Armour Etch is a registered trademark of International House Corp. DBA Armour Products. Blick is a registered trademark of Dick Blick Holdings, Inc. Fruit of the Loom is a registered trademark of Fruit of the Loom, Inc. Hanes is a registered trademark of HBI Branded Apparel Ltd. Inc. Helmut Lang is a registered trademark of Helmut Lang New York LLC. Mod Podge is a registered trademark of Plaid Enterprises, Inc. MTV is a registered trademark of Viacom International, Inc. Mylar is a registered trademark of Du Pont De Nemours and Co. Photoshop is a registered trademark of Adobe Systems, Inc. Royal Coat is a registered
trademark of Plaid Enterprises, Inc. Sharpie is a registered trademark of Sanford, L.P. Shrinky Dinks is a registered trademark of K & B Innovations, Inc. Temptu is a registered trademark of Temptu Marketing, Inc. Wilton is a registered trademark of Wilton Industries, Inc. X-Acto is a registered trademark of Elmer’s Products, Inc. Please use caution when doing any craft project. Situations and conditions may vary, so always use your common sense. Check product labels to be sure that the materials are safe and nontoxic and take care to use them according to the manufacturer’s instructions and safety
warnings. The author and publisher disclaim all liability from any damage or injury that may result from the directions or information in this book, whether used properly or improperly. Although creativity in stenciling your own property is a good thing, you should respect the property rights of others, including public agencies and offices. Stencil responsibly!
Contents Introduction Materials Ed’s Favorite Things Techniques How to Make Your Own Stencils How-to Projects 1 - Let’s Face It 2 - T-Shirts, Two Ways
3 - Time to Reflect 4 - Plate Tectonics 5 - Get Plastered 6 - Block Party 7 - Shrinky Dink! 8 - Rock Out 9 - Something Sweet 10 - Tattoo You 11 - Extra Layers 12 - Heart Felt
13 - Pinup Star 14 - Give Me Your Leather 15 - Make an Impression 16 - Signed, Sealed, Delivered 17 - Contain Yourself 18 - Needle & Thread 19 - A Hairy Situation 20 - Au Naturel 21 - Cut & Paste
22 - Screen Test 23 - The Royal Treatment 24 - Screen Star! 25 - Print Junkie Resources Acknowledgments Photo Credits Copyright
Introduction Doing It Yourself, customization & Stepping It Up “I quit,” I said in November 2004 when I’d had enough of the cutthroat New York ad agency environment. I sometimes compare my experience working at that agency to Arthur Miller’s The Crucible. Or Mean Girls. Either way, I’d had enough of big-company politics, competitive coworkers, meetings about meetings, and the sheer lack of creativity afforded me there. Leaving allowed me to do my own thing and start Stencil1. I was nervous about
the leap, but I was finally free to design without other people’s direction or approval—a truly liberating endeavor. I believe the DIY movement sprang from similar scenarios. A collective distaste for mass-market culture has led many of us to say, “No more!” Artists, designers, crafters, and the creatively curious, like me, continue to say farewell to the everyday by expressing ourselves in new and exciting ways. When I was a teenager in the ‘80s, kids made their own styles. Punk, Goth, and New Wave were in, and you could really make a statement by cutting up your clothes or writing on your sneakers.
Now, these kinds of styles can be bought like a uniform at the mall. The handmade look is everywhere, from raveled edges on mass-market clothing to dripping paint on network TV graphics. Vintagestyle clothing and housewares can be attained without setting foot in a thrift store or saving a dime. Consumer products’ Web sites allow you to customize sneakers and T-shirts with the click of a mouse, but, of course, you’re limited to their designs and colors. Now with the resurgence of DIY, there is a growing backlash to cookie-cutter, mass-produced culture—not to mention the overblown prices. I say customization, authenticity, and uniqueness are the new luxury.
Save your money. My books show you how to customize shoes and shirts to your own aesthetic. Get ready to say “no more” to fake handmade! Love the vintage look? I can teach you how to get it. Plus, you’ll have the tactile experience of transforming clothes, bedding, and so much more. Rejoice, control freaks! You have the power. You’re choosing the surface; you’re choosing the colors. Think you’re not creative? You’re probably just a perfectionist. My first attempt at stenciling was a smudgy mess. Practice on cardboard first before you paint your grandma’s antique linen napkins.
In Stencil 101, I shared some designs from my Stencil1 line with inspirations that ranged from pop culture to nature. Then in Stencil 101 Decor, I shared my interest in pattern design and home decor. Now with Stencil 201, I give you a little of both, while throwing in some exciting new techniques from amazing guest artists and craftspeople. They have inspired me throughout my career and, hopefully, they will inspire you too. While working with Jenny Hart, I was amazed at how embroidery brought new life to my stencil design. It was like seeing it for the first time. That’s the cool thing about creativity: No two artists experience the same thing in the
same way. You will do things with these stencils I would never have imagined— and I hope you’ll send me pictures! This book is chock-full of advanced stenciling techniques so you can step it up with more DIY power. You will find how-tos for more than twelve new surfaces, allowing you to customize even more of your life. Plus, you can follow my step-by-step instructions for designing your own stencils for full creative control. By putting out my stencil line and these books, I hope to perpetuate the art of stenciling. It’s an art form that transcends social and economic barriers
—stencil art decorates the world, from the wealthiest manors to the grittiest urban streets. I hope you enjoy and are inspired by this new book and stencils. I know many of you will surprise me with what you create. You always give me great pleasure and build up my creative energy—the great give and take. So with that I say a big, fat, “Thank you for your support!”
MATERIALS Everything You Need to Know to Get Started All materials recommended in this book can be found at your local hardware or art supply store. STENCILS Stencils come in all sorts of materials, but most are made of Mylar (polyester) sheets or from card stock. Mylar will last longer, of course. I’ve used some of my Mylar stencils more than fifty times.
If you use water-based paint, you can gently wash the Mylar stencils with soapy water and a sponge afterward to extend their life. Although you can’t wash card-stock stencils, they too are reusable, at least for several uses. To extend the life of your card-stock stencils, wipe excess paint from the stencil after use—especially around the edges. No matter what sort of stencils you use, allow them to dry flat and store them in a dry, flat place. Flip to the back of the book for 25 pages of stencils to choose from. You can find more stencils at www.stencil1.com, and in Stencil 101 and Stencil 101 Decor. Or, design and cut your own (see How to Make Your Own Stencils on).
BRUSHES & ROLLERS Stencil brushes Stencil brushes are different from standard paintbrushes in that they have a round, flat bristle head and are a little stiffer, to allow stencil pouncing. Pouncing is basically a technique in which you tap the paint onto the stencil rather than brushing it on. The brushes come in a variety of diameters; I recommend any size between 1/4 in/6 mm and 11/2 in/4 cm. Foam brushes
These affordable brushes, usually made of gray foam with a wood handle, are great for small stencil projects. They can be discarded after use. Newer designs called pouncers (or spouncers) have a dome-shaped head and are better for stenciling than the rectangular ones, especially if you want to use the pouncing technique. They cost more but are also more versatile. Mini foam rollers I recommend a 4-in-/10-cm-wide foam roller with a handle. This roller’s highdensity, tight-celled construction creates smooth-finish coats on walls and other surfaces.
ADHESIVES Repositionable spray adhesive This adhesive is used to hold your stencil securely in place while you are stenciling your design. You’ll apply it lightly to the back of the stencil, allow it to dry until it is tacky, and then attach the stencil to the surface you are painting. This adhesive is great for rounded furniture projects, but it is not recommended for edible projects! Blue painter’s tape Use this tape for holding your stencil in
place. It won’t damage your surface, and it works beautifully for stenciling walls. Any other type of tape will pull the existing paint off your surface or leave an oily stain. CUTTING TOOLS Utility knife with #11 blades and/or an electric stencil cutter/burner You will also need a rubber or glass cutting board if attempting to cut your own stencils. Scissors
Any type of crafting shears will be fine for cutting the shrink plastic in Project 7. PAINTS, INKS & OTHER PIGMENTS Choose the paint appropriate for the surface you are painting. See the chart below for suggestions or consult with your paint supply store to choose the right paint. SURFACE: PAINT TYPE CANVAS: Acrylic, oil, or spray paints (Be aware that oil paints are much less forgiving and messier than acrylics. They are better for professional usage!)
CARD STOCK: Stencil1 Sprayer, pigment ink pads, acrylic paint, or poster paint FABRIC FOR APPAREL, HOME LINENS: Fabric paint, Stencil1 Sprayer, or acrylic paint with fabric medium (acrylic polymer emulsion) mixed at 1:1 ratio GLASS, MIRROR: Porcelain or glass paint (For non-permanent applications such as holiday window painting, you can use acrylic or tempera paint.) PORCELAIN, CHINA, POTTERY: Porcelain or glass paint
STONE, CONCRETE: Stencil1 Sprayer or acrylic paint (Use polyurethane varnish to weatherproof if project is for outdoor use.) SUEDE, LEATHER: Water-based acrylic paint designed for leather or leather paint WALL: Acrylic, latex, or spray paint WOOD: Acrylic or oil paint (Your design must be glaze-coated after stenciling to protect the design.) MATERIALS (CONT.): MISCELLANEOUS
Bleach paste pen A bleach paste pen contains a thick easy-to-control paste, perfect for stenciling. Cardboard boxes or sheets Place boxes or sheets of cardboard between fabrics (T-shirts and pillowcases, for example) to prevent paint from seeping through to the next layer. Sheets or boxes should just fit inside the fabric, not stretching it too much, because that would distort your design. Glass etching cream
Etching cream removes a layer of surface or etches on glass and mirror. Level Made with your inner perfectionist in mind, a level will ensure a nice, level design on your wall. Paint palettes A saucer, plate, plastic egg carton, or artist’s palette—any of these will do for holding and mixing your paints. Paper towels These are essential for cleanup.
Plaster or joint compound This is great for embossing walls and can be found at the hardware store. Ruler/Straightedge A ruler or straightedge is used for perfecting a design on your surface and is ideal for patterns on the wall with even, consistent measurements. Sandpaper Sandpaper can be used to smooth walls, furniture, and other surfaces for painting. Scrap cardboard or thick paper
It’s helpful to keep scrap cardboard or paper on hand to place around the outer edges of your stencil and surface. This way you won’t get paint outside the edges of the stencil, especially if you are spray painting. Shrink plastic sheets Remember Shrinky Dinks? Well, you can still buy shrink film at office supply and craft stores. T-shirts Paint and bleach love 100 percent cotton T-shirts. You can use standard cotton Tshirts like Hanes or Fruit of the Loom, or
get an array of colors and cuts by American Apparel or Alternative Apparel. Wax paper This will be used for embossing the cards in Project 15.
ED’S FAVORITE THINGS Me Likey!
For cutting The X-Acto #11 Classic Fine Point Blade is the way to go. X-Acto knives are affordable and, as long as you remember to change the blades when
they dull, you’ll be zipping through your designs in no time. I have also used an X-Acto Craft Swivel Knife, which is ideal for cutting cured shapes. If you are really serious, a stencilcutting kit, which is an electric heated knife, will really speed up your cutting! The knife cuts through acetate and Mylar like butta. Always cut your acetate on a glass cutting board or a cooking sheet. For stenciling walls When using a larger stencil, I have two favorite tools: a 3/4-in/2-cm dense foam roller and a 11/2-in/4-cm round stencil brush.
The roller is great because the dense foam doesn’t hold too much paint, so there is less chance of overloading the roller and less chance of having a messy result. Also, they are only a few inches wide, so they are easy to manage. Dense foam rollers are ideal for the larger stencils I sell, such as the patterns in Stencil 101 Decor, and the oversize stencils I sell on my Web site, such as the 6-foot/183-cm birch trees. I can’t imagine doing those with a brush! These rollers are readily available in the paint department of your hardware store. The large stencil brush makes stenciling bold patterns go by so much faster than with a smaller stencil brush. It also
allows you more control, so you can experiment with dry-brush techniques that can yield a more distressed look. It’s also great for any stencil that has more open areas to fill in. I often see these brushes at home decor paint stores. And hallelujah! Now you don’t have to buy a lot of paint for smaller projects with the new sample-size jars of paint from Benjamin Moore. These only cost a few bucks and are perfect for one-wall stencil projects. For stenciling T-shirts I think the best results come from using either my Stencil1 Sprayers or jarred fabric paint with a 3/4-in/2-cm, round,
dense bristle stencil brush. Stencil1 Sprayers are acid-free archival inks. They are multi-surface, meaning you can use them on wood, paper, and, yes, fabric. When used on T-shirts or other apparel, they must be heat sealed with an iron for 1 to 2 minutes so they will adhere to the fabric. On T-shirts, they are super-fast, easy-to-use, and give you a soft, vintage look, unlike iron-ons or thicker fabric paints. You can create graffiti-inspired looks, such as drips and overspray. You can also use more than one color to create color gradients over one stencil design. If you prefer using jarred fabric paint and a brush for a cleaner appearance, I
think a 3/4-in/2-cm round, dense bristle stencil brush is a must. I prefer these over foam brushes. Dense bristle brushes are more predictable, meaning you can control the amount of paint the brush picks up, and the round shape of the brush seems to work better than the cheap, rectangular, foam brushes. For stenciling paper I have two favorites: Stencil1 Sprayers are perfect for paper projects (I stand by my product because I have developed it to work great). Specialty pigment ink pads are terrific too. When you use the sprayers on paper,
they dry instantly. You can make cards, posters, journal pages, scrapbook pages —you name it. You can also pour some in a paint dish and use it with a foam or bristle brush. Cosmetic sponges work very well with the inks for applying to paper too. Specialty pigment ink pads are not like regular ink pads. They contain special pigment ink and the pad tends to be softer. They are often used with rubber stamps and are great for stenciling. I like to use a bristle brush, swipe it along the pad a bit, then stencil onto paper. The best thing is that it is impossible to overload the brush with ink, which is the number one issue with paint stenciling.
