How To: Paint Mask or Stencil
Posted: Tue Dec 18, 2007 8:38 am
So you have an idea for a image you want on the side of something but you can't find a stencil(s) for what you want/need, well make your own.
For our craft project today you will need:
-A roll of wide masking tape, wider the better.
-A sheet of transparency film or a roll of wax paper
-A box sharp razer blades, yes a box don't buy just one
-An inkjet printer
-the artwork you want to use as a stencil in digital form, ie something you can print.
-Q-tips / cotton swabs
First get the tape and the transparency film out. If your using wax paper you have to cut out a piece into an 8.5x11 sheet first.
Now cover the film or paper with the tape lengthwise, making sure to over lap each strip by a 1/4 to 1/2 inch. Then on one end width wise run a strip that wrap the leading edge of the film/wax paper. This will keep the tape from peeling off in the printing phase.
Now at your printer, load the taped up film/wax paper like you would a piece of photo paper with the taped up edge in the direction of the feed.
Print out the image you want, in my case I'm making some CD cases for my kids.
TIP: don't forget to tell the printer to use draft mode, otherwise you have to forever for the ink to dry or the ink get every were. You see this in the next few images, I forgot
Now that you have the image printed, you can peel it off the film/wax paper. Do this in the same direction to put the tape on. This way when you pull the tape up your pulling up the next strip of tape, other wise due to the way it over laps if you went the opposite direction you would only pull up one strip of tape.
Once you have it off the film/paper put it on your project where you want it. Take care to keep from getting creases or wrinkles.
With the SHARP blade cut out the parts you want to paint. If your going to do multiple colors then cut out the whole stencil and back mask the different colors. If you only cut one color at a time when you paint the first color you would loose the lines of the others.
TIP: use only new SHARP blades, dull blades will tear the tape. You also have to press harder to cut the tape, press to hard you will cut/groove the surface you're painting. This is bad, the grooves will show up in layers of paint to follow.
Once you have all the stencil cut, rub all the edges to make sure they will not allow the paint to bleed under.
Then paint, always do this in a well ventilated area. So no painting in the closet.
The paint is still drying so I will edit this here in a bit after the paint has dried.
For our craft project today you will need:
-A roll of wide masking tape, wider the better.
-A sheet of transparency film or a roll of wax paper
-A box sharp razer blades, yes a box don't buy just one
-An inkjet printer
-the artwork you want to use as a stencil in digital form, ie something you can print.
-Q-tips / cotton swabs
First get the tape and the transparency film out. If your using wax paper you have to cut out a piece into an 8.5x11 sheet first.
Now cover the film or paper with the tape lengthwise, making sure to over lap each strip by a 1/4 to 1/2 inch. Then on one end width wise run a strip that wrap the leading edge of the film/wax paper. This will keep the tape from peeling off in the printing phase.
Now at your printer, load the taped up film/wax paper like you would a piece of photo paper with the taped up edge in the direction of the feed.
Print out the image you want, in my case I'm making some CD cases for my kids.
TIP: don't forget to tell the printer to use draft mode, otherwise you have to forever for the ink to dry or the ink get every were. You see this in the next few images, I forgot
Now that you have the image printed, you can peel it off the film/wax paper. Do this in the same direction to put the tape on. This way when you pull the tape up your pulling up the next strip of tape, other wise due to the way it over laps if you went the opposite direction you would only pull up one strip of tape.
Once you have it off the film/paper put it on your project where you want it. Take care to keep from getting creases or wrinkles.
With the SHARP blade cut out the parts you want to paint. If your going to do multiple colors then cut out the whole stencil and back mask the different colors. If you only cut one color at a time when you paint the first color you would loose the lines of the others.
TIP: use only new SHARP blades, dull blades will tear the tape. You also have to press harder to cut the tape, press to hard you will cut/groove the surface you're painting. This is bad, the grooves will show up in layers of paint to follow.
Once you have all the stencil cut, rub all the edges to make sure they will not allow the paint to bleed under.
Then paint, always do this in a well ventilated area. So no painting in the closet.
The paint is still drying so I will edit this here in a bit after the paint has dried.