From Bleeds to Beauty: Playing with Stencil Bleaching

For my AECP Level 2 class, Beyond Basic Backgrounds, I explored the bleaching technique—but with a little twist! Instead of bleaching with stamps, I tried it with stencils, and it gave me such fun results.

The Backgrounds

I started by ink blending a watercolor panel with Wilted Violet, Peacock Feathers, and Fossilized Amber Distress Oxide inks. I didn’t worry too much about getting a perfect blend since the bleaching would change the look anyway.

 

Once the background was ready, I placed the Luminous Diamond Ring Stencil over it. For the bleaching, I used a baby wipe. I made sure to remove the excess water first (so it wouldn’t bleed under the stencil), then rubbed it in a swirling motion over the stencil openings. As the wipe touched the inked areas, the Distress Oxides reacted with the water, pushing the colors away and creating a lighter, bleached effect.

My first attempt had a bit of bleeding under the stencil, but I actually liked the rustic, artistic feel of it. For the second background, I limited my blending to Peacock Feathers and Wilted Violet only. This time, I used the same wipe, which was drier, and it gave me much crisper results.

Stepping Up the Design

To add more depth, I brought in the Squiggly Lines Background Stencil and lightly blended some areas using Azurite Fresh Dye Ink. I also rubbed the same ink directly along the panel edges and blended it lightly inward. This gave a rustic, worn look that really complemented the bleached design.

The Cards

• First Card: I embraced the “bled” background and added a leaf die cut, lightly inked with Fossilized Amber. I placed it on the top left and bottom right corners and finished with a sentiment in the center.
• Second Card: On the crisper background, I stamped flowers from the Cinaneria Stamp Set roughly around the panel. 

For the sentiment, I tried something new! I spread a thin layer of Pearl Shimmer Relief Paste on a piece of cardstock, let it dry, and then stamped my sentiment with Obsidian Black Ink. The shimmer from the paste added such a pretty, elegant touch.

Final Thoughts

I really enjoyed experimenting with bleaching through stencils. It gave me two completely different looks depending on how wet my wipe was—one soft and rustic, the other crisp and detailed. This technique is definitely one I’ll keep in my crafty toolbox for future backgrounds!

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