Of course I have to mention Sharpie. Sharpies are ideal for stenciling cards or other paper projects. They’ve introduced a lot of fun new colors and their new dual-tipped marker makes stenciling fine details a breeze. In the coming year, you will see Stencil1 release a considerable number of new products. Using my years of experience and working with the best people in the field, we are currently developing a whole line of stenciling tools to make your projects easier and your creativity flow! Money-saving tips
Use plastic egg cartons as paint palettes. They are washable and reusable too! White T-shirts can be found cheap at the thrift store. Find the nice thin ones, bleach them, and you have a great vintage-looking T-shirt ready for your stencil magic! Use leaves as inverted stencils. Lay them down on the surface you are painting and spray around them with spray paint.
TECHNIQUES Basic and Advanced Moves Stenciling is different from traditional ways of painting—from the brushes and the preparation to the motion of painting itself. Here is a guide to the basics of stenciling, along with advanced techniques you can try. Remember, always clean your stencils with water and soap when you finish a project so you can use them again and again. The basics Starting with the most basic of tools, the
brush you use should be a round, flatheaded stencil brush with firm bristles. Sizes vary from 1/4 in/6 mm in diameter to 2 in/5 cm in diameter across the bristle head. Choose your brush size based on the size of the open areas in the stencil you are using. In other words, for small detailed stencils, you will want to use a small, 1/4- to 1/2-in/6- to 12-mm brush, while for large, pattern stencils, a 2-in /5-cm brush will be more efficient. Since kindergarten, we have painted by dipping a brush into the paint jar, and then going right to our paper (or wall or cat) with that loaded brush. Not so with stenciling, which requires a dry-brush
technique. To dry-brush, dip your brush in a small amount of paint. Now, before painting in the stenciled areas, “dry” off the brush by dabbing some of the paint onto a plate or a paper towel. You need very little paint to fill in the open areas of a stencil, and using too much will cause paint to seep under the edges of your stencil. Now you have your appropriately sized brush loaded with just the right amount of paint, and you’re itching to apply it. Let’s talk about motion. The goal of stenciling is crisp, clean edges. The most effective painting method is an upand-down, “pouncing” motion, dabbing the paint until the open areas of the
design are filled in. You want to avoid the classic, paint-brushing motion of sweeping paint across a surface. Talk about seepage! With large open stencil areas, you may want to use brush strokes in the center of the open areas and then pounce around the edges. This combination of techniques will speed things along and still give you crisp edges. Ohh, that’s shady! A nice way to create some depth in your design is to shade in the stencil areas. Rather than have one even amount of color across your design, you can darken the edges of the open design areas. First,
lightly pounce in all the open areas with color. Then, from the outside edge of the open area moving inward, brush in more color. Finally, starting on the solid area of stencil, brush inward across all the edges of the open areas. This trick creates depth and makes your work look more labor intensive. A kind gesture … Remember, a stencil is really just a guide to help you draw or paint the image or pattern you see. You may think you should fill all the cutout shapes to do it “right,” but this trick will let you be more expressive, especially with bold pattern designs such as those found in
Stencil 101 Decor. Rather than a pouncing motion, use regular paint strokes to paint in the open shapes, working in the direction they are shaped. This technique reminds me of Sumi-e painting, the Japanese art of painting black ink on white paper. The end result gives a more painterly or hand-drawn look. Stencil within a stencil Again, stencils don’t always have to be filled in with solid fields of color. By layering a small, repeating stencil over a larger stencil with very bold cutouts, you get a textural, shape-within-a-shape effect. Imagine you want to paint on a T-
shirt a large open stencil of the number 1. You lay the 1 on the shirt, and then lay a stencil of hundreds of tiny stars on top of the 1 stencil. Once you paint, you will have a 1 made up of hundreds of little stars! And you don’t have to use a stencil for the top layer—you can lay a piece of lace, a window screen, mesh, etc. Be experimental. Aged beauty It seems like every new restaurant that pops up in New York these days has an old-world look to it. I love it when the vintage look is done right. It gives a place character and makes you feel it has been there for one hundred years. There
are stenciling tricks that allow you to achieve this look for yourself. First, do not fill in all the areas of the design or apply the paint evenly—go heavy in some areas and light in others. If tiling a pattern on a wall, you may leave out sections of the pattern, giving a dissipating look to the overall print. Or, once stenciled, you can rub, drag, or smear the paint, or even sand off areas of the design. You may choose to paint with a crackle or faux finish paint or apply aging glazes to your stenciled design. Consult your specialty paint store for a variety of choices. TIP: Do not attempt a faux marble finish —you’re not fooling anyone!
Livin’ large Some of the stencils on my Web site are huge: 6-foot/183-cm birch trees and 7foot/213-cm grizzly bears! Well, guess what? These stencils are easier and quicker to put on a wall if you use the right tool—a dense foam roller. All you do is tape the stencil in place with painter’s tape (the stencil comes in one piece!) and whip out a 3- to 4-in-/7.5- to 10-cm-wide dense foam roller. Remember, start with just a little bit of paint—roll some paint onto a solid area of the stencil to get excess paint off— then roll into the cutout design areas. Fill in all the open areas, and you should be done in under twenty minutes, no brushes
necessary!
HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN STENCILS It’s All About You There are several ways to design your own stencils. You can draw your designs on the stencil material itself, or you can design something on the computer and print it out.
Hand-drawing your own stencil designs Materials needed: card stock or thin acetate or transparency sheets, pencil, black marker, rubber or glass cutting board, utility knife and #11 blades, electric stencil cutter/burner (optional) Hand-drawing your stencil designs is a great way to get started in stencil making before jumping into more complicated computer-generated designs. Stencils are made of various cutout shapes, called “islands.” The spaces between these shapes are called “bridges.” When you draw your design, you want the bridges to be strong; otherwise, the stencil will rip easily.
Take, for example, our simple star pattern. On the left, the white areas between the black cutout shapes are too thin and will rip or tear. The design on the right shows those areas made wider and, therefore, stronger. Keep this in mind as you draw your designs.
For instance, if you were creating a heart stencil, you’d trace the shape onto your stencil material and then fill in the heart shape with black marker to indicate the
area to be cut out. Keep in mind that the white areas will have to connect with bridges. Otherwise, when the stencil is cut, the unconnected areas, or islands, will simply fall out. Bridges are what hold the stencil together, so you have to create bridges to the island. A simple example of this is the letter e. The letter e has a hollow area known in typography circles as a “counter.” If you were to cut out your letter e to make a stencil, you also would be cutting away the island, or counter. To remedy this, you have to create a bridge to the island with black pen (see diagram below). The wider you make your bridge, the stronger your stencil will be.
To start, choose a pattern and draw or trace it on transparency film, acetate, or card stock using a black marker with a pointed tip. Fill in the design’s open shapes with black marker. Everything black will be the cut-away portion of the stencil. Once you’ve completed filling in the areas to be cut out, you’ll cut out your stencil. Designing stencils on the computer
Materials needed: Photoshop or comparable photo editing computer program; printer or print facility; card stock, thin acetate, or transparency sheets; rubber or glass cutting board; utility knife and #11 blades; electric stencil cutter/burner (optional) If you want to make an image for your stencil on your computer, the first step is to plan out your design. It pays to think ahead here. First, consider the size of your stencil. This is usually determined by where you will be applying the image: a specific wall, a certain area on a T-shirt. Next, draw your image or select a source image. If working from a source image, make sure you have the
rights to use it if you plan on distributing it. Next, choose an image with detail and contrast, not a blurry or overexposed photo. If you are planning on making a small stencil, you will probably want to choose a less detailed image. Cutting out intricate detail is very difficult by hand. TIP: Don’t feel you have to use the exact details of the photo. Say, for example, you are making a stencil of a skull. When you search around for images, maybe you like the eye sockets on one photo, the nose detail on another, the teeth on another. In the photo editor, you can combine these features into one, new, perfected image and then work from that “Frankensteined” photo. I am
getting ahead of myself, but it’s something to consider at this stage of the game. Once you’ve settled on your design, bring your final reference image into your photo editor. Size your design to the exact size you want the stenciled image to be (click Image, Image size, then enter new dimensions in the document size boxes). Print out the resized image to be certain the size is correct. HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN STENCILS (CONT.) Convert your image to grayscale (click
Image, Mode, Grayscale). Duplicate the layer, name it “Reference,” and shut it off. This is so you can always refer back if needed. Select your main layer again to work on. Paint away the detail of the photo you are not using in the stencil design. Select the paintbrush tool, select white as the color you are painting with, and adjust your brush size to a size that’s easy to work with. For example, if you are doing a stencil from a photo of someone’s face, you can paint white all of the photo’s background detail, his or her neck and shirt, etc. You should also paint in details that you feel will disappear when you contrast the image
in the next steps. Next, play with brightness and contrast to give it the “stencil look” (click Image, Adjustments, Brightness/Contrast). Start by adjusting the contrast to 100 percent. Now, adjust the brightness until you get more of a contrasted stencil appearance. Not looking like a stencil? Maybe your photo was too low-contrast or grainy. Another sometimes better way is to adjust levels (click Image, Adjustments, Levels), then slide your input levels of black, white, and gray until you have a stencil look. Now, here is the tricky part. Just because it looks like a stencil doesn’t
mean it will cut right. You have to create the bridges and eliminate the islands (see previous section). As with handdrawing stencils, the islands have to be eliminated on the computer. You can do this two ways: Use the paintbrush tool to draw in bridges that create “peninsulas,” or fill in the islands with black, meaning they too will be a part of the design that is cut away. Here is how we typically draw an eye:
If you cut out all the black areas, the eye shape would just be one hollow shape and the detail would cut away as well so … Here is the eye with bridges:
And remember, you are making stencil art. Feel free to draw freehand areas into your design that you could not cut into the stencil. For example, add some white dots in the eye to give the eye some life. You are an artist, not just a stencil artist!
So create all the bridges you need throughout the image to eliminate the islands. Make the bridges thick enough that they won’t tear. Next, print your design. If you have a laser printer, you can print directly onto transparency or acetate sheets; just make sure that your print medium is
compatible with the printer (check the packaging). If you do not have compatible paper, no worries; you can print on card stock (heavy-weight paper), then cut the acetate on top of this print. If you do not have a printer, go to the local print facility and have them print it for you. Cutting Now, time to cut it out! A utility knife with a #11 blade is the weapon of choice. Here’s a tip: Make your life easier and change the blades often. Wait, did you hear me? Change the blades often. They get dull fast! Do all of your cutting on a rubber cutting board or a thick glass cutting board with a smooth
surface. Some swear by cutting on glass, as it has more resistance than the rubber boards and makes the cutting go faster. See what works for you. Tape the acetate to your printed image so it doesn’t slip around while cutting, and place both sheets on the cutting board. Starting with the smallest, innermost point of the design, cut out the black areas. The more you cut away, the weaker the sheet becomes, so be cautious and take your time. If you rip a bridge, press on—you can always tape it back together and trim away any excess tape. You will find your most comfortable way of cutting; some like to move or rotate the entire sheet rather
than trying to cut curves with just the blade movement. Depending on the complexity of the design, this could take minutes—or it could take an evening or two! This step just takes practice. TIP: If you own an electric stencil cutter/burner, you should trace the stencil design to the acetate, then cut it out with the glass board below. These heated knives cut through transparency sheets and acetate like butta, but you don’t want paper or rubber involved with the heated knife! You can also send Stencil1 your art for custom laser-cutting in any size: www.stencil1.com/quote.php. Once you
have cut out the design, you can remove the printed backing. Your reusable stencil is ready to use!
How-to Projects We’ve stepped it up here and provided you with twenty-five advanced step-bystep stencil projects! We are not only painting here—we cover embroidery, plastering, glass etching, and more. Once you learn these techniques, you can customize almost any surface in your home.
