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Stenciling 101


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For discreetness try making a stencil in the bottom of a pizza box. It can double as a means to carry the paint in and is not suspicious to walk around with. Also for small ones you can cut a big section out of the bottom of a grocery sack or something of that nature and placing the stencil in that. GOod for flat surfaces on the ground, you can jsut look as if you're sorting out your bag's contents.

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i was just browsing through here a bit ago and saw that someone had mentioned a guide on stencils by banksy...here ya go:

 

 

A guide to cutting stencils - by Banksy

 

* First off, stencil anything. If you wait for the perfect idea you will be waiting for ever. Cleverness is never as entertaining as blatant stupidity, failure and public humiliation

* Obtain a fucking sharp knife. Blunt knives result in fluffy pictures and make the whole process long and boring. Snap off blades of British steel are best.

* Draw your artwork on paper, glue onto some card then cut straight through the both. Acetate is apparently quite good but any sort of free cardboard is okay. Stiff 1mm to 1.5mm board is ideal.

* Get a small roll of gaffa tape, pre-tear small strips and stick them on your shirt inside your coat.

* Find a suitable piece of card to act as a folder. For instance when using red paint cut the stencil into the bottom of a pizza box so when you get paint all over your fingers its not so suspicious.

* Leave the house before you find something worth staying in for.

* Spray the paint sparingly onto the stencil from a distance of 8 inches.

* If you're in a place with lots of security cameras wear a hood, move around the city quickly and act like a sad old drunk if you attract attention.

* Be aware that going on a major mission totally drunk out of your head will result in some truly spectacular artwork and at least one night in the cells.

* When explaining yourself to the Police its worth being as reasonable as possible. Graffiti writers are not real villains. I am always reminded of this by real villains who consider the idea of breaking in someplace, not stealing anything and then leaving behind a painting of your name in four foot high letters the most retarded thing they ever heard of.

* Remember crime against property is not real crime. People look at an oil painting and admire the use of brushstrokes to convey meaning. People look at a graffiti painting and admire the use of a drainpipe to gain access.

* The time of getting fame for your name on its own is over. Artwork that is only about wanting to be famous will never make you famous. Any fame is a bi-product of making something that means something. You don't go to a restaurant and order a meal because you want to have a shit.

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Originally posted by anti-graffiti artist@Jan 9 2005, 12:38 AM

Does anyone know of that stencil tool? It holds a can of paint on a stick with a trigger that sprays straight onto a stencil. I can't seem to find it anywhere. Can someone help?

ahh, i think those are arms dude. they're at the ends of your shoulders. yepp.

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hey i like this post. iv taught myself stencilling over the last year. when i started my good arm had a broken wrist but i got it done with a bit of sweat and the result i sprayed on a tee-shirt. liked the shirt so much i made a few more, then went to fabric paints but kept using stencils with brushes and now i paint tees for a living. hehe ive got a big fat stencil cut out a broken arm x-ray sheet. its good.

 

i think you should paint shirts cos unique clothing is dope. do it. amen?

 

anyway, i guess i have some knowledge aquired which i am encouraged to dispense because of the cool community i see developing here. when i started cutting stencils, because it was home grown and i didn't see any point shelling out cash for art supplies (its called kiwi ingenuity where im from) i cut them out from those dark green filing cabinet files, which are a slightly heavier cardboard than manilla folders and have a slight gloss. they worked well, but with waterbased paint got them soft over time. i then used thin plastic from some cheap asian school folder i found, about as thin as milk container plastic.

 

i now use mylar sheets. pretty cheap and all you have to do is lay the clear plastic over your image, trace the parts you want to cut with fine tip pen, then cut them out. repeat for other layers elsewhere on the mylar. this is good because it eliminates the whole process of photoshopping the whole image to define the different layers. if you don't want to get too tek. just use a posterise function in photoshop then print it out. whatever. you could trace straight outta magazines if you want. im not a perfectionist, and i find that the weird bits that come out of a final print make it unique and interesting. they say, we've found this new technique to paint our world but its not perfect like you would like us to be. i don't know.

 

i also got these mint little knives. they are metal and silver, the size of a pencil. with a tiny tip that rotates. i don't know if these are the ones you are talking about above, but they rock because they rotate and when cutting details thats essentials. it was only six bucks at the art shop and have replacable blades. i cut on a board or glass. it takes time. use sharp blades. you could always slot the mylar in between the screen and the frame of your computer and slash it up right where your staring at right now. woah.

 

i figure if you put two pizza boxes on top of each other you could stash a can or two as well as a few stencils. get yourself a stupid scooter and a red hat and you could spend your nights 'delivering pizzas' all over the city.

 

umm... check my dope stencilled clothing at http://www.involved.co.nz

 

jesus loves y'all

 

 

the words of the prophets are written on the subway walls and tenement halls.

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might try cutting up some of those plastic covers that come on all-star or other notebooks. transparencies might work, but they prob crack or tear easy. for heavy duty stencils the covers work good, but theyre bloody hard to cut...so don't get flimsy blades b/c they can slip and cut you which always sucks...

 

masking tape is also your friend

 

...peace

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Originally posted by caponekid089@Mar 4 2005, 09:15 PM

yo i got kicked out of my old name arsen so0o if any 1 got suggestions for names now with an A,N,orS either of them letters in it just im me on caponekid089, or ezgatz089...{aim}no names that are already in use in pittsburgh, P.A.

nas, san, ans, ants, saint, santa, sana, nasa, anas, asna, ansa, nsa, tans, saan, snas, ass, sas, nan, sna, sans, snap, naps, and, andi, andy, ankshit, ancient, ankle, skank, snaz, nasz, cmon man.

