How to stencil : basic stenciling technique

Materials: What You Need

• Brushes:  Large 1’’ to 1 1/4’’ Medium 1/2’’ to 5/8’’ Small 1/4’’ to 3/8’’
• Masking tape:  “Low tack is best”
• Pencil or felt tip pen:  For marking out your registration holes
• Spray adhesive:
• Paper towels:
• Shallow plates:   Disposable paper plates are ideal. I prefer using small plastic jars with lids when doing  extensive stenciling. This stops my paint from drying out.
• Level:  For placing stencils in a line when doing repeats or general mural work.
• Plastic flat bottom tray:  For cleaning your stencils. A kitty litter tray is ideal for this purpose
• Paints:  You may use artist acrylics,oil sticks or different tones of the house paint that you are using. There are also pigmented inks, fabric paint, the list goes on. Almost any water media type paints will work
• Wall stencils   You can purchase quality stencils or make them yourself from your own designs

Basic Technique: Using Water based Paints

1. Make sure that the surface to be stenciled is clean and free of grease or dirt. If you are stenciling a wall, wipe it down first with a clean moistened with some household cleaner or detergent.

2. Spray the back of the stencil with the repositionable adhesive and let it tack dry for a minute or so. If its a new stencil it helps to give it a second coat of adhesive before use. If the stencil is small you may simply tape it to the wall or surface without using the spray adhesive.

3. Position the stencil on the wall or surface and gently press it down with a piece of paper towel. Make sure that the edges of the stencil make contact with the wall surface so to avoid paint bleeding behind the stencil. You may use some masking tape to secure the corners of the stencil to the wall as well.

4. Pour some paint into you plate, but only as much as you can use for the stenciling work ahead. Acrylic or water based paints start to dry out over a few hours especially in warmer weather.

5. Dip your brush into your paint but just so the tip gets loaded. You don't want paint getting right up the brush bristles and into the ferrule (the part of a paint brush that holds the hairs onto the handle). Once paint gets into the ferrule and dry's it it very hard to remove and the brush gets very stiff. If you clean your brushes properly and look after them they will last a very long time.

6. Once the brush is loaded with some paint dab it onto the paper towel to remove some of the excess paint. Dab gently so you don't bend the bristles. The paint on the brush needs to be on the dry side, not runny. Do a little test on a flat surface. pounce (tap) the brush on the surface and note how the paint covers the area evenly.

7. Now that you have the brush loaded properly you can start applying the paint to the stencil. Apply paint to the openings of the stencil . work your way from the edges of the openings to the middle. If you have the brush loaded properly this should be a quick process. You may also use little swirling motions as well as tapping if you wish.

8. When you have finished using one color clean your brush and continue on with any other colors you are going to use.

9.Remove the stencil from your wall. The edges of the stencil design should be clean and crisp.

10. Wash your stencil thoroughly by laying it in a tray filled with water. Dab the paint off with the paper toweling. When you have removed as much paint as you can allow the stencil to dry and store it flat between some sheets of paper. If the glue builds up too much on the back of the stencil, clean it off with a rag moistened with a little mineral turpentine.