PROJECT 1 Let’s Face It Make a multilayer stencil of a person’s face.
OVERVIEW I think everyone should have a stencil of his or her own face. What better way to make something personal than by stenciling your face on it? Think of the possibilities—book covers, pillows, Tshirts, your bedroom door. You can also make a stencil of someone else’s face—a hero to paint on a canvas, an enemy to paint on a dartboard, it’s up to you! MATERIALS Digital photo of a person’s face Photo editing software Printer or print facility
Card stock Thin acetate sheets, or rubber or glass cutting board Utility knife and #11 blades Electric stencil cutter/burner* *optional INSTRUCTIONS 1. Find a face First, you need a photo of a face. It should include head and shoulders, so the entire outline of the head is in the picture. Ideally, this should be a highresolution image with clear details of the facial features. Some shadows and
highlights are ideal—a little shadow under the nose, some line details of the features, etc. For this project, I used a vintage photo of my mom that I scanned. Old photos are great for making stencils since they are often high contrast.
2. Doctor the image Open the digital photo in your photo editing software. Size your photo to the
exact size you want the stenciled image to be (click Image, Image Size, then enter new dimensions in the document size boxes). Save, and print out the resized image to be certain the size is correct.
Next, remove any areas of the photo that will not be a part of the stencil. Using the brush tool, paint the background, and
if you choose, paint away the neck and shoulder with white until all you see is the head. In this case I am including the neck and shirt detail.
Convert your image to grayscale (click
Image, Mode, Grayscale). Don’t flatten the image; keep the layers. Now, name your one layer of the photo “Main.” Duplicate the layer and name the new layer “Reference.” Move this “Reference” layer to the top, lock it, and shut it off. You can always click it on to refer to this layer for viewing details of the photo. Now click on the “Main” layer again to select it.
3. Make adjustments for light features This is a good time to mention that if the subject has light features, you will want to trace these features so they don’t disappear when we pump the contrast of the image. In this example, my mom’s eyebrows are faint, so I made a new
layer and painted over the eyebrows in black. Later, be sure to merge this layer into the “Main” layer. Also, if your subject has light-colored hair, you may want to do this extra step in order to include that detail in your stencil. Make a new layer and name it “Hair” (or “Hair-did”). Using the brush tool, paint the hair areas black. It will look like a solid black wig or toupee right now but when stenciling, you can paint this area in with the real hair color. Since my mom’s hair is dark, I didn’t have to do this step.
4. Create layers of the stencil Create a new layer and name it “Face.” Paint the shape of the face or trace with the pen tool and fill the selection. It
should be one solid shape. The silhouette face layer is done! I also did this for the light blouse, which I intend to make into another stencil; I would do this to the jacket too and create another layer for it. These would all be separate stencils so they should be on their own layers and named appropriately —”Shirt,” “Jacket,” etc. Once complete, I shut off those layers and locked them.
5. Adjust contrast In the layers window, select the “Main” layer with your photo on it. Adjust the Brightness/Contrast (click
Image, Adjustments, Brightness/Contrast). This will exaggerate the details, making it look more like a stencil. Play with these controls until you have a more stencillike image. Another sometimes better way to adjust your image is with Levels (click Image, Adjustments, Levels). Slide your input levels of black, white, and gray until you have a stencil look. Looks like a stencil, right? You’re not done yet!
6. Make it work Just because it looks like a stencil does not mean it will cut properly. Remember, the black areas will be cut out and the white areas will be your remaining stencil. In this step, we have to remove any islands from the design or add in bridges to turn the islands into
peninsulas (See How to Make Your Own Stencils). First, identify the islands. If they are details you don’t want, fill them in with the black paintbrush. To keep these details, add bridges extending from the white areas across the black areas surrounding them using the paintbrush tool with white. You may need to alternate between black and white brush strokes: black to remove detail, white to add detail. Make the bridges thick enough so that they won’t tear. In my photo, I had to make bridges in the eyes and fill in islands in the hair. As for the white dots in the eyes, which are islands, I will just paint these in
freehand once all done. This light in the eyes really gives your painting life!
Some cutout or black areas may be too large to cut all at once: for example, the hair sections. You can get creative with bridging by adding multiple bridges in the hair disguised as hair details (such as inserting a bridge where you have a part in your hair or adding a lot of waves). You can choose to separate the “Hair” from this “Main” layer and then
stencil paint this layer in separately in its own color.
7. Register all the layers Make a new layer and name it “Registration Marks.” It’s helpful to make registration marks so each layer aligns perfectly. Each stencil you cut should have the same registration marks on it. Draw two to four very small
triangles and place one in each corner, about 1/2 in/12 mm in from the borders of the document. Why a triangle shape? They offer more precise alignment, and are easier to cut. You should have a three- or four-layer document: “Registration Marks,” “Main,” “Face,” and possibly “Hair,” “Jacket,” and “Shirt.” I also created stencil layers for the whites of the eyes and the lips. To help you see all the stencil layers I created, I converted my file to RGB and colored each layer a different color. Here’s the image:
8. Print your design If you have a laser printer, you can print directly onto the transparency or acetate sheets. See “Designing Stencils on the Computer” on for instructions and tips.
Print as follows: Leave your “Registration Marks” layer on during printing of all layers. You are printing each layer or stencil separately. Turn on your “Main” layer and turn off others and click Print. Now hide “Main.” Turn on the “Face” layer and click Print. Hide “Face.” Turn on the “Hair” layer, if you left it separate, and click Print. And so on for any other layers you may have made. 9. Cut it out! A utility knife with a #11 blade is the weapon of choice. See “Cutting” on for instructions and tips.
PROJECT - TShirts, Two Ways
A: PAINT WITH A TWO-LAYER STENCIL
Now that I am offering two-layer designs, I have to show you how to use them! The two-layer designs consist of a silhouette or outline of the subject and a second layer of detail. They give you a more dimensional look and an opportunity to use more color. I suggest using a lighter color for the base or silhouette and a darker color for the detail. Here’s how to do it! MATERIALS T-shirt
Cardboard box or sheet Stencils Blue painter’s tape Adhesive stencil spray or pushpins Fabric paint or Stencil1 Sprayers Stencil brush, foam brush, or pouncer foam brush Safety goggles (if using spray paint) Thick paper or newspaper to control overspray (if using spray paint) Iron INSTRUCTIONS
1. Choose your T-shirt Pre-washed or pre-shrunk 100 percent cotton T-shirts work best. Poly blends (50/50) yield mixed results, since they don’t absorb the paint as easily. It is best to experiment first, or just avoid them. 2. Choose your fabric paint You’ll find fabric paints at art supply stores. They require no mixing, have a thick consistency, are rich in pigmentation, and give long-lasting results. They even stand up to washing and drying. You can also use acrylic paint mixed with fabric medium (also
available at art or craft supply stores) in a 1:1 ratio. Make sure the mixture is well blended. Stencil1 also has a line of multisurface sprays, Stencil1 Sprayers, ideal for fabric (for a rougher look, you can use traditional spray paint, but with no guaranteed results). For a more advanced application, try an airbrush kit. These are available at many art supply stores and, when used with fabric paint, they give fantastic results. Since we are doing two layers, choose a lighter color for the silhouette layer (the first layer), then choose a darker color for the second, more detailed stencil layer.
3. Prepare your T-shirt Stretch your T-shirt over the cardboard to prevent paint from seeping through to the back of the shirt. This will also provide a flat surface to paint on. Don’t
stretch the shirt too much, as too much stretching will “warp” your design once it is taken off the box. TIP: Shirt too big for the box? You can bind excess fabric in the back with a rubber band to make the front side of the shirt lie flat. 4. Position the stencil Position the silhouette stencil and stick four very small pieces of painter’s tape on the shirt under the stencil’s triangular registration marks. (These marks will later be used to align your second layer stencil.) Now, secure the stencil firmly in place, using either spray adhesive or
pushpins. If you use spray adhesive, apply a light layer of adhesive to the back of the stencil. Allow the adhesive to dry until the surface becomes tacky, then position your stencil. Draw in the triangular registration marks on the blue tape with a pen. The tape allows you to make your registration marks without marking on the T-shirt and keeps you from accidentally painting in those triangles when stenciling. TIP: I don’t do this registration marking when I make T-shirts—I just eyeball it! 5. Begin painting If using a stencil brush, do not overload
it with paint. Too much paint on the brush causes the paint to seep under the edges of the stencil and creates blotchy designs. Remember—stenciling is a drybrush technique. The most common mistake is overloading the brush. It is far better to build up the color gradually, layer by layer, instead of using one thick paint application. If paint begins to seep behind your stencil or if your designs do not have crisp defined edges, you may be using too much paint. Simply tap or dab the loaded brush against the stencil openings. I recommend practicing on paper before you begin on your T-shirt.
If you’re using spray paint, be sure to wear safety goggles. Once you have the stencil secured in place, cover the outer areas of the stencil with thick paper so as to not spray outside of the stencil. Then, spray several small, light sprays in the open areas of the stencil. Once all areas are filled, carefully remove the stencil from the shirt to see your design. Lift the stencil horizontally, so as not to let excess paint drip on your shirt. TIP: If it does drip, add more drips all around the design. Of course, you meant to do that! 6. Seal it
You should heat press your T-shirt before using the second stencil: After the paint has dried, turn the shirt inside out and iron the painted area on high heat for 1 to 2 minutes. You can also blow-dry with a hair dryer for 1 to 2 minutes. If you used tape, remove it before heat sealing. 7. Position the second stencil Now prep the shirt as you did in Step 3. Position the second stencil over the area you already painted. You can use the registration marks or eyeball it. Line up the second layer registration marks with the marks you made from the first layer for a perfectly layered design. For a real
DIY look, you can offset the second layer. 8. Paint and seal Repeat Step 5 with the detailed stencil. Let the paint dry and repeat Step 6 to heat seal your new two-layer design. Your T-shirt is ready to wear.
B: STENCIL WITH BLEACH PASTE The bleach stencil method has been on
my Web site for years, but it is well worth repeating since it produces some cool effects. You may have seen this technique featured on The Martha Stewart Show when Martha used Stencil1 stencils for some Halloween shirt making. Yes, the Queen of Craft stenciled a skull and cross bones on a Tshirt—who knew?! Martha loves Halloween, and so do I! You can check out the video at www.stencil1.com. MATERIALS Clothing, preferably 100 percent cotton Cardboard box or sheet
Stencil Blue painter’s tape Safety goggles Rubber gloves Bleach pen Painting plate or bowl Foam brush Anti-Chlor, Bleach Stop, or another bleach neutralizer NOTE: The bleach pen is filled with a bleach paste. The paste, as opposed to liquid bleach, allows control of the bleach to keep it from bleeding too far out of the design areas. For even greater control over the bleach, I recommend squeezing the bleach paste onto a glass
plate and using a small foam brush to apply the paste. INSTRUCTIONS INSTRUCTIONS 1. Choose your clothing Stencil1 stencils can be used to bleach T-shirts, sweatshirts, and more. Clothing should be 100 percent cotton for best results. Darker items will show best results. Start by inserting the cardboard box inside the clothing item. This flattens the area you want to stencil and prevents the bleach from going through to the next layer. The clothing item should not be too stretched over the
cardboard; it should just fit. If you overstretch the fabric, your design will get distorted. 2. Position the stencil Carefully position the stencil on the clothing item where you would like it to appear. Next, tape down two or three sides of the stencil with the painter’s tape to hold the stencil in place. 3. Start painting Always wear safety goggles and gloves when working with bleach. Squeeze a few ounces of bleach paste out of the pen onto a plate or into a bowl. Dip the
foam brush in the bleach and dab it onto the clothing in the open areas of the stencil, starting with your larger areas. Try not to get any paste under the stencil for a clearer design. Apply to all areas of the design evenly. 4. Wait You may start to see the bleach lifting the color out of the shirt immediately. You can leave the paste on for 5 minutes or 4 hours, depending on the effect you are seeking. The longer you leave the bleach on, the more it will lift out the original color of the clothing, so results will vary. Too long will result in the bleach eating holes in the shirt.
5. Rinse Once you are satisfied with the bleaching level, rinse the garment in water and then plunge it into a bath of your bleach neutralizer. It’s best to have this bath prepared and ready. Then launder the garment as usual. If you choose to paint an additional layer on top of your bleached design, go back to Step 7 of the previous tutorial on Paint with a Two-layer Stencil.
