How to Make a Stencil

Create a multi-layered stencil artwork!

Materials:

• 2 sheets of flexible, hard, clear plastic card

• 1 retractable cutting knife (Stanley knife) with a new, sharp blade

• 1 cutting mat

• 1 picture, photo or drawing of your choice –the larger the details in the picture are, the easier it will be to cut

• 1 canvas, wall, or surface to apply stencil

• 1 can acrylic spraypaint in a light colour

• 1 can acrylic spraypaint in a different dark colour

• Optional: 1 light and 1 dark tube of acrylic paint and a stencil brush if no spraypaint

Preparation:

Make two copies of the photograph or drawing of your choice. It will be easier to find lighter and darker values if you make the copies black and white (grayscale)

Dark Stencil

Using the first copy of the photo or drawing of your choice, find the darkest values in your drawing or picture

Outline the shadows and fill them in with the black marker, making sure to connect any shadows that seem to join in the photo or drawing

Tape a plastic sheet over the copy and place these on top of a cutting mat