Be aware that if you are just beginning, you may find it easier to use a photograph as the basis for your stencil rather than trying to make a compelling stencil from a freehand drawing.
When you are done, the shaded or colored areas will be the parts of the design that you will cut out and spray paint through. The other areas of your design won’t be painted, and will be the color of the wall or canvas that you are working on.
The easiest way to understand bridges is to think of the letter O. If you are creating a stencil containing a shape like an O, you may try to cut a black loop out of the paper. However, if you cut out a loop that goes all the way around, the white middle section of the O will fall away as well as the loop you cut out, leaving you with a large black circle instead of the letter O. To stop the white middle section from falling away, you have to create bridges in your design, which are vertical sections that connect the space surrounding the O with the white middle part of the O. This will make the black part of the O that you will cut away look like a pair of parenthesis, rather than a black loop. Look at your design with a critical eye. If you see any sections that need bridges to keep the elements inside the cut out areas intact, erase parts of the shaded in sections to make bridges in the design.
For instance, if you are making a design of a face, you may first make a black outline of the face, then outline each facial feature. A more compelling way to create a face is to shade and cut out a shadow, which extends from the jaw, up the cheeks and over to the mouth, then goes up the side of the face until it reaches the eye. This shadow that you made not only unites the features and makes a more interesting design, it also adds dimension to the face.
Create the outline of your design on the exact same spot on each sheet of cardstock, then assign one color to each sheet of cardstock. Use a marker to add the color where it should be on each sheet, so that if you were to overlap them, you would have the full color image. For instance, say you were making a cherry design with three colors: black, red and green. You would draw the thin outline of the cherry on the same spot on each page of cardstock. On one sheet of cardstock you would use black marker to thicken the outline of the cherry, making bridges as necessary. On another, you would color in the red fruit of the cherry. On the last sheet, you would color in the green stem and leaves.
Try to pick an image that is relatively simple, such as a high-contrast portrait or a piece of fruit. If this is one of the first stencils you are making, avoid highly-detailed images like a cheetah with spots. Don’t use a copyrighted image. Use either stock photography or a photograph that you took. Also try to pick an image that is self-contained. For example, instead of choosing a picture of a sprawling landscape, pick out a tree or a flower instead of the whole scene.
Photoshop and Gimp require some knowledge of the software, but they give you more control over how the image turns out. The websites made to convert images into stencil designs are instantaneous, and only require you to drop in the image, which they then make into color separations. However, you end up having less control over how the image turns out than if you hand-tweaked it using a software like Photoshop.
If you are using Photoshop, make the original picture your first layer, then create a copy of it in the second layer by dragging the bar of the first layer into the Create New Layer icon, shaped like a page, at the bottom of the Layers panel. Lock and turn off the visibility of the first layer. Then outline the image in the second layer you made using the Magic Wand or the Pen tool. Click Select > Inverse, then press delete to eliminate the background.
To adjust the contrast in Photoshop, click on Image > Adjustments > Brightness and Contrast, then enter 100% into the contrast box. If you want to use multiple colors in your design, skip the step of turning your image into grayscale.
If you are using Photoshop, adjust the brightness by clicking Image > Adjustments > Brightness and Contrast, then turning up the brightness.
After you print your image, use markers to color the place on the design where you want the color to be. Use one color per board, so if they were to be combined together, they would create the multi-color image.
Print your image so that there is at least a 2 inch (5. 08 cm) border around the design. This will make your stencil more stable when the design is cut out. To use the spray adhesive, hold the can about a foot from the paper, then spray, moving the can to spray the entire back of the paper. After the back of the paper is coated with spray adhesive, pick it up, flip it over, and lay it flat on the cardstock or poster paper, then use your hand to smooth the paper down.
If you are using a photograph that you altered as the base of your stencil, cut away the black areas or the areas you colored, in the case of multi-color designs. If you are cutting a stencil that is based on a design you made, cut away the areas that you shaded. The shaded areas indicate the places where the paint will be applied. It’s best to cut away the smaller shapes first rather than the bigger sections because as you cut more material away, the less stiff and more flimsy the material gets, giving you less control over your cuts. Cut slowly and carefully while holding the stencil down, keeping your fingers away from the blade of the knife.
If notice that your design needs alterations, refine it until you are happy with how it looks.
If you have a basic stencil without a lot of intricate details, you can simply place your stencil on the surface, then tape it on all four sides using duct tape. If your stencil has a lot of intricate details, it’s better to use spray adhesive, which will ensure that all the areas of the stencil lie flat. To use spray adhesive, place the stencil on the ground with the side you will be pasting to the wall facing up. Hold a can of spray adhesive about a foot from the stencil, then spray evenly over the entire surface of the stencil. Lift up the stencil by the corners, then place it against the wall and use your hand to smooth over the stencil so it sticks to the wall. Make sure that the stencil is flush against the wall. Gaps between the stencil and the wall may let paint cover areas of the design that are meant to be blank. [10] X Research source Keep in mind that you should always paint in a well-ventilated area.
You can also wear a bandana across your face, though a mask or respirator is more effective.
It’s better to spray in thin layers rather than to heavily paint section by section. Keep your hand moving constantly in left to right lines, and don’t worry if you haven’t completely covered a section, because you can add more layers. Try to use spray paint bought from an art store that is meant for making art. Brands of spray paint meant for painting furniture are lower quality, and they have a tendency to drip and apply patchily. When you are spraying, try your best to only spray inside the stencil. If you spray around the stencil, it will create blurry lines around your design that will detract from your art.
After you finish the stencil in one color, pick up the next stencil and place it on the wall, referring to the crop marks you made. Then paint the second color. Continue until you have filled in all the colors.
