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- Step-by-step instructions
- How-to photography
- Stencil patterns
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Getting Started
Stenciling is a simple painting technique that lets you create interesting, whimsical, and beautiful designs on furniture and other common household items.
There are two basic kinds of stencils. A single-overlay stencil has all its design elements on one sheet of plastic. Multiple-overlay stencils have two or more numbered stencil sheets, with different design element cutouts on each sheet. The teapot designs featured in this project are produced by overlapping stencils cut from the patterns found at the end of the instructions.
If your tray is a different size than the one described in this project, simply adjust the size and placement of the stencils accordingly.
Shading & Highlighting
Shading an area with a deeper color tends to indicate that the shape is receding or more distant. Highlighting with a lighter color brings the area forward. Both techniques create a more realistic impression. When shading or highlighting, it helps to envision a light source coming from the upper right. Add lighter colors to upper areas to highlight them, and darker colors to lower left areas to shade them.
Rules for Good Stenciling
- Affix the stencil firmly to the surface.
- Always use a clean, dry stencil brush for each color.
- Remember that stenciling requires a very small amount of paint. Your brush should be almost dry to the touch.
- To avoid applying the wrong paint to adjoining areas, cover the areas you don’t want to paint with a stencil mask or easy-release tape.
Skill Level
- Beginner
Materials
- Wooden tray, white, approximately 18" x 13" (45.7 x 33 cm)
- Teardrop Border stencil, found at the end of the instructions
- Tall Teapot stencil, overlays 1 and 2, pattern found at the end of the instructions
- Elegant Teapot stencil, overlays 1 and 2, pattern found at the end of the instructions
- Polka Dot Teapot stencil, overlays 1 and 2, pattern found at the end of the instructions
- Clear plastic stencil blanks (available at most craft stores)
- Acrylic paints in white, true blue, light blue/gray, midnight blue
- Water-base satin varnish
Tools & Supplies
- Craft knife
- 220-grit sandpaper
- Tack cloth
- Paintbrush, 2" (5 cm) wide
- Easy-release tape
- Stencil brushes in a range of small and medium sizes. You’ll need one brush for each color, in a size appropriate to the area to be stenciled.
| Copyright © 2004 Doris Glovier | Acknowledgments & Disclaimer |
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