How To Make Stencil

By Leeanne Utiger
So you are feeling creative and want to know how to make a stencil. There are a few ways you can make a stencil. Or maybe I should say, a few things you can use to learn how to make a stencil.

First of all, a stencil is a prepared cut out shaped template. This means shapes cut out of something, leaving holes (cut out shapes) behind in the chosen ‘frame' of your stencil.

I will give you a brief description on how to make a cardboard stencil. Learning how to make a stencil is relatively easy. However it all does depend on what sort of stencil you are wanting to learn how to make, and what you are going to use your stencil for.

First off, when you want to learn how to make a cardboard stencil, you will have to make sure you have a few things on hand, to help you make your stencil. You will need some strong (yet not necessarily thick) cardboard. You will also need either a sharp pair of scissors or a blade. Place your cardboard on top of a backing board. Something strong and thick enough for the blade (if this is what you are using) to not go through. You do not want to end up with knife blade marks on your work bench or table top.

Now you can begin learning how to make your stencil. You can cut out any shape you choose to cut out. Use your imagination and simply cut shapes out of your cardboard. Or you can score the cardboard with the blade and then simply press the scored shapes out from the cardboard of which you are making your stencil out of. If you are using scissors, it is suggested that you first draw the shapes you want to cut out of the cardboard and the cut them out. You will see once you remove the shapes from the cardboard, you are left with holes the shape of the shapes you cut out. The piece of cardboard left behind with the cut out shapes in, is what becomes the stencil you have learned how to make. I never said learning how to make a stencil was going to be hard. This cardboard stencil that you have now learned how to make is now ready to be used for other art and craft work. You simply place the stencil you have learned how to make onto another piece of chosen art material, whether this be more card, or maybe even fabric, and do what you want with it.

You may choose to draw around the outside of the cut out shape, or even fill it in completely. You may want to use the stencil you have learned how to make with paints. Simply place the stencil once again on to your chosen art background material and paint over the area of the shape you want to come through on to the art material underneath. Remove the stencil you have learned how to make, and you will be left with a painted design of the cut out shape which is known as a stencil on your art material.

You are not limited to what you can make a stencil out of. Experiment a little and learn how to make a stencil using varying materials. Such as card as I have mentioned above, fabric, plastic etc.

When you learn how to make a stencil, you will also learn how you can purchase a stencil cutting out tool. This is a little gadget which has a bottom to it and a top. On the top of this gadget will be a shape prepared with a metal edge to it. On placing a piece of card between the bottom and the top of this gadget, and then simply shutting the top to the bottom, the metal blades that outline the prepared shape will in fact cut that shape out of your card for you. This is an alternative method in learning how to make a stencil. These gadgets can be purchased in varying sizes and in many different shapes. Try visiting your local craft store. You should not have any problems in finding them. In fact, if you know anything about scrap booking, you will know exactly what I am talking about. If you do not, ask for help at the craft store. If you tell the assistant you are looking for a scrap booking stencil, they should know what you are talking about and be able to point you in the right direction.

See Also:
For more advice on how to make a stencil, refer to:

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