PROJECT 3 Time to Reflect Stencil a design onto a mirror using etching cream and a stencil. FEATURED ARTIST
JEREMY PELLEY
(FORMER ART DIRECTOR/THING
MAKER OF ATELIER ACE) A few months ago, I was doing a stencil installation at the Ace Hotel New York, where I stenciled a black gloss bird pattern onto a matte black hotel room wall (shown here are some other Ace Hotel rooms I did). There I met Jeremy Pelley, and we immediately clicked. Jeremy is a jackof-all-trades graphic designer—my kind of guy! He and his partners, Mathew Foster and Fritz Mesenbrink, formed The Official Manufacturing Co., or OMFG Co., and have designed collateral to drool over for The Ace and other clients. They’ve done etched mirrors with clever quotations
throughout the Ace Hotel New York, so I thought it fitting to ask him to share this tutorial with us. They also designed the “Kiss Me Again” stencil using typography from vintage sheet music. MATERIALS Mirror Blue painter’s tape Stencil Spray adhesive Foam brush Etching cream (such as Armour Etch) Utility knife
Glass cleaner and damp cloth or sponge INSTRUCTIONS 1. Prep your mirror Give your mirror a good wipe with a lint-free cloth before you begin. Remove the mirror from any frame it is in or cover the frame with blue painter’s tape. You do not want to get the etching cream on the frame. 2. Position the stencil Spray the adhesive evenly on the back of
the stencil. Let it dry for 30 seconds or until it’s tacky to the touch. Carefully apply the stencil firmly to the glass. Press out any air bubbles, especially at the edge of the cutouts, so that the stencil is applied smoothly. 3. Apply etching cream With a foam brush, apply a thick layer of etching cream to the open areas of the stencil. Completely cover the stencil using up-and-down, left-to-right motions. Always wear safety goggles and gloves when using etching cream. 4. Wait
Allow the cream to sit for 10 to 20 minutes, or as directed in the manufacturer’s instructions. 5. Rinse and reveal your design Wipe off the etching cream with a damp cloth or sponge. Use a utility knife to peel up one corner of the stencil and carefully peel the stencil off the glass. Clean any remaining etching cream off the glass immediately and wipe with a damp cloth. 6. Check out your new custom mirror. Hang it with pride.
PROJECT 4 Plate Tectonics Serve up style when you use porcelain paint and glaze to revamp a vintage plate. OVERVIEW This how-to is recycling at its most fun —stenciling a modern image or pattern over a vintage porcelain plate is a clever juxtaposition. Used plates are in
abundance at thrift stores and are usually very inexpensive. So take those mismatched, floral granny plates and give them a whole new look. MATERIALS Used or vintage plate Rubbing alcohol Newspaper or thick paper to control overspray Stencil Spray adhesive Blue painter’s tape Spray paint (for decorative plates only!) Food-safe porcelain paint or glaze
Stencil brush Cotton balls INSTRUCTIONS 1. Prep the plate Clean the plate of all grease. First scrub with soap and water; then give it a rubdown with rubbing alcohol. Let it dry. 2. Prep your work space and stencil Cover your work surface with newspaper and place the plate on the paper. Spray some adhesive on the back
of the stencil, let dry until it’s tacky to the touch, and place the stencil on the plate where you want the design to appear. Press down on all areas to secure it to the plate so that no paint will seep under the stencil. 3. Block & roll To protect the rest of the plate, mask the areas outside the stencil with thick paper and blue painter’s tape. Make sure to tape down the paper, as paint always seems to find its way under there. 4. Choose your paint If your plates are for wall decor and not
for serving food, you can use spray paint. If so, spray a thin layer of paint on your plate in the open stencil areas. Allow to dry. If you want to use your new plates to serve food, you must use nontoxic, foodsafe porcelain paint. Check the label to make sure your paint is nontoxic and dishwasher safe. Using a stencil brush, paint in the open stencil areas with the porcelain paint/glaze. Let the paint dry and apply a second coat. This will help in hiding the brush marks. Until the paint is baked on, you can correct any mistakes by just washing the paint off the plate. Allow
the paint/glaze to dry overnight. This paint must be baked in the oven following the manufacturer’s directions on the label. 5. Reveal Lift off the stencil and remove the tape and paper. If any adhesive residue is on the plate, carefully remove it with a cotton ball and rubbing alcohol. Avoid rubbing the painted areas. (Now would be a good time to bake the food-safe porcelain paint.) 6. Display Hook a plate hanger to the back of your
plate, mount it on the wall, and do another!
PROJECT 5 Get Plastered Create a three-dimensional wall design by embossing with plaster or joint compound. OVERVIEW Embossing walls with stencils is far from a new technique. It dates back centuries, but we can put a modern twist on it. While classic, ornate borders of flowers and curlicues are beautiful, why not have a three-dimensional baby bunny
on your wall? For those less committed, this technique can also be applied to a wood panel. Raised plaster stencil designs can be used in a variety of ways: placed here and there as accents or positioned uniformly around windows and doors, or along the top of a wall, just as you might use a wallpaper border. Try grizzly bears as medallions around a ceiling light fixture. You are only limited by your imagination, creativity, and ladder height. You can apply these lovely stencil designs over plaster or drywall that has not yet been painted, or do them on a painted wall in a complementary
color. The color can be mixed into the joint compound before you apply it, or you can paint the finished plaster design after it has dried. To add tint to your plaster or joint compound, you can mix in a pure pigment, (available at paint stores), fabric dye, or concrete and stucco powdered colors. Whichever dye you choose, consult your paint store to be sure it’s compatible with your plaster or compound. Using raised plaster stencils can provide you with a lot of fun as you dress up that plain dining room or bedroom or den. Spread your wings and see what you can do.
MATERIALS Stencil Blue painter’s tape Joint compound (found in the paint supply department of any home or hardware store) Flat-edged palette knife (also found in the home or hardware store) Glaze or paint* *optional INSTRUCTIONS 1. Choose your location
A smooth wall or ceiling or a lightly textured surface works best, but experiment to see what you like. Would a busy or pronounced texture look good with a raised design? Just give it a try to know for sure. Once you’ve determined where you think your chosen design will look best, tape the stencil to the surface. 2. Apply the compound Using the palette knife spread joint compound over the open areas of the stencil, taking care to fill the individual “cutouts” well. Smooth out the compound, and wait a few minutes for the mud to stiffen a little.
3. Peel away the stencil Now, gently lift the stencil from the surface, loosening the tape at the same time. Start at one side and lift toward the other in one smooth motion. If you mess up, no big deal. Just scrape off the drywall compound and do it again. If it takes a couple of tries or two, chalk it up to the learning process. Creating such simple beauty will certainly be worth it. 4. Wait Let your design cure for 24 hours. 5. Add color
Once your design has dried, you can apply color to the raised area. If you love color and detail, carefully brush on paint or glaze over your raised designs to make them stand out more. If you are after something subtler, paint over the designs as you paint the wall. They will blend in more, but still add a beautifully understated look.
PROJECT 6 Block Party Make and decorate your own wood block puzzle. OVERVIEW For this project, you will be painting wood blocks with six different stencil images to create a six-sided block puzzle. It is a little time consuming, mostly due to drying time, but when you are done, you will have six fun images to challenge young (and old) minds.
NOTE: If you are making these for children, use only nontoxic, child-safe paint and glaze. The label should clearly state that the product is dry-film, childsafe, and nontoxic. MATERIALS Nine 2-in/5-cm unfinished wood blocks (found at many art supply and craft stores or online) Blue painter’s tape Newspaper or thick paper to control overspray Stencil Stencil brush Variety of acrylic paints (I recommend 6 different bright
colors) Stencil1 Sprayers or specialty ink pads* Spray acrylic glaze *optional INSTRUCTIONS 1. Prep your blocks On a flat surface protected with newspaper, arrange your blocks closely together in a square grid, three rows of three, if working with nine cubes. Make sure the blocks are very close together, and that the tops of the blocks are lined up evenly. This is the first surface you
will be painting—yup, all nine blocks. To avoid shifting or movement while painting, tape the cubes together with blue painter’s tape on the outer edges. 2. Plan your design You want the stencil design to “reach” all the cubes. This may involve duplicating the design across the surface area, or painting all the cubes a solid color on this side, letting the paint dry, then stenciling a design on top of that colored surface. Stencil1 Sprayers can be used on wood to spray background colors. You do not want to have any blank cubes. With blue painter’s tape, secure your stencil in place along the
outer edges of the blocks. 3. Paint it up With a stencil brush, take up a small amount of paint, and fill in the open areas of the stencil design onto the wood. Paint with an up-and-down motion, taking care to keep your blocks flat on the work surface. If you are layering or applying images more than once, be careful to not smudge the first design when you move the stencil to do the second one. As an alternative to paint, try specialty ink pads made for wood or the Stencil1 Sprayers. Once you’re satisfied with the paint job, lift the stencil and allow the design to dry.
4. Lather, rinse, repeat Untape the cubes, turn all the cubes to a new blank side, and go back to Step 1 for the next side. Repeat Steps 1 through 4 until all sides are covered. 5. Seal the deal Now, seal all your paintwork with spray acrylic glaze. Yes, you need to coat the blocks one side at a time, waiting for each side to dry before doing the next one. Be sure to spray in a wellventilated area and follow the manufacturer’s instructions. Allow to dry for at least 24 hours.
6. Jumble and solve You now have a custom-made, six-sided block puzzle. Mix up the cubes, and let the kids (or adults) put the stencil images together!
FEATURED ARTIST
ELAINE ELWICK BARR (ROCK N ROLL CRAFTS)
Elaine and I met when she e-mailed me to see if I could supply Stencil1 stencils for some craft demos she was doing at trade shows. She wrote that she was “totally bored with the traditional selection of stencils available in the craft industry.” How could I say no? We eventually came to
share booths at shows, and she is now an official licensed user of Stencil1 products—and we’re the best of friends. Talk about growing a company organically! Elaine helps me with Stencil1 development, but on her own she does far more than stenciling. Check out her Web site, Rock n Roll Crafts (Rocknrollcrafts.blogspot.com), to see all her creations from miniatures to glitter.
PROJECT 7 Shrinky Dink! Stencil onto shrink plastic and turn your shrunken designs into wearable jewelry art. MATERIALS Shrink plastic (I used a frosted shrink plastic, found at most craft and art supply stores) Scissors Cosmetic sponges Stencil
Fine-grade sandpaper Stencil 1 Sprayers in assorted colors Blue painter’s tape Paper hole punch Heating tool or toaster oven Tweezers or a chopstick to hold down shrinking plastic Beads and jewelry findings to complete your jewelry piece NOTE: Watch Elaine demonstrate how to use Stencil1 spray paints at www.tinyurl.com/stencilsprayvideo. OVERVIEW Here’s a basic way to make jewelry like
Elaine’s butterfly example and following is a more advanced way that Elaine made the birdcage piece shown here (at left). INSTRUCTIONS 1. Prep the plastic Start by cutting a piece of shrink plastic to the size of your stencil. Sand both sides of the cutout plastic in a crosshatch pattern. This will help the spray paints stick to the plastic. 2. Spray with base color
Spray a bit of color on one side of the shrink plastic, and blot with a cosmetic sponge. You only need a light spraying of paint. When the plastic shrinks, the colors will intensify. 3. Apply the stencil Turn shrink plastic over, and tape the stencil down lightly with blue painter’s tape. Spray just once into a cosmetic sponge and blot lightly over the open areas of the stencil. This requires only a light use of paint. 4. Make a hole Using a paper hole punch, make a hole in
your shrink plastic where you’d like your charm to attach to the necklace, bracelet, or earring. The hole may seem too big for jewelry, but remember— everything is going to shrink! 5. Heat it up Remove the stencil. With your scissors, cut out the image along the outer edges of the design. Heat the plastic according to the shrink plastic manufacturer’s instructions. You can use a handheld heating tool, like a heat gun, or a toaster oven. The plastic will start shrinking and warping, but don’t freak out. It will flatten eventually. If you’re using a handheld heating tool, hold the plastic
with tweezers or a chopstick and start heating from the top, being sure to evenly heat each part of the image. These images are pretty small, so they are easy to shrink in this way. Something larger or more complex in shape may be better off in a toaster oven. 6. Wait Once shrunken all of the way, place your charm under something heavy, like a book, to flatten it out. Wait just a few minutes and voila. 7. Create your jewelry Add your charm to a necklace, bracelet,
or earrings with a jump ring and beads of your choice.
ADVANCED: Here’s how Elaine made the multilayered birdcage necklace. 1. Prep the shrink plastic like in Step 1. 2. Stencil the birdcage image twice onto the shrink plastic using Sharpie markers. Also stencil 3 birds onto the shrink plastic. Use an X-Acto knife to cut out birdcage details and silhouette on one of the images, and on the other cut out just along the outside lines or silhouette.
Also cut out your birds. Shrink according to the manufacturer’s instructions. 3. Once cool, spray paint the shrunk pieces. Elaine used Turquoise, white, and buttercream yellow. Adhere two of the birds inside the cut-out cage, using E6000 clear adhesive glue. Assemble with various jewelry findings.
