stencil guide

[rioters bloc]

i guess the first thing to remember with stencils is that everyone does it differently. people have different techniques, use different materials, have different reasons for doing it. there are no hard and fast rules about it so dont worry too much abt doing it 'right'. essentially all it is is a sheet of material with holes in it through which paint flows, usually onto some kind of backing eg. a wall.

so that said, heres how i do it plus some variations, there are prolly more that i dont know abt.

start with a design, i sketch a lot so i usually use my own, but you can always get a photograph, desaturate it [make it black and white] and play around with the contrast and brightness until you get a decent black and white design, without too many fiddly bits [unless youre a pro but then why would you be reading this?]. the black parts will be the bits you need to cut out so bear that in mind. make it as easy as possible for yourself. youll probably need to adapt the photo as well to make it readable, use your creativity! if you dont have any, fuck off!

haha just kidding.

no but seriously remember to be flexible.

next, take your design and get rid of any white 'islands'. these are white areas totally enclosed by black. as you probably realise, if you try and cut a black outline of a circle out of a sheet of material youre going to end up with a big fat hole. so keep a small gap in the black line to ensure this doesnt happen.

so here's my original image.



as you can see there are heaps of these islands

here is my new, edited image.. still some islands but i couldnt be bothered to take them out, mainly cos im just going to be redrawing this onto card anyway, i just edited it on the computer to show you how its meant to be.



note: in the final product i get rid of the braids cos they were too hard

NEXT.. putting it onto the material of your choice. i use cardboard. just cos i like it, and i can draw straight onto it. not too thick or youll find it hard to cut into it. not too thin cos then it could tear. many people use acetate [the kind of plasticky stuff you use on overhead projectors]. you can draw straight onto it with a thin permanant marker, or you can print out your image and stick it on with spray adhesive. ive tried it, i like it a fair bit but find it too expensive and flimsy. another option which i haven't tried is printing our your image and getting it laminated. i think that would work heaps well i just redrew my image straight onto the card, as you'll see soon the image is actually a fair bit different. i could have traced it on i suppose...hmm...

so youve got your image all ready, now to cut it out! you can use any kind of blade really, i use a stencil knife - its sharp and thin but a little hard to handle. stanley knives are usually thicker but easier to hold. since theyre trapped in plastic. duh.. here's a photo of my blade: sooooo shiny and sharp...well not that sharp since ive used it heaps...but still shiny...



i use a cutting mat which i bought at an art shop, you can cut on anything really as long as it wont get/doesnt matter if it gets scratched. i only got a cutting mat recently, after my mum yelled at me for getting scratches everywhere

so since i didnt take photos cutting it out, heres a photo of the finished product. a little unfocused but i was in a rush so shush.



next, get spraying. i use craft spray paint, it stays on walls, metal, wood, fabric,etc. sometimes i use normal acrylic paint and a brush [really depends on how much time you have]. car spray paint is also meant to be great but i havent used it. decide where you want to stencil. for the purposes of this guide i just did it on a wall on the ethnocultural space at uni. hold the stencil against the wall with one hand and spray with the other, from about 20cm away. make sure you get the entire stencil, you may need to do another layer. hold the stencil for a bit longer to stop any drippage and then remove it and run away.

or walk away.

less suss.

heres the stencil on the wall, didnt come out amazing [the arm holding the balloon is kinda...not all there...] and the eyes are a little uneven but its okay the little eye liner things are my trademark btw [cos thats what i do with my own eyes ].



and here's the stencil after being sprayed [okay now this is just me being trigger-happy...trigger equalling shutter]



if you want to do it on the ground, heres a good tip. you know those enviro friendly bags that everyone has these days to replace plastic bags? get one of those [the go green ones are good because they have a larger base] and cut a hole in it, larger than your stencil but smaller than the piece of cardboard or acetate. put the stencil flat on the bottom of the bag with a spraypaint can inside there too [there should JUST be enough space, best to get a smaller can for this though just in case]. stop where you want to stencil and put your bag down on the ground, pretending to rummage through it. then just whip off the top and start spraying.when youre done just get up and start walking again.

so thats a really basic guide. maybe later ill make a thread with tips for stencilling without being caught by coppers but too lazy now. or better yet someone else do it.

