Guide to Stencils

Fabulous Stencil Template
Michalis 'BIG Mike' Kotzakolios


Defined Tag: Stencil Template.

The stencil template, invented in China, was made from paper or very thin sheets of metal. The stencil templates, introduced in Europe in early fifteen century, were used to color popular prints in quantity. This was the one printmaking method which did not reverse the image. From this old stencil process originated the silkscreen printing method. Silkscreen printing or serigraphy is essentially a stenciling process, in which stencils are applied to fabric stretched across a frame. Paint or stencil ink is then squeezed with a squeegee through the void or unblocked areas of the screen, and deposited on the paper or fabric below. This elementary technique allows prints and maps that do not require great deal of perfection to be printed very cheaply.

Another example of stenciling is pochoir. In mid 1920s, a French craftsman J. Saude invented the pochoir process as a reproductive medium for illustrating books. This technique involved the manual application of color onto a print through a series of carefully cut metal stencil templates. Many artists of the School of Paris (Ecole de Paris) popularized this process. In this printing process stencil ink is brushed through a series of stencil template to achieve the finished image.

Stenciling is an excellent technique for producing a repetitive pattern on a surface. Traditionally, stenciling was the way middle-class people replicated the look of wallpapers, which once could be afforded only by the society's elite. There are two major techniques for stenciling, which are positive stenciling and negative stenciling. With positive stenciling, a template of the motif or pattern is cut into acetate or stencil paper. The paint or ink is applied inside the cutout areas to transfer the image of the motif on the surface below.

With negative stenciling, instead of painting inside the cutout areas, you paint around it. Removing the stencil template reveals the outline of the image on the surface. Remember, use spray adhesive to hold the stencil in its place. Remove the stencil template once you have traced the entire design. Although you will not be painting freehand, it's a good idea to practice before actually attempting. This way you can make brush strokes with confidence later.

BIG Mike is a well known author, developer and Adsense expert as well as the owner of Niche Maniacs - a unique Adsense Marketing System designed to build long-term passive income streams from Adsense, Amazon, YPN, Chitika and other PPC services.