Let's start with your list of supplies:
1. pattern/design of your choice
2. transparency
3. Exacto knife
4. cutting board or thick cardboard
Yep, that's it. You can get a transparencies at any office supply store or printing shops.
After choosing a pattern...
Use any simple photo-editing software, and crop it down to the size you want your design, change the color to black/white, change the size to 8.5 by 11, and print on regular printing paper. (Or, if you have a laser printer, print it directly onto the transparency and omit the next step!)
And then tape the corners of your paper onto the transparency.
Flip your page over so the transparency is on top...
Take your Exacto knife (with a brand new blade) and carefully start slicing away along your lines. No need to push very hard. It's such a smooth easy process... and it goes surprisingly FAST!!
And THIS is why you need a cutting board or cardboard!
Peel off your paper...
Voila!!! ...you made a perfectly legit stencil, and it cost you about 89 cents, and about 5 minutes of your time.
Let's STENCIL!! You know from yesterday's post that I used this stencil on the backboard for Brenda's hutch! So this is what I started out with:
I laid out my stencil, and squirted some acrylic paint on a paper plate. I did tape down my edges in a couple different places just to make sure things stayed in place. If you're doing this on a vertical surface (like your WALL), you'll want to use some stencil adhesive to keep things in place.
And then I just started blotching the paint on with my little round stenciling foam thing. I bought a whole package of these at Walmart for a couple dollars. Be sure to blot most of the paint of your brush before applying it to the stencil/surface.
Peel back your stencil... line it up next door, and repeat!
It goes really fast! Just move right down the line!
Instant gratification for sure.
How incredibly EASY?!? Right? Sure, there will be some touching up... but you'll have that no matter what when there's paint involved.
Please make a stencil at your earliest convenience. It so rewarding, and turns out so amazing! I can't believe it took me so long to finally sit down and make a darn stencil! AND.. adding a little pattern to a piece of furniture or an accent wall can make a dramatically beautiful difference. And it's CUSTOM!
Go forth and STENCIL something! And send us pics if you give this a try! We'd love to see what you come out with!
I just discovered you and I am hooked! I have wall papered book case backs for the same effect and am considering a stencil on my next project. I wanted to add a suggestion of getting giant sheets of mylar from art stores. I have a bunch that are like 24x36 which makes a much larger and thus faster stencil. I would offer suggestions for where to buy but I live in Canada so thats not helpful for most. But I got mine at art supply stores not big craft stores like Michales but smaller artist stores.
ReplyDeleteGreat job and I think I have a book shelf that this technique would look awesome on. Thanks for sharing
ReplyDeleteGreat job, like always you are so talented. Also, I was trying to find the post of the accent wall you did at your mom's house. If you could tell me the name of it or give me a date or link that would be awesome. Thanks, Canna.
ReplyDeleteHi Canna! Here's the link to my mom's living room wall treatment!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.sawdustandembryos.com/2011/12/moms-lr.html
Thank you so much! I have a "pintrest" project that I need to finish and was hung up on making a stencil. I think I will finish another project this weekend!
ReplyDeleteIf you have a laser printer, you could print the stencil directly to the transparency paper. Might save some time :) (But ink jet printers definitely wont work)
ReplyDeleteGreat tutorial, I am curious where to find stencils online. I googled it but did not come up any suitable sites.
ReplyDeleteThak you so much!
ReplyDeleteThanks for encouraging me to make my own stencil. I have been wanting to stencil my kitchen, which is basically just the space between the upper and lower cabinets, so not a big deal and not really worth shelling out the big bucks for a "real" stencil. I'm hoping to have a flat or eggshell base and a high gloss design in the same color. :)
ReplyDeleteit turned out awesome! I am also wondering where a good online place to find stencil designs are. Is is really easy to find them or do I need to do some digging?
ReplyDeleteThanks
eh ! hi! thanks for a beautiful post and i tried ur idea on my wall and it came very good :) keep sharing ur art work :) thank you much :)
ReplyDeleteI just want to take a second to say, even if you don't see this post, that I find you absolutely amazing, and you are a role model for all of us lazy crafter. Even with those twins and the problems you have endured, you have made some amazing work happen! I am inspired by all of your projects, and I cannot wait to get into my new home (first ownership) and make it happen for me too! I have been sharing your tips and tricks, and I'm currently shopping for a cheap but decent projector as well as an easy way to make transparencies. The house I'm looking at has a shop with electricity, and during my mommy time, I plan to drink much less than I do now while so idle and sad. I think this will be the perfect cure to my depression. Thank you for relighting my crafty candle!!!
ReplyDeleteHey there! Saw your guest post over at All Things Thrifty and followed the link back over here. I love this article! Thanks for the inspiration! I have a few spaces and furniture that I will be stenciling and it is good to know I will be doing it with my own stencil. :)
ReplyDeleteSerena
Thrift Diving
This is FANTASTIC!!! Thanks for sharing!!
ReplyDelete