Fun with Stencils

So far, this is the most complicated stencil I've made.

This design was placed on the back of a satin pajama shirt I gave my husband for Christmas.

Normally, I only do a project once, but since it took me several hours to cut this out,

I hoped to use different elements on other things.

Unfortunately, the stencil tore when I removed it, making it a one-of after all.

Whatever your artistic skills may be, there are times you just can’t beat a good stencil.

Stencils are great for a variety of applications. Many people think of wall decoration first. There is a great variety of applications for walls – from small accents and borders, to impressive large murals. The creative person can take the use of stencils well beyond walls, though. One of my favorite applications is embellishment of clothing and other textiles.

Sometimes, stencil options can be limited when you look at them in craft and art supply stores. There are internet vendors, who specialize in them, and they often have an impressive inventory, but occasionally nothing beats making your own. Designing your own stencils opens up all kinds of opportunities for customization.

I wanted a custom spirit t-shirt for the school where I worked.

This is the front. The design was painted and accented with rhinestones.

The acanthus leaves were deliberately painted splotchy to give them

a distressed appearance.

 The fleur-de-lis on the back was the catalyst for this t-shirt design.

These are the elements for the front of the t-shirt.

I set the type in 2 different sizes, then decided after the page was printed

what size I wanted to use.

 After I printed and cut out the back stencils, I changed my mind

and decided I liked "Knowledge" better than "Perfection."

My hand-cut stencils are usually printed on 80 lb. card stock.

The t-shirt stencil doesn't have the intricacy, and small spaces, of the Chinese design,

so I still have it in my stash.

Even though I doubt I'll use it again, it did take me a few hours to design and cut it out.

It may be a means to an end, but it was still a project in its own right.

Which is probably why I haven't put it in the paper recycling.

This lampshade was painted recently. It came with the lamp base it sits on.

Project queens can't have boring, white lampshades, especially after

they paint the base to look like oil-rubbed copper.

I have this purchased stencil in my stash.

It's 18" long, which made it a bit awkward for use on a lamp shade,

but I was hesitant to cut it.

I used a green Sharpie marker to outline the acanthus elements I wanted to use.

Originally, I planned to leave the shade background white.

The marker bled on the fabric which meant I had to paint the background

if I wanted sharp edges.

After the initial panel, the remaining panel backgrounds were painted first.

The marker didn't bleed after that.

I bought the stencil for this 12" square polymer clay tile.

Rather than painting a baked tile, I placed the stencil on the clay

and used a pallet knife to carve the elements.

A metallic pigment powder was brushed on before the clay was baked.

I would be happy to give more detailed information about making stencils. However, I can't assume others have the same resources I do. If anyone has questions, feel free to ask. I'll do my best to answer.

The Project Queen