Stenciling allows you to decorate your home with relatively complex and intriguing designs, without having to master a difficult artistic technique.
There are a wide variety of stencils available at your local craft store, or you can even make your own from pictures or patterns that you find in fabric, on wall paper, in home furnishings, or in design books.
There are two major types of stencils you can use. Some people prefer to have free form shapes, such as figures, or geometric objects randomly applied along the walls, or set in specific scenes. However it’s more common to use some sort of repeating pattern, with a design worked in such a way that it can be applied over and over again in stripes along the surface.The decision as to the type of stenciling used is one that should be determined by the ambiance you are trying to create.
Making your own stencil is a meticulous but relatively easy task. First you have to find an object, a design, or a pattern that you want to use. Don’t choose something that’s too complicated or you might overwhelm yourself and end up with sloppy results. Also bear in mind that a separate stencil will need to be made for each color in the design, so the fewer hues the easier your task.
Copy the design onto a piece of paper a couple of times until you are happy that it’s perfect. If it’s a repeating design, use a straight edge to place a dotted line along the top edge to use as a reference later. Then lay an acetate sheet over the design, taping it in place so that it doesn’t slide.
If you have a reference line, trace that onto the acetate sheet first. Then proceed to copy all designs that are going to have one consistent color onto the sheet. Later, you can use a dotted outline around objects of a different color to help keep everything lined up. Work carefully, and try to reproduce the image perfectly. When done, remove the first acetate sheet and tape another one down to its surface, in order to trace designs of objects that will be the second color. Be careful to line everything up, starting with the dotted reference line, and then moving on to the major and background objects.
Once you have the designs drawn on acetate its time to cut them out. Lay the first sheet on a cutting board and use a craft knife to carefully slice the various objects from it. Each incision should be precise, with the knife drawing down towards you, and your hands far away from the blade. Repeat this with each sheet until you have the entire pattern cut out. Actually applying the stencil to the wall is just a matter of placing and painting. If it’s a repeat pattern you will want to use a straight edge and some chalk or light pencil marks to create a guiding border which will match up with the broken line on your stencil. Specially made stencil brushes should be used to apply the paint. Dip the brush very gently in the color, and then wipe off and excess paint so that the bristles are just slightly damp.
As far as actual application you have two basic choices. You can either dab the paint on lightly, creating a soft even coat, or you can swirl it on in tiny circles, allowing you to add depth by making certain brush strokes harder than others.
Fill in all of the cutouts for the first color stencil, and then allow the paint to dry completely before doing the second. Be careful that all of the shapes line up before applying color. If the pattern repeats, slide the stencil until it matches up with the rest of the design properly. If you make any mistakes, a small brush can be used to touch up the design.
Of course any big mistakes can just be washed away with a paint roller and a fresh coat of color. In this way you can create elaborate designs right on your wall. Tiny colorful petals can bloom, fish can swim along in schools, or clouds can float lazily. Elaborate patterns, twisting geometric shapes, colorful intricacies, these are all available at your fingertips, if your just willing to use a little stenciling creativity.
Share and Enjoy:
