Lesson 3: Using Multiple Overlay Stencils
Adding Shading and Highlighting
While the idea behind multiple overlay stencils is to create a realistic looking stenciled design, realism depends a lot of shadows and highlights. At first glance it may appear that this is built into the stencil itself. But the truth is that for the most part the wonderful shading you see on really nice stenciling jobs is done by you, and not something that is programmed into the stencil. That's why we practiced shading and highlighting in the last lesson.
For realistic shading and highlighting your best choice is to use a color a few shades deeper or lighter than the main color. You can always add a bit of white to your base color to create a natural highlight, but adding black will muddy your base color rather than simply darkening it, so you are best off finding a compatible but darker color.
For real highlighting, though, I've found that you are usually best off using white, or ivory. Light bouncing off of an object tends to look white rather than a paler version of the true color. The ideal highlighting comes from simply leaving the highlighted area unpainted – but only if you are working on a white wall. With this monkey, for instance, pale brown didn't show at all, but white gave him some dimension. On the other hand, dark brown worked fine for the shading.
By the same token, a light swirling motion of a small brush using black or dark gray will create a better shading effect that mixing black paint with the base paint. Remember that shadows fade from dark where the light is least available to paler when it is nearing the light source. So use your darkest color and smallest brush for deep shadows. Or, if you haven't got several colors available for gradiated shading, use the most pressure where you want the deepest shading, lightening up on both pressure and amount of paint as you move toward the light.
Notice that the deepest shadows on the monkey are on the underbelly, where there would be little light and at the top edges simply to help establish dimension.
Don't forget that before you start shading and highlighting you must decide where you want your source of light to appear to be originating from. Even if there is no real source of light in the area you are stenciling, there must be one in your mind, so that you can put the highlights in places where that light would logically hit the design, and the shadows in areas that would be away from that light source. So if you decide that the sun) or the window if you are doing interior objects) is above you and to the left, the highlights would go on upper surfaces on the left side of your stencil. Notice in this stencil of a cat and mouse that both are casting shadows on the "floor." Can you tell which direction the light is coming from? That is also the side that should be highlighted on both cat and mouse stencils to give them the needed depth.
However, as we also saw in the last lesson, you can create shadows and highlights that are not as realistic, but have a lovely and sophisticated effect by shading and highlighting the area with a contrasting color. In fact, some objects – flowers, animal fur, etc. often contain multiple colors and so you create more realism by swirling these in than by relying on a solid surface.
You can also add shadows either slightly below or above the stencil for added depth. The simplest way to do this is to use a "drop shadow" technique. You can do this freehand by taking a translucent stencil crème -or better still, a stencil gel - and lightly swirling just below and to one side of the finished stencil, or you can cheat. With an intricate design, where all that freehanding would become a tedious and drawn out process, I cheat by stenciling my shadow first, using the actual stencil and a medium gray paint. I then reposition the stencil moving it slightly above and to the right (or left, depending on where you have decided the light source is that is shading and highlighting your stencils) and then using the actual colors of the objects in the stencil. With liquid acrylics, this works beautifully since they tend to be highly pigmented and will cover any of the shadow stencil that needs to be eliminated.
NOTE : Objects need to be in front of something before they can cast a shadow. A bird in the sky or a fence against sky would not be casting shadows against it; however, those same things in front of a wall or other object would.
Sometimes your stencil will come with the cutout portion of the stencil included. This is what you call a "mask." This rabbit stencil included the entire cutout of the body shape. The mask is an excellent guide for shadowing. Simply cover the stenciled design with the mask, moving it just slightly to the inside, and stencil your shadow along its edges. Use the deepest color of shading here – from there you can freehand lighter shading inside the object. Using the rabbit mask I was able to stencil a precise and thin deep brown shadow down his back - and tehn worked my way inward (minus the mask) to fade that to a lighter brown.
You can then use the mask as a guide to allow you to stencil a perfectly aligned shadow behind the object, as though it were being cast on the wall. I didn't, with the rabbit because he is not standing in front of something against which he could cast a shadow. However, if you look at the tree root on his left, it is casting a shadow on the ground below it.
Can you tell which direction the light is coming from with this rabbit? Notice how the fur in front is whitest of all, while the back edge of his body is darkest? And that part of his leg area, which would protrude from the bosy and so naturally gather more light, is highlighted?
Other Uses for Masks If you want a graphic style or outline for what you are stenciling, rather than a strongly realistic effect, moving the mask inside the opening to allow just a small gap between it and the opening will allow you to stencil that outline flawlessly. The thickness of the outline depends on how much space you leave between the lask and the actual stencil. To make it show as an outline you use the same technique that I used to create the deepest shading on the rabbit - but use a color that will contrast sharply - black, for instance, or bright green against yellow.
Masks are also an excellent way to create depth in a stenciled composition easily and safely. Unfortunately, not all stencils include these. It is possible to make your own by tracing the outline of the stencil onto clear mylar, waxed paper, or any moisture-proof but thin paper and then cutting them out with a craft knife, or, if the shape is simple, with scissors.
BONUS: Another use for masks is to create a reverse or negative stencil. Say the cutouts consist of several holly leaves and a few berries. Arrange these on a card so that they create a pleasing design, and spray paint over lightly – just mist the color on. When you remove the masks, you will have a negative of your stencil, with the card color coming through the area protected by the masks, and the spray paint mist creating a new foreground color. A fast and easy way to make personalized Christmas cards or gift-wrap and tags.
