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Age Range: 5+
Time to Complete: 15-20 minutes.
Supplies Needed
Pencil
Scissors
Construction paper or cardstock
Tape
Crayons, colored pencils, or chalk pastels
Gather your materials for the project. Pick a thicker paper for your stencil, like cardstock or construction paper.
1. Using a pencil and paper, sketch simple seasonal shapes onto the paper. Alternatively, you may print and use the stencil worksheet.
2. After completing your sketches, or printing your worksheet, carefully cut out the shapes using scissors. For younger students, it is recommended to have an adult complete this portion.
3. Repair the cut lines on your stencil sheet with tape. Be cautious to not cover the cut out parts of your stencil with the tape.
5. Take a sheet of colored construction paper and fold it in half so that the short sides touch. This will be your card.
6. Select a stencil and firmly hold it against the front of your card on the work surface. Select a color from your chosen medium and begin to fill in the stencil with one or many colors. Do not worry about coloring over the edges of the stencils as the stencil will protect your card from stray marks.
7. You can use different colors in your stencil.
8. You may also use the shapes you cut out from your stencil to create silhouettes of shapes by firmly pressing them onto your card while coloring around the edges.
9. After you have completed adding stenciled shapes to your card, feel free to add further embellishments using free hand techniques.
Notes: When creating a Seasonal Greeting Card, it is a good idea to decorate both inside and outside of the card. It is also a good idea to write a message to the card’s intended recipient.
About the artist
Marion Osborn Cunningham (1908-1948) was well known for creating serigraphs or screenprints from the 1930s until her death in 1948. Recurring subjects in her prints were cable car scenes, as well as scenes of San Francisco, where was living. She was a member of the National Serigraph Society, the San Francisco Art Association, and the San Francisco Women Artists.
The Bakersfield Museum of Art was initially named the Cunningham Memorial Art Gallery, created by a gift from the artist’s family. The collection of serigraphs by Marion Osborn Cunningham initially shaped the Museum’s Permanent Collection. Today the Museum has over 80 works on paper by the late Marion Cunningham.
Screen Printing: A printing method that uses a silkscreen or mesh to hold a stencil. Ink is pushed through the screen and blocked by the stencil. Screen prints made by artists can also referred to as serigraphs.
Stencil: a material (such as paper, metal or plastic), with a design cut out of it used as a guide to create multiple versions of the design. The resulting image can also be described as a stencil.