[Led Zeppelin]

You have beautiful fingers.

[rioters bloc]

also, with materials, sometimes if i have no money i steal em but most of the time i buy them. heres a rough idea of how much youd be looking at spending, in $AU

cardboard - 25 sheets for $2.75
acetate - a3 sheet - $1.15
to get a4 laminated - $1
stencil knife - $4 with 3 spare blades
stanley knife - $1.50
cutting mat - $5 [i think its worth it, really good things]
spraypaint - $7.50

you can always just use carboard from a box [recycling bins are handy] and a knife. spraypaint you can probably find for cheaper, if you want smaller cans to carry in your pocket www.powderbomb.com is great.. and its australian! which is handy for me

[rioters bloc]

Originally posted by Marxism-Leninism@Sep 7 2005, 08:59 PM
You have beautiful fingers.

danke darl



:P

[spartafc]

i've seen afew stencil making guides - always interesting.
We need a thread to share ideas of stencils I think.

[rioters bloc]

www.stencilrevolution.com - mad resource!

and yeah, lets start one up in the graphics forum

im going to start working on one tomorrow, ive got the design ready. its of a riot police officer bashing the shit out of someone and underneath it shall say 'i love a man in uniform'

[Nothing Human Is Alien]

Great work comrade!

[Black Dagger]

Great stencil, i think i'll put that on a shirt if you don't mind?

[Nothing Human Is Alien]

You should make one with a hammer & sickle so I can put one on a shirt too..

[Black Dagger]

You should put something more original/innovative on your t-shirt. It would probably get whatever message you want to express, across better. The H&S is likely to turn people 'off' or actively want to kill you :P

[novemba]

aaaaaaaaaaaahahah I am the supreme stencil master.

no seriously this is my area of expertice, I can answer any questions if needed

[novemba]

RB you forgot to mention spray adhesive, thus the mad over spray

[Clarksist]

You should make one with a hammer & sickle so I can put one on a shirt too..

I am wearing a red shirt right now with a yellow H&S that I stencilled on it.

Great way to stir the pot at school.

[Nothing Human Is Alien]

Yeah.. thanks for the fashion tips but I've been wearing H&S shirts for years.

[rioters bloc]

Originally posted by Zackaria@Sep 8 2005, 09:24 AM
RB you forgot to mention spray adhesive, thus the mad over spray

i dont use it, too expensive i find

$32 for a medium sized can, pfft

but yeah maybe you should start a handy tips for stencilling thread or something, i havent been doing it for very long at all so i don't know many.. just what i learnt from friends

[novemba]

youve done a great job already!

all i have to say is stencilrevolution.com has very nice tutorials.

[Black Dagger]

Yeah.. thanks for the fashion tips but I've been wearing H&S shirts for years.

No worries, if you need any future advice just drop me a PM

[Urban Rubble]

I made one of the Palestinian Rock Thrower picture (the one with the kid in front of th tank) but I don't know where the pic is.

[Livetrueordie]

nice tutorial. stencils are great for sidewalks and walls(though im against permanent vandalization) making shirts, or just an easy way to make mass flyers.

you know those enviro friendly bags that everyone has these days to replace plastic bags?

yeah no one has those in the states... really who needs the enviroment. plus most store won't let you take cloth bags in because they think you'll "pocket" things. i try to use paper bags or boxes.

[Patchy]

I've heard the words fabric spray somewhere in here, I think. I'm having a hell of a time finding that (I live in Canada).

What is it exactly? And will spraypaint work fine?

Only problems I see with regular spray paint is the toxic label stamped on it, and it will just wash off when you wash it.