I like to decorate mats around paintings and I discovered that using Colored Pencils with Rebecca Baer’s Petite and Elegant stencils work wonderfully. A few things to be aware of. Prismacolor pencils are soft wax based to enable lovely layering and blending. As such it sometimes produces a not so sharp line, especially on mats that have been custom painted with acrylic paint. I found that the less expensive brands, such as Prang, or even Crayola, work better in these instances. As always TEST, TEST, TEST. In a pinch put a specific pencil in the freezer for a while to make it less ‘soft’.
With a little practice you will learn what works for you but I am totally thrilled with the results. I used a regular sized stencil on this painted mat. I think it would have been better with Prismacolor Verithin pencils or a lesser brand but it was my first attempt and I still like it. Rebecca’s website.
Dear Marian:
I am interested in decorating mats and I feel it adds to the painting.
I was very pleased to read and learn some of the ways that are used to decorate the mats such as: in order to get a sharper line, I need to freeze a pencil for a time to harden the point.
I painted the green apple in a class that you taught and I am so pleased with the results and I would like to frame it with a mat that would add to my piece. I thank you for the information.
I enjoy reading “how to’s” from other artists, it is a good learning tool.
Marilyne