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Adapted from "The Stencilled Home" by Helen Morris
For more tips and hints, Helen's book is available from our accessories section.
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Adhering a stencil to a surface |
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In my experience, the best way to secure your stencil is to use an adhesive repositioning spray.
A light spraying will last a long time without leaving traces of glue on your surface. This is
valuable when stencilling fabric or using spray paint. Always follow the manufacturer's
safety instructions. A cheaper, but inferior, alternative is to use low-tack masking tape.
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Emulsion (latex), acrylic and water-based stencil paint will dry instantly if you use this
method. Use a separate brush for each colour and ensure that each one is dry before
starting work.
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1. Shake up your paint so that it coats the inside of the lid, making
a handy palette. Put just the tips of the bristles in the paint and circle
the loaded brush onto a wad of kitchen paper. A vigorous swirling
disperses the paint up the bristles. Do one last swirl on a clean
patch to dry the tips of the brush.
2. Before your first attempt at stencilling, do a test stipple on a piece
of paper and run your finger instantly over the mark - if it smudges,
go back to your kitchen paper. It is surprising how little paint
you need and how far it goes. Stippling, or pouncing, is produced
by tapping the flat end of the brush straight up and down onto
your surface, keeping your brush at 90 degrees so that the bristles
do not escape under the stencil bridges.
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3. Another method of stencilling is to swirl or circle the paint through the stencil. The
method is just as the names describes just 'tickle' the paint through the stencil windows.
Begin the stencilling motion on the film just outside your design and swirl your way
into the shape.
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Stencilling with oil paint sticks |
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This is a very easy way of stencilling for beginners, where the colours blend well. Brushes
should be used with these crayons to disperse the colour. Make sure that you have a
clean, dry brush for every colour. Some crayons are colour-fast on fabrics always do
a test piece and wait 72 hours before laundering.
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1. Use a dust sheet to protect surfaces and have kitchen paper handy to keep
oily fingers at bay.
2. Using a non-porous palette, such as a tile, a polythene bag or
the surrounding plastic stencil, scribble colour from the crayon.
3. Then take up the paint into your brush and apply it by swirling
it into the paint, then through the hole in the stencil, using either
a circling or a pouncing stroke. Build up the colours in layers
and do not overload the brush.
4. In order to create shading, add deeper colour around the
edges of the shapes.
5. When using paint sticks on a surface that may need varnish,
wait three to five days before doing so. Clean your stencil and
brush with white spirit.
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When shading, start with the lightest colour and finish with the darkest.
Follow this sequence and the order in which the colours were applied will be
easily remembered. You then only need to take extra care in placing the last
colour, as mistakes with paler colours can be covered up.
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1. Start by stencilling onto the surround and work your way into the holes
from the edges in (see photograph below).
2. Round shapes, such a fruit or balloons, benefit from gradually
fading the colour towards the middle of the shape. This gives
dimension to the shape, acting as a bloom on fruit, a shine on a
balloon, or sunlight on a leaf. Yellow has been applied to some of
the leaves on this stencil, which will merge with the green and red
and make the image appear softer and more colourful.
3. The next colour can now be applied wherever it is desired. The
yellow leaves here are lightly covered with green, but the centre of
the fruit has been left.
4. Finally apply your darkest shade, which will emphasise any
outlines that you want to define. Keep the darkest or strongest
colours to the edges of each shape so that the design edges are clearly
visible. If you stipple or wiggle your brush onto the surround so that
just a few bristles get to colour the shape, you will achieve delicate
outlining. Note that the largest amount of red paint is on the outside,
rather than the inside of the stencil pattern.
5. When repeating your shaded design, do not bother to replicate the first
one - a similar effect will be better than an exact one.
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Although all our stencils are supplied ready cut you may want to experiment with cutting your own stencils. Use a self-heal cutting mat or a sheet of glass. Hold a scalpel or craft knife like a pencil
and make your cut smoothly and continuously. Do not lift your blade more than
necessary and always cut towards yourself and manoeuvre the stencil rather
than the knife.
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1. Cut out all areas to be stencilled as well as the registration
marks. As you cut the stencil it will become floppier, so start
with small details and work from the middle outwards. If you
break one of the stencil bridges, repair it by placing sticky tape
over the wound and cut the shape again through the tape.
2. A heatpen can be used to cut polyester stencils by tracing the
outline of the design with the nib of the pen. The shape should
pop out. Do not forget to cut out your registration crosses.
Cut on to glass when using a heatpen.
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"The Stencilled Home" by Helen Morris has many more helpful stencilling hints and tips, and is available to order from our accessories section.
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