PROJECT 8 Rock Out Stencil river rocks for your garden using our spray paint. OVERVIEW Painting rocks reminds me of my ‘70s childhood. Imagine a lumpy rock painted white, with flowers all over it. Fun, but rather unnatural and, well, ugly. I decided to revisit this kitschy craft with a more tasteful touch.
MATERIALS Smooth, large river rocks Stencil Blue painter’s tape Stencil1 Sprayers or acrylic paint Stencil brush (if using acrylic paint) Felt* Rubber cement* *optional INSTRUCTIONS 1. Choose your rock
Choose rocks with a nice, flat, smooth surface. These are the best for stenciling. 2. Prep your surface Thoroughly clean the rock with soapy water to remove all the soil and allow it to dry. 3. Position the stencil Place your stencil on the flat side of the rock where you want the design to appear. The stencil should lay flat. If the rock is curved, you will have to bend the stencil around the curve and secure it in place with a few pieces of blue painter’s tape. Tape and cover the outside areas
of the stencil, so the ink only sprays into the open areas of the stencil design, and not beyond. 4. Paint and peel For a tasteful, natural look, choose a paint color similar to the rock’s color, most likely brown, gray, or mossy green. It’s really up to you. 4a. Spray application With the spray bottle 8 to 12 in/20 to 301/2 cm away from the stencil, spray lightly into the design area. A little goes a long way. Fill in the design area and, once satisfied, carefully peel the stencil
away from the rock and wipe the excess ink from the stencil. 4b. Alternative brush application Using very little paint on the brush, dab the paint in the open areas in an up-anddown motion, carefully filling in the design area until satisfied. Carefully peel the stencil away from the rock. 5. Check out your design Allow your rock to sit in the sun all day. The heat will seal the design into the rock. Place it in your garden, use it as a
doorstop, or set it on your desk as a paperweight. TIP: If using as a doorstop or paperweight, you will want to attach a small piece of felt to the bottom of the rock so you don’t harm your floor or desk. Cut a small piece of felt to the desired shape and adhere to the rock with rubber cement. Done!
PROJECT 9 Something Sweet Create cookies with stenciled patterns using decorative icing.
FEATURED ARTIST
CHRISTIAN SUMNER (A BAKER IN BROOKLYN) Some say baking is a science. Christian Sumner, the mad genius behind A Baker in Brooklyn, is also a dedicated artist. He’s a painter and sculptor of edible materials. His Web site, www.abakerinbrooklyn.com, documents his processes in the kitchen and, thanks to his background in photography, presents his
confectionary delights in a visually beautiful manner. Christian has become the Stencil1 baking muse, creating stenciled cookies and cakes with confectioners’ sugar, cocoa powder, and icing for my book launch parties. Now this how-to shows you some of his stellar decorative icing techniques sure to make you drool. While this is a cookie-stenciling project, you will be technically stenciling onto fondant, a sugar- and gelatin-based sheet of icing commonly used on decorative cakes, and then adhering the stenciled fondant to the cookies with royal icing. The end result: stenciled cookies!
You will need to do a little prep work prior to stenciling: Make the food-safe freezer paper stencil, cookies, fondant, and royal icing. MATERIALS Stencil Freezer paper X-Acto knife Cookie dough Cookie cutters Baking sheet Fondant Royal icing Rolling pin or pasta roller Small offset spatula
Sanding sugar, colored jimmies, or edible glitter INSTRUCTIONS 1. Make a food-safe stencil Select the stencil you would like to use and trace it onto thick freezer paper. Carefully cut out the design using an XActo knife. You will use the freezer paper version for all of the cookies. Do not use paper stencils or non food-safe stencils for this project. Paper stencils would simply deteriorate and may not be food safe. 2. Make the cookies
You can make sugar cookies, gingerbread cookies, or any cookie that will be smooth after baking, to ensure perfect stenciling. You don’t want a bumpy cookie like oatmeal or chocolate chip. Once you’ve made your cookie dough, roll it out and cut into shapes with cookie cutters. Freeze the cut dough for about 30 minutes so the cookies retain their shape, then bake. Let the cookies cool. For cookie recipe ideas, visit www.abakerinbrooklyn.com. 3. Make the fondant You can purchase ready-to-use fondant on www.wilton.com or at any baking or craft store. You can also make your own.
4. Make the icing Royal icing is a pure white icing that dries to a smooth, hard, matte finish. Follow the Royal Icing recipe at right, tinting to your desired colors. This will be your stencil “paint” in this process. TIP: Make the Royal Icing just before you are ready to stencil, as it tends to harden quickly. The consistency should be somewhere between molasses and toothpaste. It should spread easily, but not be runny. Now you’re ready to stencil. 5. Prep the fondant
Knead the fondant to soften. You may want to add a few drops of vanilla or almond extract for flavor. In batches, roll out the fondant with a rolling pin or use a pasta roller (much easier) to a thickness of ? in/3 mm. 6. Get ready to stencil Hold your freezer paper stencil firmly in place on the fondant without pressing down too hard. 7. Paint with the icing Using an offset spatula, scoop up a small bit of icing and drop it into the center of the stencil. Holding the stencil firmly in
place, gently spread a thin coating of icing over the stencil; don’t use too much icing. Once the entire stencil is covered in icing, sprinkle with sanding sugar or other small edible decoration, if desired. 8. Peel and wait Slowly and carefully lift the stencil from the fondant, starting at one corner and taking care not to slide the stencil. You want to keep the edges sharp. Let the icing set for about 5 minutes before cutting. 9. Adhere the fondant to the cookies Using the same cookie cutters you used
to cut the cookie dough, cut shapes out of the stenciled fondant over the stenciled pattern area. Spread a small dab of icing onto a cookie to act as glue. Then lift a stenciled fondant shape with an offset spatula, and press very gently into place on the cookie. Repeat until you have adhered a stenciled fondant onto each cookie. Then sit back and wait for your party guests to be amazed. ROYAL ICING INGREDIENTS 1 cup/113 g confectioners’ sugar 2 tablespoons warm water
Food coloring for tinting Vanilla extract for flavor (optional) Makes about 1/2 cup/114 g of icing INSTRUCTIONS 1. Mix the sugar and water in a bowl and beat with a fork or spoon until it gets to the proper consistency, somewhere between molasses and toothpaste. Add more sugar to make it thicker, or drops of water to make it thinner. 2. Add drops of food coloring in your desired colors and continue mixing.
3. Flavor the royal icing with a few drops of vanilla or other flavor extract. TIP: Keep the icing from drying out by adding a few drops of water at a time, if needed, and then stirring.
PROJECT 10 Tattoo You Decorate yourself for the ultimate in personal expression. Use body paint or henna to stencil a tattoo on your skin. OVERVIEW Have a fear of commitment? Well, here’s something for you: stencil on some temporary tattoos and wash them off in a day or two. I put a few on and posted the pics to Facebook and had many a-fooled! The comments I received
were pretty funny. This tutorial is sure to be a party hit. Even try it with the youngun’s (little kids with sleeve tattoos? Yes!). Here’s how to do it. MATERIALS Cotton ball Rubbing alcohol Stencil Skin-safe spray adhesive (recommended for detailed stencils) Cosmetic sponge Stencil brush* Henna or body ink (recommended: Temptu’s Dura
Palettes; advanced users can use Temptu Dura liquids; both can be found at www.temptupro.com) *optional INSTRUCTIONS 1. Get clean Clean the skin with a cotton ball and rubbing alcohol; allow to dry. 2. Stick it Firmly hold the stencil on the skin where you want your temporary tattoo, or use skin-safe spray adhesive to secure the
stencil in place. 3. Tattoo you Dab a cosmetic sponge in the specialty ink. The ink may need to be activated with 99 percent rubbing alcohol, so read the manufacturer’s instructions. If using brushes, I recommend using synthetic hair. Now, pounce the sponge into the open areas of the stencil while holding the stencil steady. Do this until the areas are filled. 4. Reveal Lift the stencil. See your new tattoo! Let dry.
5. Care and removal Avoid washing the design area with soapy water to extend the life of your tattoo. The design will stay on the skin from 2 to 5 days, depending on care. To remove the tattoo, scrub with a soapy washcloth and water.
PROJECT 11 Extra Layers
Make a stunning photo collage by incorporating stenciled images. FEATURED ARTIST
SUSAN RIVAS
(I AM SUSANITA) After presenting my book Stencil 101 Decor at a PR event, I went out for food and drinks with some of the event crew. They had already ordered food by the time I was able to join the table, but Susan, the adorable gal sitting
next to me, offered me some of her pizza. That brand of simple kindness goes a long way with me. We exchanged information, and when I looked at her Web site later, I was blown away. Susan does visual branding and collagistrations, a term she coined to describe her layered combination of photography, collage, and illustration. As soon as I saw her work, I immediately offered her some of my stencils and inks. Now you can collagistrate too. This project is terrific for embellishing photos of friends as gifts, making fashionable wall art, and endless other creations. It starts with layering
stenciled designs with ink and glitter, cutout images, scraps of paper, and hand-drawn elements. Visit Susan’s Web site for more inspiration: www.iamsusanita.com. MATERIALS Magazines, books, and/or photos Utility knife or scissors Paper, preferably card stock or cardboard Stencils Spray adhesive* Blue painter’s tape Scrap paper to control
overspray Stencil1 Sprayers Glitter* Cellophane or decorative tape Pens and markers *optional INSTRUCTIONS 1. Prepare to create Set up a flat work surface and find a good album or playlist to get you inspired. Collect a few images that you like. Look through your favorite magazines, books, vintage animal books, or your own photo albums.
2. Start snipping Cut out the main subjects from the pictures that you like. You can cut them out perfectly with a utility knife or rough-edged with a pair of scissors. 3. Choose the paper Choose a paper that you like for your base or background collagistration. This paper should be thick such as card stock or even cardboard. If you want the background to be a more decorative paper (white, lined, newsprint, graph, etc.) but feel it may be too thin, adhere it to a card stock or cardboard base layer
with a light mist of spray adhesive or a thin coat of glue. 4. Set your stencil Now, position the stencil on some other paper where you’d like your pattern to appear. To protect the outer areas from overspray, cover the areas outside of the stencil with scrap paper and tape down with blue painter’s tape. If you like the oversprayed look, skip this step. 5. Apply the paint Using a Stencil1 Sprayer, spray the open design areas of the stencil. Positioned 6 to 8 in/15 to 20 cm from the paper, spray
lightly in a sweeping motion—a little goes a long way. Carefully lift your stencil, keeping it level with the surface, so no extra ink drips off onto your masterpiece. If it does drip, just drizzle some more ink off the stencil and say, “I meant to do that!” Let the ink dry. Wash and dry your stencil. Alternatively, you can spray tack in the stencil areas, lift the stencil, and sprinkle glitter on the tacky areas. Tip the paper to remove the excess glitter, and you have some nice glittery shapes to play with. 6. Cut out the pieces you stenciled
These will be added to your collagistration. 7. Piece it together Position the images you cut out around the page. Try to find the way the shapes make sense with each other and the stenciled pieces. Notice the negative spaces. In other words, find them happy homes on the page. Keep in mind that you can also draw and doodle around the objects. Once you decide where you want to place the cutouts, tape them in place. (You can tape on the back or on the front. I like to show the tape; you can do whatever you want.)
8. Collagistrate your love For added embellishment, cut out (or tear) pieces of extra paper. Place the torn paper underneath or around your cutout subject and tape or glue in place. Doodle on and around the paper cutouts using your favorite line pen or thin marker. Feel free to draw within the spaces of the stencil too—wherever your pen takes you. I try to create a feeling of motion when drawing. 9. Admire Keep going until you love it; then frame it. You made a collagistration!
