My Stenciling TutorialI first have to say that this is probably not a very effective way of making a stencil, but I tend to like to do things myself and figure out faster and better ways of doing it without much help from others. I feel more accomplished that way. Also, I'm not very good at stenciling, so those who do it often and well will probably think I'm nuts for going through all the effort to do it this way.
Step 1:
Pick the image that you want to stencil onto your shirt, bag, hat, etc. Either draw it yourself or print it out. A dark black outline on white with no other colors makes it easier to see later.
Step 2:
Lay a piece of wax paper over your design, I think the side that's rolled on the inside tends to be a little waxier, but maybe that's just me. I put this side up because it's less likely to stick to the tape.
Step 3:
Take a piece of masking tape and stretch it across the very top of the design so that at least half of it is above the top of the design. You don't want to press this down onto the wax paper because it makes it harder to peel off later. Just stretch it so that it lays flat.
Step 4:
Do the same thing again, only this time lay the piece of tape half on top of the first piece so that they're overlapping. I do this so that it makes it one sheet of tape in the end.
Step 5:
Just continue doing this until your whole design is covered in two the layers of tape. I'm a perfectionist and try to get my tape to line up perfectly so that it's all the same thickness. It makes it easier for me to cut later.
Step 6:
Use an exacto knife or other kind of craft knife to cut out the inside shape of your design. This inside piece can be discarded unless you're doing a reverse stencil. While you're cutting try not to press on the tape too much because that will make it harder to peel the wax paper off. If you need to put some pressure to keep your hand steady try to do it inside the design because that's the part you're not going to use.
Step 7:
Slice down the sides of the design so that you're cutting the tape away from the paper the design was printed on. The paper should just fall away so that you've got your stencil of tape and wax paper.
Step 8:
Turn your stencil over so that the wax paper is on top and start to peel that away from the tape. If you haven't put too much pressure on it, it should peel up easily. Otherwise it will stick a little more than you'd like and will be more difficult. If it tears and you have a portion still there use the point of your knife to start lifting the corner again until you can peel it with your fingers. Try not to touch the tape too much because then it gets less sticky.
Step 9:
Line it up on your shirt or whatever you're printing on and tape it down into place. This is why I used tape to do this. It's cheap and stays in place very well. I use the other end of my knife to press the inside edges down very hard so that they stick better. This keeps the leaks out better, but it's still not foolproof, a good stencil technique is the best way.
Step 10:
Paint. I don't know the best technique for stenciling, so it's best that you find one that's more reliable. I used TULIP® Dimensional Fabric Paint. You can find it in the wal-mart craft section or probably any craft store. There are a million colors and there are also different brands that I'm sure will work very well. I also know that there are adhesives that you can spray on regular stencils and get the same effect, and there are plastic stencils that you can create your own design on, but I don't want to mass produce the things I make, so I don't want something that permanent. Plus, if I made a plastic stencil for every piece that I did on the robot devil I would need a lot of sheets of plastic. Tape is a little cheaper, I think.
Step 11:
Peel off the tape after at least a half hour and admire your work. If any paint leaked around the edges you can find a color that matches the color of your shirt in a matte finish and paint over it with a paintbrush. It doesn't disappear, but it makes it very difficult to see unless you're really examining it.
If you're doing more than one color like the robot devil one I suggest making a new stencil for every color. It's more work, and sometimes hard to line up, but I think it made it come out far better than if I were to try to make one big stencil with teeny tiny little lines of tape separating the colors.
I really hope this helps.
