Lesson 1: Media for Walls and Hard Surfaces - Beyond the Usual
Bonus: Cut your own Stencils
The most basic of all stenciling supplies is, of course, a stencil of some type. And while there are thousands and thousands of designs available, there always seems to come a time when you can't find one that depicts what you need. Or you can't find one that you can afford.
If affordability is the issue, then you may want to check out Dover Books, which has a vast line of "Cut and Use" stencil books in numerous themes, from Oriental to American Indian, Celtic, floral, Art Nouveau and more. In this case, all you need to know is how to cut the stencil from the page and make it usable. In the first instance, you may need to learn to create a stencil from scratch.
Basic Cutting on Cardboard
Dover's Cut and Use stencils are printed on cardstock, about the thickness of a manila folder. The first thing you need to do with these is to cut the desired design from the book, leaving a good margin around the area to be cut out. Then sponge a thick layer of a mix of 50% boiled linseed oil and 50% turpentine or mineral spirits over the design. Not so much that it will drip, but enough to saturate the paper. This will make the paper more pliable and prevent paint from seeping through it. Allow the stencil to dry until it is no longer sticky to the touch - about ten minutes..
Now take a crafts knife and start the fun. You are only cutting the solid black areas of the page out of the paper.(The stencil pictured above is typical of what you would see in a Dover book, but if you design your own coloring the cut out areas in solid colors will help you to avoid cutting the wrong things.)
You will need an old, hard board or, better still, a sheet of glass to cut on, so as not to damage your tabletop.
Grasp your stencil knife just as you would a pencil. Try to cut each element out in one continuous stroke of the knife blade, moving it toward you and turning the paper as needed. Little starts and stops leave you with little jagged edges in the design. Cut the tiniest details out first, and then, as you gain confidence, start on the larger elements. Don't worry if you accidentally slip and slice through a bridge - these can be mended with small pieces of adhesive tape. You may need to sharpen the blade if you find that you are getting fuzzy or ragged edges from your cut.
For small dots, you can punch the holes with a paper punch, knitting needles or an ice pick. Use a bit of fine sandpaper to smooth the edges on these.
You can make your own stencil by transferring a design onto card stock with carbon paper and then cutting as you did above.
Basic Cutting on Mylar (Film) You can use a crafts knife on stencil film, just as you did with the cardboard, but you will get a smoother result if you use a stencil-cutting tool which will actually burn the film along the lines you trace with it, so that the unwanted elements simply fall away. You will definitely need glass or some hard, non-melting or burning surface to work on with this tool, but the results will be smoother than can be accomplished with the craft knife.
All you do is trace the line with the tip of the burner. Work with even pressure and at a steady pace. Leaving the tip on the film too long will create a larger hole that you may want. Remember always to lift the tip when rotating around a corner.
Using glass will allow you to trace patterns that are beneath the glass if you are cutting into clear mylar. Since you can see right through the glass, tracing the design onto your stencil film with a permanent marker or pencil is quite simple. Then you simply need to take your stencil burner and start cutting.
Stained glass patterns, many of which are available free on the Internet, are usually very well suited to stenciling, as the designs also involve bridges - the lead that holds the stained glass together works the same as the bridges that hold your stencil together.
NOTE: If you have QuickTime installed on your computer you can watch Joan Lawrence design and cut a stencil. HGTV also shows you how.
Making Your Own Stencils - a Few Resources
If you want to try your hand at creating your own stencils, read Jo Murphy's article on Stenciling Tips and Tricks. You may also want to look at creating a simple multiple overlay stencil.