PROJECT 12 Heart Felt Use the needle felting method to make a stunning pillow from wool roving and a recycled sweater. FEATURED ARTIST
VICKIE HOWELL (CRAFT CORPS, AWAREKNITS, AND POP GOES
CROCHET!) Needle felting is a fun way to make appliqués on knitted garments and household items. Vickie Howell is a fiber maven and crafty do-gooder whom I had the honor of meeting when she invited me to be a part of her inspiring book, Craft Corps, which features design and craft artists who make a difference. And what a difference: Vickie has revolutionized the knit and crochet scene by bringing her funky aesthetic and compassionate spirit to everything she does. Here Vickie shows you how to combine stencils and wool, before it’s
been spun in to yarn, to create a fresh and fabulous needle felted pillow. Once you’ve mastered the art, you can apply this technique anywhere yarn dares to go. MATERIALS Felted sweater (at least 181/4 x 181/4 in/46.35 x 46.35 cm) Scissors Stencil Foam block (a little larger than the stencil) 1 to 2 balls of wool roving (in colors of your choice) Felting needle (Size 38)
Sewing machine and thread Pillow form (18 x 18 in/46 x 46 cm) or batting NOTES: A felted sweater is a wool sweater that’s been washed in hot water so that the fabric shrinks, creating a thick, felt fabric. Roving is wool that has yet to be spun into yarn. It is wispy and fine, similar to the fibers from a cotton ball. Wool roving can be purchased at most craft and hobby stores or online in kits of multiple colors. Two 2.2-oz balls of roving (about the size of tennis balls) will be more than enough for this project. INSTRUCTIONS
1. Snip it Cut two 181/4 in/46.35 cm squares out of the felted sweater—one from the front and one from the back. 2. Get into position Place the foam block under one of the felted sweater pieces directly below where you want your felted stencil design. Place your stencil. 3. Pinch and poke Once you’re satisfied with the stencil’s placement, take a pinch of roving for one
of the open areas of the stencil. The amount of roving you will use in each area depends on the size of the area and how dense you want the wool to be. Place enough roving in an open area to fill in the space. You can always add more later. With the felting needle, lightly stab the roving into place. Take care to hold the stencil in place with one hand while you’re needle felting with the other. 4. Repeat Slowly begin adding more roving to fill in the other design areas, making sure the fiber is situated exactly where you’d like
it and changing colors as you desire. 5. Stab it Finally, stab the roving repeatedly with the felting needle, permanently attaching it to the project. Stabbing causes the fibers to intertwine, adhering the roving to the larger piece of felt. Add more if a thicker design is desired. Repeat this process in all the open areas until the design is complete. 6. Get it together With wrong sides together and a 1/4 in/6 mm seam allowance on all four sides, sew the two pieces together, leaving an
opening at the top big enough to insert the pillow form or batting. 7. Stuff it Stuff the pillow with the pillow form or batting. Sew the opening shut, and admire your comfy handiwork.
PROJECT 13 Pinup Star Create a poster collage by expanding smaller stenciled images into larger graphics. OVERVIEW This how-to pays homage to poster prints of the ‘60s. Many of these posters were composed of many small images forming the shape of a larger image or type forming the shape of a larger image. Imagine the sexy figure of a woman all
made up of small curvy type. In my example, I used the retro TV stencil to spell the letters TV. To make a large, iconic image and fill it in with a smaller stencil image, you will need a little bit of freehand drawing skill. MATERIALS Poster board Pencil Stencil Stencil brush Ink pad, markers, Stencil1 Sprayers, or acrylics INSTRUCTIONS
1. Create an image On a poster board, first draw a large base image in pencil, such as a big peace sign, a strong tree, or a large skull. This image can be anything you like. Make sure to draw it nice and big! 2. Find your fill Choose a stencil small enough to fit easily inside the shapes of your design. The idea is to fill in the design with a repeating stencil image. 3. Color in the lines Place your stencil within your drawing.
Dab the stencil brush on the ink pad and color in your first stencil. (You can also use markers, Stencil1 Sprayers, or acrylics to fill it in.) When it is filled, shift the stencil to another open area and continue until you have completely filled in your big image. You can overlap your stencil images, leaving white space where you want it, and creating color where you want it. Repeat until the entire design is filled. 4. Admire Back up and check out the poster print you made.
PROJECT 14 Give Me Your Leather Customize your own leather fashion accessory. FeATURED ARTIST
ERICA DOMESEK (P.S.—I MADE THIS)
Fashion Week and DIY are two
phrases that usually don’t get combined— until Erica Domesek of P.S.—I Made This starts talking. Erica is a fashionista and a crafty DIY gal all in one. A few years ago, Erica contacted me about providing Stencil1 stencils for a Sharpie event inside the tents at New York Fashion Week. I loved her work immediately. I recently attended another event for which Erica made leather accessories from Helmut Lang materials. The girl is unstoppable. Erica’s motto is “I see it. I like it. I make it.” She shows people how cool
and fashionable crafting can be, and, for this, I am a huge fan—and it was a no-brainer to make her a part of this leather-painting tutorial. Be sure to check out Erica’s new book P.S.—I Made This: I See It. I Like It. I Make It. and visit Psimadethis.com. MATERIALS Leather material or apparel or accessory Rubber gloves Cotton ball or small rag Rubbing alcohol or acetone Sandpaper Water-based acrylics or
specialty leather paint (such as Flashe brand) Paintbrush Stencil stencil brush, foam brush, or pouncer foam brush Fabric glue NOTE: Erica stenciled leather material and made what she coined a Stencil Statement Necklace, but you can apply this technique to a headband, a jacket, or just about any leather item. INSTRUCTIONS 1. Prepare the leather
First, clean the leather surface area you will be painting with a slightly damp cloth and mild, soapy water. 2. Take off the shine Some leather, especially if brand-new, is waxy or shiny. This oil prevents paint from adhering to the surface and must be removed. Wearing rubber gloves, wipe the areas with a cotton ball or small rag dipped in rubbing alcohol to remove this wax and oil. Acetone is another option. Then lightly sand the area with sandpaper. This makes the leather more porous so the paint will adhere and gives the leather a slightly distressed look.
3. Paint a prep layer Before stenciling your design on the leather, you need to paint the area with a prep layer. Mix one part water with one part acrylic or specialty paint and brush the leather’s surface using a paintbrush. You can match the color of this layer to the leather’s color if you’d like. Apply two coats and let dry just until damp. 4. Stenciling time Lay your leather surface area flat and place the stencil where you want your design to appear. Using water-based acrylics or specialty leather paint, load a
very small amount of paint onto your brush, and dab some off on a paper towel. Now, in an up-and-down motion, paint in the open areas of the stencil. Lift your stencil, and once the design dries, carefully flex the leather. Wipe your stencil clean of paint. Realign it in the same place as last time and apply another layer. Applying additional layers is up to you. Let it dry. Erica stenciled one of my patterns onto one piece of leather, cut out the shapes making up the pattern and glued them to another backing piece of leather with fabric glue. I like her Wabi-Sabi or “not perfect” approach, organic and unexpected. She poked two eye holes in
the leather backing and attached some black ribbon to create the necklace. 5. Reveal Wear your new leather Stencil Statement Necklace like the fashionista you are.
PROJECT 15 Make an Impression Emboss a paper card with stencils. OVERVIEW Minimalists, rejoice! This how-to involves no inks or paints. Dry embossing, or relief embossing, is done by tracing a stencil with a special tool called a stylus. The result is a simple, yet stunning, raised design on the
material you are embossing. You’ll want to make these over and over. MATERIALS Stencil Light source (window, light box, etc.) Blue painter’s tape Wax paper Thick card stock or blank cards Embossing tool (stylus) Inks, glitter, acrylics, or stamps (for embellishment)* *optional
INSTRUCTIONS 1. Prep the stencil Place the stencil on a lighted surface (window, light box, etc.) in the desired position and tape it in place. The side of the stencil you want facing up should be the reverse of what you want to appear as the finished design. This is especially important with letter stencils. 2. Prep the paper Crumple up a piece of wax paper and rub it back and forth over the surface of the card to give the card a light waxy coating. This allows the stylus tool to
run smoothly over the paper. Now, position your card stock over the stencil, waxed side up. With a bright light source, the stencil will clearly show through the paper. TIP: You are working on the reverse side of the card. Once the paper is positioned where you want it, carefully tape the paper corners with blue painter’s tape. You may want to test your tape first to make sure it won’t damage your paper. Card stock will work best. 3. Emboss your heart out Using the embossing tool, press the paper firmly into the stencil along the
inside edges. If your stylus has a different size on each end, choose the size that best fits the size of the design. Press firmly, but be careful not to rip the paper. No need to rub the tool over the center of the design. Check your progress; if you don’t see the embossing, go over the stencil edges again with the tool. Remember: Once you depress the edge of the paper, it is permanently embossed. 4. Reveal your genius Lift the card off the stencil, turn it over, and admire the beautiful, raised embossing. It’s just that easy. Need more flash? Embellish your embossed card
with inks, glitter, acrylics, or stamps— whatever suits your taste and style.
PROJECT 16 Signed, Sealed, Delivered Stencil a balsa wood postcard to tell someone you *heart* them.
OVERVIEW Snail mail is an attention-getter by its sheer rarity. A balsa wood postcard is even more unexpected—an eye-popping bit of correspondence that will really
stand out. A wooden postcard feels more like a piece of art than a simple vacation “Wish You Were Here,” something the lucky recipient will cherish. MATERIALS Balsa wood planks Straight edge Utility knife Sandpaper Newspaper to control overspray Stencil Stencil1 Sprayers Blue painter’s tape Acrylic paints or ink pads Stencil brush
Spray- or brush-on varnish or polyurethane sealer Paint pens or permanent markers INSTRUCTIONS 1. Select and prep the balsa You can purchase strips of balsa wood at craft and art supply stores. Look for sustainably harvested wood in 4-in/10cm-wide strips that are 1/32 to 3/32 in/.794 to 2.38 mm thick. You want the balsa to be light enough to mail but sturdy enough to not snap. All strips look different, so choose a grain you like
best. The strips are usually 24 in/61 cm long and, once cut, will give you enough wood for about four 4-x-6-in/10-x-15cm postcards. Regardless, you want to end up with a postcard-size piece of wood. Measure the size you want, draw a line, and carefully cut along that line using a straightedge and a utility knife. Sand any rough edges. You have a balsa wood postcard ready to paint. 2. Prep your work surface Lay newspaper on a flat surface and your blank wood card on the paper. 3. Prep your postcard
Before stenciling, I sprayed my wood postcards with Stencil1 Sprayers to add some color and texture. 4. Position the stencil Place the stencil where you’d like the design to appear on the wood, and secure it lightly in place with blue painter’s tape. 5. Paint and paint some more Using the stencil brush with acrylics or specialty ink pads, paint lightly in the open areas with an up-and-down motion. Some balsa is absorbent, and paint may bleed, so, again, go lightly. If you are
using ink pads, check if the ink needs to be heat sealed. If so, follow the manufacturer’s instructions for wood. Let the design dry for several hours. If you are using a two-layer stencil, apply layer two once layer one is dry. I always recommend that you use a lighter color for layer one than layer two. 6. Lock in freshness Once everything is dry, seal your design. In a well-ventilated area, cover your design lightly with spray- or brush-on varnish. The wood will become slightly shinier and darker, giving it a more finished look. Allow the varnish to dry completely.
7. Seal with a kiss Turn the card over. With paint pens or permanent markers, draw a centerline to divide the message and address area, and write your message. Stamp it and send that art to someone whom you want to impress. The postage stamp just adds to the look.
PROJECT 17 Contain Yourself Turn a simple cookie tin into a work of art. OVERVIEW Last winter, my friend Terry and her friend Wendy used my holiday stencils (available at www.stencil1.com) to decorate cookie tins filled with their homemade goodies. Their creativity
inspired me to share this tutorial with you. Let’s face it—people love getting homemade cookies as a gift (and it’s an economical way to spread the love too). You can really up the wow factor by adding a little artwork to that plain cookie tin. The recipient of your generosity will be blown away— especially if you fill them with stenciled cookies (see Project 9). Cookie tins are not just for holidays either. A tin with a nice design can be reused for food storage all year round. MATERIALS
Newspaper Blank cookie tin Stencil Blue painter’s tape Stencil brush Acrylic paint Spray paint* Scrap or wax paper to control overspray (if spray painting)* Spray acrylic sealant *optional NOTES: Tins can be purchased at storage or specialty baking shops. They come in silver, gold, black, and a variety of solid colors. I normally recommend
enamel paint for painting with metal, but Terry and Wendy found acrylics to be easier to work with. Use whichever paint works best for you. Just remember, acrylics must be sealed with an acrylic topcoat spray so the design doesn’t wear away. INSTRUCTIONS 1. Prep your work space To start, prep your work surface with newspaper. Lay the lid of the cookie tin flat on the paper with the top facing up. 2. Position the stencil
Place your stencil where you’d like your design to appear, and secure the corners of the stencil with small pieces of painter’s tape. 3a. Paint it—acrylic Using a stencil brush, dip your brush in the acrylic paint. Wipe off most of the paint on a paper towel, and then fill in the open design areas of the stencil. Since metal is not an absorbent material, you will most likely see the brush marks. If you do not like that textural look, let the area dry and repeat the process by adding a second layer of paint. 3b. Paint it—spray enamel
If using spray paint rather than a brush, mask the outside areas around your stencil to avoid overspray. Cover the areas outside the stencil with scrap or wax paper and tape it down. Lightly spray the paint into the open areas. Lift the stencil carefully when you are satisfied with your painting. 4. Set it Once your design is dry, seal it with acrylic sealant. In a well-ventilated area, spray acrylic sealant evenly over the entire lid. Let dry. 5. Give to get
Fill the tin with cookies and give your creation to a deserving friend, or be the bee’s knees at a cookie swap. You will get all kinds of love.
PROJECT 18 Needle & Thread Create amazing embroidery art with stencils.
