The Basics Of Stencil Making

What is stenciling without stencils, right? Those thin sheets where figures or letters have been cut out are actually the heart of this art form. Stencils are what make stenciling distinct from other crafts. And it can be argued that stencil making is an art form of its own.

Stencil making starts from the conceptualization of an idea. You have to allow your imagination to run free. Explore anything and everything that you could put on a canvass, and settle for the idea that excites you the most. Once that's done, some initial layouts are in order, primarily in the planning of the layers of your piece.

Stenciling, you see, consists of the usage of stencils to guide the painting process. Sometimes, layers of paint should overlap to achieve the desired effect. More often, however, the different components of the piece should be segregated so that cutouts can be made which are appropriate for each part. Each part would then be used as the guide for the paint application. Hence, it is important that these components are sorted out beforehand, and this entails studying the idea you have settled on, making a two dimensional representation, and mapping out the details for the needed parts.

Each part would be used as a guide for the corresponding stencil.

The next step in stencil making is cutting out specific materials for the task. Materials can be made of wood, plastic, delicate metal, glass, or any other thing that is thin enough to be incised into shapes and figures and to allow the paint to pass through. The two dimensional representation that should already be mapped out will be used as a guide in the actual cutting of the stencils. For this purpose, you'd need a stencil cutter, which is a box knife type of tool that is specifically designed for the job. A multi-purpose knife is advised if you're planning on carving a variety of distinct shapes and figures. A rotary knife would come in handy as well, but it is not necessary. Consider it only if you have the budget for the same.

And once that's done, the stencil making is complete. All you have to do to finish your piece is to put the proper stencils in their place, one at a time, and apply the paint (or perhaps, a stencil ink spray) on the same and onto the canvass. After all the stencils have served their purpose, enjoy the piece that you have created.