Making A Stencil
Tips
o When creating a stencil, always keep positive and negative space in mind
o Remember that the black portion is what you will be cutting out and eventually painting, the white area will remain white
o Keep in mind that in order for the stencil to work, you CANNOT have any enclosed white space or “islands” in other words, no white area can be fully enclosed by black
o CAUTION: Very thin black lines are delicate and have the tendency to rip or bend.
Methods For Stencil Improvement:
(not mandatory, but useful)
o Prior to cutting out your stencil, you may realize the edges are a bit jagged. There are three easy ways to fix this
1. Attempt to go back in with you X-Acto knife and clean up the edges, metal rulers are useful for straight edges
2. Sand paper can be used to create smoother edges on your stencil, BE GENTLE WITH THIN LINES
3. A hot glue gun can be used to coat your inner edges and then smooth over with a tooth pick, this will create sturdy stencils and ensure reusability
o Thin lines that tear or bend can be reinforced by hot gluing a portion of a tooth pick over the section similar to a splint which would be used to reinforce a broken finger
o If drawing your stencil isn’t quite working out, there are methods you can play around with on the computer with both Microsoft Word and Photoshop
1. Microsoft Word - http://www.wikihow.com/Create-a-Stencil-from-a-Picture-Using-Microsoft-Word
2. Photoshop - http://www.melissaevans.com/tutorials/stencil-art-creating-stencils-with-photoshop