FEATURED ARTIST
JENNY HART (SUBLIME STITCHING)
Jenny Hart, the founder of Sublime Stitching, is simply the queen of modern embroidery. Her creations define sublime: vast, magnificent, incomparable, and inimitable. Plus anyone who embroiders a portrait of Dolly Parton is queen in my book! Her work puts a fun, refreshing twist on a traditional art form, and has caught the attention and respect of everyone in the art and indie craft world, including me. In addition to her product line (available at
www.sublimestitching.com), Jenny’s books Sublime Stitching and Embroidered Effects are the toast of Chronicle Books’ craft division, so I was beyond thrilled when Jenny agreed to be a part of this book. (We are members of the same publishing family after all.) A stitched stencil design is such a fresh new way to think of using the stencils—I know you’ll want to give it a try too. Thanks, Jenny! MATERIALS Fabric Stencil
Blue painter’s tape* Pencil or washable ink fabric pen Embroidery hoop* T-shirt stabilizer* Embroidery floss or thread Needle (sharp, medium-sized) Small, sharp scissors *optional INSTRUCTIONS 1. Prep the fabric Lay your fabric over a hard, smooth surface. Then, place the stencil over the
area of fabric that you want to stitch. Leave enough room for the edge of your embroidery hoop, if you’ll be using one. 2. Place and trace the stencil After positioning the stencil, secure it in place (tape or weight it down). Follow the lines of the stencil with a pencil or washable fabric ink pen. (If you’re stenciling on a dark fabric, you can use sharpened chalk or a white pencil instead.) Remove the stencil and behold the pattern you can now work in embroidery stitches. 3. Get ready to stitch
Place your fabric on an embroidery hoop around the design, and you are ready to embroider. If you’re stenciling on a Tshirt, you will probably want to use Tshirt stabilizer, which makes stitching on spongy fabrics easier (available at www.sublimestitching.com/stabilizer.html 4. Thread the needle Cut a length of embroidery floss or thread 12 to 13 in/30.5 to 33 cm long (the length from your forefinger to your elbow). Thread the needle and make a knot at the tail end so the floss won’t pull through the fabric, and leave a long tail (no need to make a knot at the needle end; just pull it through enough so it
won’t slip through the eye while you’re working). 5. Stitch that stencil (design) The goal is to outline the stencil design with embroidery stitches. To start embroidering, bring your needle up from under the fabric along a chosen starting point in the design—what seems like the “beginning.” Bring the needle back down through the front of the fabric about 1/4 in/6 mm from where you came up. You’ve made a stitch! A little less than 1/4 in/6 mm is a good length for your stitches.
6. Do the back stitch To continue along the line of the design in a back stitch, bring your needle up along the pattern line, but a space ahead of the end of your last stitch. Now, insert your needle through the front of the fabric in the same exit point (going “back”) as the end of your last stitch. Pull through, and close the gap. Repeat. Continue along the line of the design, until you hit the knot or reach the tail end (holding the tail in place). 7. Jump-skip You can tie off before going to a new
section to be a bit neater about it, or make a jump stitch by skipping to the new section along the underside of the fabric. Jump stitches are to be avoided if they’ll show through the front of your fabric, or if they’re too long. 8. Rethread, repeat When you come to the end of a strand of floss, you can tie it off just by making a plain old knot (which is what I do all the time), or weaving the remaining floss (the “tail”) along the underside of the stitches. Cut a new length of floss, rethread that needle, and keep going. Repeat until you have covered the stencil line with stitches.
9. Take it further If you are a more advanced embroiderer, play around with different outline and fill-in stitches. Or try combining paint and stitch techniques: Follow the painted T-shirt project instructions, and then outline the heat-sealed design with stitching for an awesome, 3-D effect.
PROJECT 19 A Hairy Situation Cut a stenciled design into hair! FEATURED ARTIST
ELIATH PINEDA (ASTOR PLACE HAIRSTYLIST) Hairstylist Eliath
Pineda works at one of New York City’s oldest and most iconic barber shops, Astor Place Hairstylist. This place is an institution—a melting pot of New York City characters containing eye candy at its finest—bboys, business men, women in huge hot rollers, old-school barber posters, customized hair stations with total DIY signage, and a wall of fame not to be missed. Eliath is a true artist. He cuts intricate designs into hair, and sometimes uses stencils to do so. When I provided him with some of my stencil designs to do his thing, here’s how he did it. You can also check out
his Web site, www.eliath.com, to see all his amazing designs and a video of Eliath in action. MATERIALS Stencil White “Halloween” hair color spray Clippers Straight razor Hair-cutting experience INSTRUCTIONS 1. Cut it short
The hair must be cut short: 1/4 to 1/2 in/6 to 12 mm long. The length of hair left on the head is your base layer. 2. Choose the design Choose a stencil without too much detail. Hold the stencil to the head in the area you want the design to appear. Make sure it wraps snugly to the head. 3. Spray to play Carefully spray the color spray into the stencil design area. Lift the stencil and the design should be “painted” on the hair. This painted design is the template
you will be using. 4. Decisions, decisions You have the choice to remove the hair that is colored in or shave away the hair that is around the colored hair, so the design is either made of skin or made of hair. We are leaving the colored-in area and removing the rest, for what Eliath calls the “tattooed look.” 5. Buzz … Using the clippers, carefully remove the natural-colored hair in and around your design. You can shave away about a 1/2in/12-mm border to outline the design.
You can then use a straight razor to finetune the design and remove more hair. 6. Take it to a pro If you don’t have these skills, I suggest just bringing the stencil to your barber. If you are in NYC, bring it to Eliath at Astor and tell him Ed sent ya.
PROJECT 20 Au Naturel Stencil on grass cloth to make beautiful placemats. FEATURED ARTISTS
LAUREN SMITH & DEREK FAGERSTROM (THE CURIOSITY SHOPPE)
Last year, I had a card-making event at The Curiosity Shoppe in San Francisco, where I had the pleasure of meeting the owners Lauren Smith and Derek Fagerstrom. They are super sweet people and stellar designers. They are also the authors of Wallpaper Projects, a gorgeous book that features more than fifty design ideas for using wallpaper for home décor. They are a natural fit for this grass cloth how-to. Grass cloth is a natural woven wall covering made of, you guessed it, grass and other fibers. It is sold in rolls like wallpaper and is a great way to add texture to your decor. Cover an entire
accent wall or use it as a table runner or placemats for a green-theme dinner party. There are so many things you can do with grass cloth. Here’s how to stencil a set of placemats. MATERIALS Grass cloth Ruler or straightedge Cutting mat Utility knife or box cutter Stencil Blue painter’s tape Fabric paint or specialty ink pad Stencil brush
Markers* *optional INSTRUCTIONS 1. Prep Unroll your grass cloth on a flat surface and using your ruler or straightedge, measure the grass cloth and mark it with a pencil for the size you want. A placemat is about 12 x 18 in/30.5 x 46 cm. 2. Cut it out On the cutting mat, use your utility knife
and a straightedge to cut the piece of grass cloth. Repeat until you have enough placemats for your dinner party. Cut a few extras for practice. TIP: Not crazy about rectangles? If you are skilled with the utility knife, you can make your placemats any shape you want —round, curvy edges, whatever you like. If your cut grass cloth is curling up after it’s cut, leave it under a heavy book for a day or just deal with it. 3. Find your position Place one placemat on a flat surface with textured grass cloth face up. Place a stencil on the grass cloth where you’d
like your design to appear and tape it in place with a few pieces of painter’s tape. Keep in mind where the plate will be so your guests can see the design. 4. Color it in Now it’s time to stencil. I prefer using ink pads on grass cloth since they don’t bleed much, but acrylics or even markers will work great. Be sure to use an ink pad that does not need heat sealing. Dab the stencil brush onto the ink pad, and then stencil in an up-anddown motion to fill in your design. (Derek and Lauren had great success with white fabric paint. Just go light with the paint as the grass cloth is
absorbent.) If using markers, just color in the open areas of the stencil. Once satisfied, lift the stencil to reveal your design. 5. Repeat Do another! You can do each placemat the same or do several different designs for an eclectic party.
PROJECT 21 Cut & Paste
Create Swoon-inspired artwork on a wood panel. OVERVIEW It is very difficult to write about an artist whom you basically worship. Swoon is a street artist represented by the Deitch Projects in New York City, and her work is incredible. I have seen Swoon’s life-size figurative prints pasted all over Brooklyn and the Lower East Side for years. Her work inspires me, not only for her impeccable technique and original style, but also for her involvement in world causes and charities. Currently, she is building
structures in Haiti for homeless victims of the earthquake. For more information, go to www.konbitshelter.org; for more about Swoon, buy her new book, Swoon, published by Abrams Books. Swoon is a multifaceted artist, making prints, paintings, sculptures, and architectural structures. One of her techniques involves stenciling on tracing paper, cutting out parts of it, and then applying the image to a wood surface with paste. Swoon uses wheat paste to put her art onto city walls, but for our purposes, a wood panel will do nicely. MATERIALS
Tracing paper or lightweight paper Pencil Stencils Cutting board Utility knife Stencils1 Sprayers or spray paint* Scissors Paint brush* Paint or wood stain* Wood panel Wheat paste or decoupage paste (such as Mod Podge) Brayer* *optional
NOTE: If you made your own stencil from a picture of a face, you can use that design for this tutorial, or if you want to be more like Swoon, create a stencil of a local hero. You can also use the twolayer stencils in this book. I’ll show you a few ways to do this. INSTRUCTIONS 1. Trace On tracing paper or lightweight paper, trace both layers of a two-layer stencil with a pencil: first the silhouette layer, then the detailed layer over the top of the first layer.
2. Cut Important: You will cut out the silhouette image last. Place the paper with the images you traced onto a cutting board. Carefully cut out the shapes of the detailed stencil with your utility knife. Then cut out the silhouette of your image. I used the stencil of my mom. You can add additional cuts to create more definition if needed—it’s as if you are drawing with your knife. I added outline to the face, waves to the hair, etc … A simpler option is to paint a two-layer stencil with Stencil1 Sprayers or even spray paint on your paper. I did this with the bear stencil as shown. If you painted
a two-layer stencil, cut out the shape of the silhouette after the paint is dry. 3. Snip With additional sheets of tracing paper or lightweight paper, stencil and cut out complementary patterns or make snowflakes like you did in grade school. These will be used to embellish your main design. I used a rose shape to surround my mom’s portrait, as roses were her favorite. 4. Prep Stain or paint the wood panel as you like. Use a darker color. Stain the wood,
paint it, or spray paint a dripping circle —whatever you like. Let it dry. Or you may prefer to just leave it plain. 5. Paste Time to paste your paper cutouts to the board. Use wheat paste or decoupage medium to apply your stencil cutouts to the wood. Follow the instructions at right to make your own wheat paste; it’s an economical and old-school way to get your art out there. Mod Podge is the most famous brand of decoupage medium, but many artists like Royal Coat better, especially if the item will be exposed to humidity.
First, cover the surface where you will place the paper image with an even coat of adhesive. Then lay your image on top of the adhesive and push it flat with your fingers. You can also use a brayer, a hand roller used in printmaking. Repeat this step with all your paper cutouts until you are satisfied with your composition. 6. Wait Let the adhesive dry completely. 7. Seal Apply an even coat of the paste over your entire piece. Add more coats for the desired results.
8. Admire Hang up your picture and thank Swoon for the inspiration! DIY WHEAT PASTE Wheat paste is the glue of the people. Wheat paste has been used for centuries to plaster art, concert- and playbills, and political posters on city walls to get information and ideas to the people quickly and on the cheap. All you need are a few kitchen items and you’re ready to take your art to the streets! INGREDIENTS
2 cups/474 ml water 3 tablespoons wheat flour 1 tablespoon sugar Makes about 2 cups/450 g wheat paste. INSTRUCTIONS 1. Bring 1 cup water to a boil. 2. In a bowl, mix the flour with 1 cup water or just enough water to make a thin solution. 3. Slowly add the flour/water solution to the boiling water, stirring constantly.
Bring to a boil again and keep stirring for 2 minutes until the paste starts to thicken. 4. Remove from the heat and stir in the sugar. 5. Allow to cool, and then transfer to a lidded container that is easily transportable. Spread your art around!
