was so funny, because I had busted out my iPhone while interviewing her and she picked up on the Hello Kitty case right away, and said she had some Hello Kitty stencils that are popular with kids when she does her workshops. So, as soon as she saw me she busted out one of those stencils! I wasn't planning on using a Hello Kitty design, but it was so cute, I figured, why not?

I couldn't leave the design alone, so started adding a sort of leopard camouflage pattern over kitty. I was moving the stencil around before paint dried, hence the resulting smears.
Sierra's so reassuring, telling those who didn't like those smudges and smears, "It's your first one." She's learned from many a workshop that adults are very hard on themselves because they expect precision. But, like everything, it takes practice and constantly trying to improve on one's skills.

Thanks Sierra!

 

Participants in Sierra Dew's workshop used combinations of graphics and lettering for their T-shirt and tote designs.

 

Sierra Dew, left, with one of the workshop participants and her finished shirt.

I dressed Hello Kitty in a sort of leopard-spot camo.

On the other side of my tote, I used Sierra's buffalo design, created exclusively for her husband, but which she slipped into her box of stencils. Digging deep, I found it and it appealed to me more than some of the girly designs. If you're wondering why it has a yellow butt, that's from a peacock feather design I put on the tote first. Go figure.