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Originally posted by test+Mar 7 2005, 09:51 PM--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (test - Mar 7 2005, 09:51 PM)</div><div class='quotemain'><!--QuoteBegin-caponekid089@Mar 4 2005, 09:15 PM

yo i got kicked out of my old name arsen so0o if any 1 got suggestions for names now with an A,N,orS either of them letters in it just im me on caponekid089, or ezgatz089...{aim}no names that are already in use in pittsburgh, P.A.

nas, san, ans, ants, saint, santa, sana, nasa, anas, asna, ansa, nsa, tans, saan, snas, ass, sas, nan, sna, sans, snap, naps, and, andi, andy, ankshit, ancient, ankle, skank, snaz, nasz, cmon man.

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it seemed that there were some people who enjoyed my stencil flix in paper chase so if anyone was and any questions about stenciling this should get you on your way.. peace

 

INTRODUCTION

 

Stenciling is the poor persons’ printmaking. It is the easiest and cheapest way to print the same image over and over on different surfaces and in different places. To start off, the three most important things for making a stencil are an idea, something to cut with, and something to cut the stencil out of. I cant’ help with the idea part, but you shouldn’t feel like you have to be an artist to do this. One of the great things about stencils is that since each print looks the same and consists of only a positive and negative, it makes almost all designs look really sharp and good.

 

 

CUTTING

 

Any kind of knife, or even scissors, can be used to cut stencils. Some people like big box cutting blades, but I find them heavy and unwieldy. I always cut everything with the simple exacto knife. Nothing fancy, just the regular size and the regular blades. They’re really easy to find (most copy shops have them out on the counters for customers to use.) and replacement blades are pretty cheap and accessible. I also find them the easiest to use; I hold mine almost like I would a pencil, and they have a really nice tight cutting radius so it’s pretty easy to cut small details with after practicing a little.

 

 

THE MATERIAL TO CUT

 

The material you cut a stencil out of completely depends on a number of factors, but the most important are use and size. The main use distinction is whether you are going to use a stencil inside our outside.

 

 

INSIDE STENCILS

 

Stencils you plan on painting inside on paper or other materials, can be made out of just about anything (thick cardboard, thin paper, etc.). when cutting stencils to use inside, I usually use two different materials, either laser paper (the kind you can get out of the color copier at a copy shop), or manila file folders. If you are just going to use the stencil to make one or two prints (spray throughs) and throw it away, then the paper is perfect. It is really easy to cut, making intricate details easy to do. Since you’re not using very much, it doesn’t matter that for the most part, paper stencils won’t last for more than a couple of uses. Because laser paper is light, it’ll move on your painting surface. If this happens, spray a little glue (preferably repositionable spray mount) on the back and stick it to the surface. You should be able to peel it off.

 

If I want the stencil to last a little longer, I’ll use the manila file folders. They are both strong and durable but also thin enough to make it fairly easy to cut out good detail. I use them for everything, because you can cut nice, crisp lines on them and cut amazingly tight details (and they still hold together). Plus, they are easily acquired in most office settings, as well as copy shops, office supply stores, etc. Other materials can be used, but these two have always worked best for me. You can buy stuff called “stencil board” at art supply stores, but it is expensive and usually doesn’t work as well as file folders.

 

OUTSIDE STENCILS

 

When painting outside, the most important question to answer is what size do you want to stencil? If you’re going to paint something small, I’d use the manila file folders. Most people’s first idea is to use corrugated cardboard because it seems so strong. It isn’t that rigid (it folds easily, especially when it’s wet), and is a pain the ass to cut, making detail almost impossible. It will last for a long time, but you have to deal with too many negative factors to make it worth it. File folders won’t last forever (collected paint can make them crack) but are really durable and available for cheap/free. I have some that I’ve been using for tow or three years. They’re easy to hide, such as being slipped into a folded newspaper or shopping bag, and light to carry.

When I want to make a stencil larger than 12x18, I use regular poster board. You can guy it anywhere and it has the same basic qualities as file folders. It isn’t as durable since the size makes it harder to carry without folding, crushing, etc. It’s really important that stencils stay flat so that you can get a clean print, so the bigger they are, the trickier it gets to carry and maneuver them.

 

If you can afford it, the stencil paper, usually precut at your local art store, is a sturdy paper that allows many uses and intricate cutting. It is soaked in oil, so it may smell bad at first. The smell goes away but the paper never soaks the paint. One friend’s stencil was brush-painted over 100 times and is still in great shape.

 

 

For stencils 2’x3’ or larger, the best material I’ve found is the kind of board that Kinko’s prints their in-store advertising and promotions on. It is similar to the material that some cities’ subways use for the ads that slide into frames on the inner walls of the subway cars. I used to work at Kinko’s and take home all the old ads, and many are printed on this great really strong plasticized poster board that can be difficult to cut. It last forever and is really durable. I’d suggest striking up a friendship with your local Kinko’s employee and ask them to save the posters for you. Once again, other materials, like corrugated cardboard, can always be used if you need to.

 

 

 

 

 

 

YYOOOOOOOO...BIG UPS MAN... BUT GUESS WHAT MAN......IM A BEGINER DUDE... THINK U CAN TELL ME WHERE 2 GET SOME OF THOSE STENCILS U TALK ABOUT... THANKS...N BIG UPS AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!

:huh2: :huh2: :huh2: :huh2: :huh2: :huh2:

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