PROJECT 22 Screen Test Layer lace or a window screen over a bold stencil pattern to create a textured painting. OVERVIEW Using this layering effect technique will add texture to your design and give a new meaning to the overall look. Screens can produce a pixilated look, and lace provides a more delicate touch. This project can be done on a canvas to
create a stunning work of art, on a Tshirt, or right on the wall—it’s up to you. Try it out! In our example, I cut a bold numeric stencil by hand. MATERIALS Stencil T-shirt or canvas Cardboard box or sheet Newspaper to control overspray Radiator screen, lace fabric, or window screens Spray paint, fabric spray paint, or Stencil1 Sprayers INSTRUCTIONS
1. Get set Choose a stencil with a large open design such as a bold pattern or a standout graphic. I custom cut a large numeric stencil for this project. If stenciling a T-shirt, stretch the shirt over a shipping box to fit. Lay out newspaper on a table or other flat work space, and place your canvas or T-shirt on the newspaper. 2. Take your position Position the stencil where you want it on the surface you are painting—in this case, on the shirt. You may choose to
stencil a layer using just the stencil here, then layer the screen for the second layer as I did. I used Stencil1 Sprayers to first mist a light layer to show my number “13” clearly. Next, place the screen or lace over the stencil. Make sure your over-layer, in this case the radiator screen, is larger than your stencil. 3. Spray away Lightly spray through the lace or screen into the open areas of the stencil. I used purple for the pattern fill. Once you’ve filled all the open areas, lift the stencil and screen together. 4. Pause, play
Let the paint dry. If you made a shirt as I did, let it dry and heat seal inside out with an iron. If you made a painting, then add to your painting with brush strokes, writing, and collage, or anything you wish—you’re the artist! 5. Display Wear your shirt. If you made a painting, hang it on your wall, and marvel at your creativity.
PROJECT 23 The Royal Treatment Use stencils to emboss with gold leaf. OVERVIEW Gold leafing, or gilding, goes back centuries and creates an eye-popping and elegant decorative effect. Gold leaf is made from real gold that is pounded flat into very thin sheets; it is then overlaid on furniture, architectural
elements (like decorative molding and mantels), and home accessories (like music boxes and photo frames). So if you are ready to learn how to apply this royal treatment around your home, here’s how. MATERIALS Stencil Blue painter’s tape Gold leaf kit that contains thin sheets of gold leaf and gold leaf adhesive Stencil brushes Heat gun* Soap or methylated spirits, for cleaning*
Black painting panel *optional INSTRUCTIONS 1. Place Position the stencil and secure it to your surface with blue painter’s tape. 2. Paint Painting with glue is similar to using paint to stencil, but you will instead be using the gold leaf adhesive. Just like with paint, the key is to not use too much liquid in order to avoid drips and
produce a clean design. Dip a stencil brush in the adhesive, wipe a bit off on a paper towel, and carefully stencil in the open areas of the design with this glue. Once complete, lift the stencil. 3. Get tacky Allow the glue to air-dry to a tacky touch, or dry it slightly with a heat gun. Move the gun around rapidly to prevent the glue from bubbling or running. 4. Gild Place a sheet of the gold leaf over the stenciled area, and press it into position until the leaf adheres to the glue. Lift
away the paper backing. 5. Sweep Remove excess gold leaf with a clean, dry stencil brush; it’s real gold, so save it for other projects. If you missed areas of the design, reposition your gold leaf sheet over the glue and adhere it again. 6. Clean Clean the stencil and brush with warm water and soap or methylated spirits (denatured alcohol). 7. Display
Place your gilded object in a place of honor.
PROJECT 24 Screen Star! Silk-screen a shirt or poster using stencils.
OVERVIEW Silk screening is an art similar to stenciling: A design template allows you to create multiple prints from just one screen. In this tutorial, I’ll show you how to combine the two techniques by using a stencil with the screen to make prints. What’s nice about this method is that you won’t have to go through the process of burning a design into the screen. So squeegee monkeys rejoice! Here’s how to do it. MATERIALS Stencil
Silk screen (larger than your stencil) Blue painter’s tape or duct tape T-shirt or poster paper Cardboard box or sheet* Silk screen ink Squeegee *optional INSTRUCTIONS 1. Prep the screen First, tape the stencil to the center of your screen on the outside. This is the side of the screen that is flush with the
wood frame the screen is mounted on. Tape around the borders of the stencil and all surrounding areas until the tape covers the screen completely. This is to block paint from going through the screen anywhere except your stencil area. 2. Prep your shirt Lay your T-shirt or poster paper on a flat surface. If you are printing a shirt, prep it by stretching it over a shipping box. 3. Position the screen Place the screen on your surface, stencilside down, so that the inside of the
screen is facing up. Position the screen where you want the design to appear. 4. Prep the paint Spoon some ink on the screen above your design, maybe 2 or 3 teaspoons, in a long row the width of the stencil. 5. Squeegee away! Using a squeegee the width of the stencil design, lightly drag the ink across the entire stencil to coat the design area. Now, lift the squeegee and go in the same direction you just did, but press firmly to drag the paint over the entire design.
6. Lift and separate Lift the squeegee and set it aside. Lift the screen with stencil to reveal the print. 7. Rinse, repeat Make sure the outsides of the stencil and screen are clean of paint and do another!
PROJECT 25 Print Junkie Become a textile designer or just look like one. OVERVIEW Textile design is my dream job. Just as with stencil design, textile design is a collaboration: One designer makes the fabric design and another designer creates something with the fabric. Now you too can be a textile designer, and I’ll show you how to make your own
patterned fabric to use for upholstery, drapes, or clothing. MATERIALS Fabric paint or Stencil1 Sprayers Cup or bowl Stencil Blue painter’s tape Scrap paper to control overspray (if spray painting)* Stencil brush* Roll of fabric of your choice Garment pencil Ruler Iron
*optional NOTE: I used a soft cotton canvas for my fabric. INSTRUCTIONS 1. Test first Pour fabric paint or spray ink into a cup or bowl. Cut a piece of test fabric. All fabric has different absorbency levels, so you have to see how the ink performs on the fabric you chose. Place the stencil on the fabric and, using a large stencil brush, dip the brush in the ink, dry a lot of it off on a paper towel, then apply the ink inside the open areas of the stencil in
a pouncing motion. If you prefer to use the spraying method, mask around the outside areas of the stencil with scrap paper and tape to prevent spray paint from getting under the paper. Lift your stencil and see how you did. If the ink bled into the fabric, you need to use less ink or paint. If all is well, time to move on to the real deal. 2. Prep Lay out your fabric on a large flat surface. Be sure you have enough space to work. 3. Plan
Plan your design. Figure out the repeating pattern you’d like to create. Make a grid on the material using a garment pencil and a ruler. This will mark the placement of the stencil for each row. Here are some ideas: You can have one stencil image repeat over and over, or alternate two or three designs (bunny, tree, bunny, tree, etc.). You can also switch between colors (turquoise, red, turquoise, red, etc.). Go crazy. It’s up to you and your imagination. 4. Paint Place your stencil in the first space on your grid (I start with the top left square). If you’re using Stencil1
Sprayers, mask the outer areas with scrap paper to avoid overspray. Paint in the open stencil areas as you did in the test piece (Step 1). Sprayers should be held 8 in/20 cm or so from the stencil. When you’re satisfied, lift the stencil carefully to avoid dripping. If any ink seeped to the back of the stencil, wipe it clean to avoid smudging. Now, move to another place on your grid. Do this until the entire fabric is filled. Be careful to not smudge the area you just completed if you move to the very next space on the grid, especially if the stencil overlaps what you just painted. To avoid this, you can just jump around the grid.
5. Press Let the paint/ink dry. Then heat seal the design with an iron. Set the iron on high with no steam, and press 1 to 2 minutes in each painted area. 6. Create You can use your printed fabric to create upholstered furniture, pillows, even clothing. It’s all up to you! If you used drapes like I did, hang them up and watch the sun light up your work!
RESOURCES INSPIRATION www.apartmenttherapy.com www.diynetwork.com www.flickr.com (search for “stencil art”) www.readymade.com www.selvedge.org STENCILS
This book! Stencil 101 Stencil 101 Decor www.stencil1.com Make your own! ART SUPPLY STORES Always support your local mom-andpop art supply stores! Then there are the big boys: A.C. Moore Blick Art Materials
Flax Art & Design Michaels Pearl Paint Sam Flax Utrecht BOOKS STENCIL GRAFFITI Bansky. Wall and Piece. London: Random House UK, 2007. Cooper, Martha, and Henry Chalfant. Subway Art: 25th Anniversary Edition. San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 2009. Fairey, Shepard. Obey: Supply & Demand: The Art of Shepard
Fairey. 20th anniversary ed. Berkeley, CA: Gingko Press, 2009. Ganz, Nicholas. Graffiti World: Street Art from Five Continents. 2nd ed. New York: Abrams, 2009. Longhi, Samantha. Stencil History X., c215, 2007. MacPhee, Josh. Stencil Pirates. Berkeley, CA: Soft Skull Press, 2004. Manco, Tristan. Stencil Graffiti. New York: Thames & Hudson, 2002. Smallman, Jake, and Carl Nyman. Stencil Graffiti Capital: Melbourne. New York: Mark Batty Publisher, 2005. HOW-TO AND INSPIRING
ARTISTRY Domesk, Erica. P.S.—I Made This… New York: Abrams, 2010. Fagerstrom, Derek, and Lauren Smith. Wallpaper Projects: 50 Craft and Design Ideas for Your Home, from Accents to Art. San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 2009. Hart, Jenny. Embroidered Effects: Projects and Patterns to Inspire Your Stitching. San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 2009. Howell, Vickie. Craft Corps. Asheville, NC: Lark Books, 2010. Hughes, Ann d’Arcy, and Hebe VernonMorris. The Printmaking Bible: The Complete Guide to Materials and Techniques. San Francisco:
Chronicle Books, 2008. Innes, Jocasta. Paint Magic. 2nd ed. New York: Pantheon, 1989. Moyle, Sabrina, and Eunice Moyle. Handmade Hellos: Fresh Greeting Card Projects from First-Rate Crafters. San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 2008. Peot, Margaret. Make Your Mark: Explore Your Creativity and Discover Your Inner Artist. San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 2004. Riva, Lesley, and Benjamin Moore Paints. Paint Style: The New Approach to Decorative Paint Finishes. Buffalo, NY: Firefly Books, 2008.
Terry, Kayte. Appliqué Your Way. San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 2009. T-SHIRTS Alternative Apparel (great vintage-style T-shirts and variety of cuts) American Apparel (a wide variety of cuts, fabrics, and colors) SPECIALTY PAPERS www.clearbags.com www.eclecticpaperie.com www.katespaperie.com
www.twopeasinabucket.com Office supply stores REUSE! Collect old magazines, newspapers, cardboard, etc. WEB SITES www.stencil1.com (See our designs in a variety of sizes, plus our full product line. View stenciled items in our gallery, watch our video tutorials, and send in your Stencil1 project images.) www.graffiti.org (Art Crimes is a gallery of graffiti art from the United States, Europe, and cities
around the world.) www.woostercollective.com (The Wooster Collective was founded in 2001. This site is dedicated to showcasing and celebrating ephemeral art placed on streets in cities around the world.) www.youtube.com (Search YouTube for lots of great “how-to stencil” videos.) BLOGS www.ashleyrosehelvey.blogspot.com www.apartmenttherapy.com www.blog.makezine.com
www.coolhunting.com www.craftcritique.com www.craftgossip.com www.craftypod.com www.designspongeonline.com www.justsomethingimade.blogspot.com www.stencil1.com/news www.stencilhistoryx.com www.threadbanger.com www.unnecessaryumlaut.com
ACKNOWLEDGM I want to thank my family, my friends (who are like family to me), my dog Larry for being my higher power these days, the creative community that surrounds me and inspires me, and especially all the guest artists for helping me perpetuate the art of stenciling. Also, as always, a huge thank you to the Chronicle Books family for believing in me and making business a pleasure. And finally you, you bought the book, you have supported my art, you get the biggest thanks (unless you’re just reading this at the bookstore)! I hope the Stencil1 inspires you!
PHOTO CREDITS PORTRAIT PHOTOS OMFG Co. by Patrick Richardson Wright Elaine Elwick Barr by Jenny Elwick Christian Sumner by Greg Endries Susan Rivas by Derrick Leung Vickie Howell by Jody Horton Erica Domesek by Christopher Nelson Jenny Hart by Kenneth B. Gall Eliath Pineda by Eliath Pineda Lauren Smith & Derek Fagerstrom by Jennifer O’Keeffe
PROJECT PHOTOS Project 7: Shrinky Dink photos by Jenny Elwick Project 9: Cookies photos by Christian Sumner Project 11: Model cutout photos by Derrick Leung and Andrea Medici, Derrick-leung.blogspot.com; Ad campaign for Miss Lonelyhearts, www.jennywashere.com Project 17: Cookie containers by Eric McNatt Project 19: Haircut by Eliath Pineda and Miguel Lora Model name: John Miricapillo aka “pillowz” Project 20: Grasscloth photos by Lauren
Smith Project 21: Swoon imagery from Swoon published by Abrams and taken by Caledonia Curry All other photos taken by Ed Roth.
Copyright © 2011 by Ed Roth. Illustrations copyright © 2011 by Ed Roth. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher. Stencils may not be used to create items for resale. ISBN: 978-1-4521-2025-6 Designed by TO/GO/TK Chronicle Books LLC 680 Second Street
San Francisco, California 94107 www.chroniclebooks.com