Stencils allow us to decorate with our own personal style even if we aren’t Leonardo da Vinci (or Picasso - if that’s more your style). If you find it difficult to sit down with paints and brushes and come away with a picture you’re satisfied with, then stencils are for you. They eliminate problems with proportion (a fleur de lis will always be perfectly symmetrical), or perspective (objects will be consistent in depth or dimension and show whether they are near or far).
With stencils, you decide where you want an image and you pick the colors. You are the designer of your project. It’s just that you have a little help along the way. And don’t worry - I won’t tell anyone.
What does that mean? Well, first it means that you will get your printable stencil emailed to you (within 24 hours but usually much quicker). No waiting for it to come in the mail and no extra cost for shipping. When your email arrives, you will be directed to download the attached PDF file which is viewable in Adobe Reader. If you don’t have Adobe Reader, you can download that for free at Adobe.com. Then you can print your stencil with the instructions and save the file for future use.
Need I mention that you’ll save money, too. Well, it’s true. Of course you don’t have to pay shipping. And downloadable stencils are much less expensive because there are no manufacturing costs, storage costs, tracking costs… You’re just paying for the design.
OK! So there is a catch. After printing the stencil you’ll need to cut out the openings (islands) where paint is applied. I think you will find that for the little extra work the advantages make downloadable paint-and-cut stencils a great choice.
Also, since a cut-and-paint stencil design is printed on paper, it can be reduced or enlarged to fit almost any project size. This is a big deal. If you like a Plastic Pre-Cut Stencil and it comes in two sizes -small at 2’ and large at 4’- and the area you have for an image is 1’ then the plastic stencil will not work. Take a cut-and-paint design to a copy machine and resize it to whatever your project area requires. Flexibility is great!
Still not convinced that this is for you? Try a stencil download free and with no obligation. No, really. Try it and if it works for you come back and try some of the others.
So, you say that a plastic stencil can last a long time and get used over and over again. Well, here are a few tips to preserving a paper stencil for long term use.
If you can get your hands on some clear sheet report covers or transparency film, trace, copy or print your stencil onto that and you’ll have a permanent stencil. And it just doesn’t get any easier. However, if you want to be more technical about it, you can purchase a wide variety of films and clear sheeting made for stencil making.
I always look for the easiest way to get a job done. I also like to use what I have on hand. So, if you can’t find clear sheeting then packing tape works great too. Place your stencil flat on a non-pourous surface. Run strips of packing tape over the stencil making sure to overlap the edges so that the entire surface is covered. Run the tape past the edges and trim the excess with a pair of scissors. Of course, make sure you do this before you cut out the islands (openings).
I recommended a non-pourous surface because one time I did this on the dining room table and the tape that over ran the edges of the stencil picked up some of the wood finish. It wasn’t pretty.
The trick is to get the clear covering to lay flat without too many wrinkles or bubbles. It takes a little practice but you’ll get the hang of it.
Also, I like to cover only the front of the stencil with a protective coating. I’ve found a slick back encourages paint to seep and run under, smudging up my project.
If you want some more great ideas about stenciling, click over to our sister site at www.All-About-Stencils.com. You’ll find all you need from basic stenciling instructions to using stencils in decorating.
Well, I hope you found all you were hoping for and more. Visit often because I am always adding new products and features to this site!