Mylar Stencil Material

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Decorative and Fine Art Stenciling | Reviews, Tips, Guides ...

Traditional stenciling is a folk art form of wall and floor painting. Scenes of everyday life were cut into templates and stenciled on walls and wood floors to create decorative patterns that resembled upscale wallpaper and rugs. Traditional designs focus on leaves, flowers, animals. and other everyday items. The renewed interest in colonial wall and floor stenciling has expanded to include stencil decoration on other items such as baskets, tiles, fabrics for quilting – only your imagination will limit your use of stencils for decoration.

Fine art stenciling can be used for the repetitive use of an image within a single piece or series of paintings or to produce multiple prints of the same painting – serving as a ‘poor man’s’ printmaking technique.

Although graffiti artists usually prefer a freehand style, stencils have long been used to plaster cities with messages.

The key to creating a stencil is to simply your three-dimensional subject to basic lines and planes. Flowers and leaves, as used traditionally in decorative painting, are relatively easy to reproduce.

Common mistakes when designing a stencil

A stencil is painted using the stencil’s cutout areas. Very fine lines are difficult to stencil and reproduce smoothly. Messages, words, and slogans work best when designed in bold, capital letters – a good example are the ‘word’ paintings of Robert Indiana . A handwriting effect can be achieved with carefully planned spacing and letter design – but, again, watch the fine lines.

The most common mistake is the overlapping of images within your design. Consider using multiple stencils for different objects or elements of your painting if the design is highly complicated. Areas that are not clearly defined or stylized, especially in realistic renderings, will not translate well to a stencil design. Save the large blocks of color, whether using stencils or sponges, for abstract paintings or backgrounds.

Mylar is probably the most common material used today to create stencils. Unlike paper stencils, mylar is long-lasting and will stand up to multiple use. I still use more traditional methods of stencil making. I find that there’s a greater chance of paint seepage under a mylar stencil because of its relative thinness. Traditional materials allow me to carve out small areas or add additional details during the stencil-cutting process than I’ve ever been able to accomplish with mylar. Experiment with both types of materials to see which suits your particular purpose and style.

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