Photo-manipulated stenciling (our first) + mini tutorial (pic obese)

[Walderhaug]

So my boyfriend and I are supposed to do a lot of reading for our studies these days,and so offcourse we get very creative and start to obsess about different creative projects instead.
I have always been doing different creative projects, but my boyfriend is new to it, anyway I think he's really talented and its good fun to do something like that together.

 We've never done stenciling before neither of us, so after getting inspiration in this forum we tried to find a good way to do it, here's what we came up with:

 1. Find a photo you like for a motive. It better not be to detailed or at least not the main object.
ex:

2. Manipulate the photo with appropriate software if you want to change anything in it. (I used Jasc Photo Shop Pro)
ex:
(we have this redicoulus sayings- ingrouphumorkindath ing going on with our friends about a moustache being Over someones nose instead of under it, so I moved it in the photo)

3. Manipulate the colours of the photo so that it resembles a stencile: greyscale it and then adjust the brightness and contrast until you have a black/white photo with clear lines
ex:

4. Print out and cut out either the black or the white from your print. Voila-you have a stencile. If there are "islands" in your motive, make little help-lines when your cutting it out so that it holds together- you can paint them over after you are done stenciling.

5. Apply textile-paint and you're done!



Two more:



Thanks for looking! Comments and critics make my day!

[psyche]

Hey, just a suggestion: using freezer paper (like wax paper on one side and parchment paper on the other; iron it and it sticks!) - is a much better alternative to regular paper (which I think you're using?). I find that regular paper a) slides when I don't want it to and b) sticks when I don't want it to (i.e. to the paint!). Freezer paper peels right off. I've also used those clear overhead sheets, especially if I want to reuse a stencil!

[Walderhaug]

Thanks, that sounds like such a great product!
 I have been lookin about for it here in Norway, but it seems we have no equivalent to the freezerpaper. I did get a tip from a Swedish craftster to try some sort of embroidery-paper that one can iron to the fabrics, so maybe I'll try that.
One thing; do you know if it work to print directly on the freezer-paper?

Lene