How to Stencil - the easyway
Virtually any
paint can be used to stencil with but the two most popular types
are Acrylic and Dry-brush Oil. Acrylic paint
dries fast, is easy to clean with water and comes in hundreds of
different colors. Dry-brush oil
paint is non messy, does not smudge or bleed and will adhere to
any surface. Markal Paint
Stiks fall into this category and will adhere to any wall paint,
water or oil based, plastic, melamine, wood, metal, tiles,
glass, fabric or almost any other surface inside or out.
Preparation
Always make
sure that the surface to be stenciled is clean and properly
prepared with no flaking paint. If you need to
mark a straight line, do this first with a piece of chalk,
pencil is very difficult to remove without damaging the paint or
the stencil. Masking tape is
often used to attach a stencil, however, if you have ever tried
using a Repositionable Contact Spray Adhesive you will never go
back to masking tape.
When stenciling
a continuous border around a room, start at the corner opposite
the door and work out from there. When working on
walls, you can position the stencil right under the ceiling
molding, at picture rail height 2.2m (7ft4in), dado (chair) rail
height 1.2m(4ft), above the skirting board, round the windows
and doors or all over like wallpaper.
Instructions
Spray the back
of the stencil lightly with spray glue and position the
stencil on the chalk line or whatever you are using as a
registration mark. Because the
glue is repositionable you can move your stencil along 6 or 7
times before it stops sticking, when it does re-spray it. No
need to clean in between.
Acrylic Paint: Dip
your brush or sponge into the paint and then wipe off most of it
on a piece of kitchen paper. If you use too much paint you will
find that it bleeds behind the stencil, giving the pattern very
ragged edges. Apply the paint
using an up and down stippling motion, start on the outside of
each of the stencils cut outs and work your way in towards the
middle.
If you are
using masking tape to hold the stencil in place, you must push
the stencil tightly against the surface so no paint can seep
down the back. When using more
than one color, wait for the first color to dry before you apply
the second color, always use a clean brush or sponge. The
lightest color should be applied first.
Using liquid
paint for stenciling can be problematic, my advice is to keep
your brushes and stencil very clean and use as little paint as
possible. If you are not sure, wipe off a bit more, you can
always add some if the color is not right. Stencils look better
when the color is built up in layers.
Clean-up:
Wash your stencil frequently in hot soapy water, especially when
changing color. Don't forget to check for paint on the back of
the stencil. Brushes can also be washed in hot soapy water and
dried on kitchen paper.
Dry-Brush: Peel off
the skin from the paint, dip in your brush and swirl onto a
palette or the corner of the stencil, where there are no holes.
Markal Paint Stiks can be rubbed directly onto the palette or
stencil corner. Using a
circular motion transfer the paint to the stencil, keep the
brush in an upright position at 90° to the stencil.
One paint stik
or pot of dry-brush paint can give you many different shades of
the same color. The harder you press the darker and more
definite the color will become. For a really light fresco look
apply the dry paint with a sponge.
Clean-up: To
remove paint and glue from your stencils and brushes soak them
in turpentine for a few minutes. Using a stencil brush sweep the
paint off your stencil and finish off with kitchen paper. You
can also use kitchen paper for the brushes; just keep rubbing
until no more color comes off.
Fabric Painting: Always
prewash fabric to remove size and softener, these products coat
the fibers and then the paint sticks to the coating and not the
material fibers. Apply the
stencil as per normal; just put some extra masking tape around
the edges of the stencil. This is partly to help it stay in
place and also in case you go over the edge with your paint (you
can't get it out of fabric).
If you are
using fabric paint, which can only be used on natural fibers,
remember to clean your stencil back and front every time you use
it, you must clean it before you reposition. Markal Paint
Stiks are less messy and do not make the material hard, they can
be used on almost any kind of material. Paint stiks work
wonderfully on polyester, silk, voile, cotton, linen, etc., when
you paint onto silk and voile with them the paint remains soft
and it looks like the designs were printed on by the
manufacturer.
Finishing: Before
you can wash or dry-clean the fabric, you have just stenciled,
you must heat set it, this can be done with a dry iron (no
steam). Place a piece of absorbent paper over the design and
with the iron as hot as the fabric will allow, press for 10
seconds on either side. Alternatively you can let the paint dry
for 3 days and then put the item in the tumble dryer for 30mins.
Sandblasted Glass: To
get a sandblasted effect on your windows or doors, without
having to go to the expense of real sandblasting, all you need
is a white paint stik and some time. Attach your
stencil to the glass using spray glue, use very little and low
tack first(stick your stencil to a towel so that most of the wet
glue comes off and does not get left behind on the glass).
Paint through
the stencil using an up and down stippling motion. When you have
finished leave the stencil in place and mask round the edge with
paper or card. To seal the
paint you will need a Clear Lacquer Spray, try not to get it on
the clear glass. Spray over the stencil lightly from about 30cm
(12in), allow to dry and repeat twice. Let the paint and lacquer
dry for at least 3 days before cleaning the window with any
preparatory window cleaner.
Reverse Stenciling:
Using a large stencil brush stipple, with the white paint stik,
over the whole pane of glass and wait 2-3 days for it to dry. Once it is
completely dry and does not smudge when you touch it, fix your
stencil in place. The idea is to remove the paint from the holes
in the stencil.
Dip a cotton
bud (ear bud) in turpentine and then dry off on kitchen paper.
Run the damp bud down the middle of a hole in the stencil and
remove the paint with dry kitchen paper. When you have
removed all the paint from inside the stencil, you can either
leave it blank or stencil in other colors (they are very bright
against the white). Finally, take down the stencil and spray the
whole window pane with clear lacquer to seal in the paint. Wait
at least 3 days before cleaning the window.
Happy Stenciling - be Warned,
it's Addictive
