Printing Motifs by Stencilling

1What is a stencil?

A stencil is a sheet with a shape cut out of it. You put the sheet on a surface and dab paint over the hole. The paint goes through the hole but not through the sheet. When you lift the stencil, the shape is left behind.

Because you can use the same stencil many times, it is a good way to repeat a motif.

2What you need

• Thin card: a cereal box, a manila folder or an old calendar.
• Scissors, or a craft knife used by an adult.
• A small piece of sponge or foam, or a cloth rolled into a ball.
• Thick paint on a plate. Thin, watery paint runs under the stencil.
• A little tape or two small stones to hold the stencil still.

3How to make and use a stencil

1. Draw your motif in the middle of the card. Keep it simple and bold.
2. Plan the bridges. Some shapes have a middle part, like the letter O or a ring. Leave two thin strips of card, called bridges, to hold the middle in place, or it will fall out.
3. Cut out the shape carefully.
4. Hold the stencil flat with tape or stones.
5. Dab the paint straight down with a nearly dry sponge. Do not brush, or paint will creep under the edges.
6. Lift the stencil straight up, move it to the next place, and repeat.

4Positive and negative

Dabbing through the hole gives a positive print: a coloured shape. Now keep the leaf you cut out. Put it on paper and dab paint all around it. When you lift it, you get a negative print: a white shape on a coloured background.

5Look closely

In Japan, dyers used paper stencils like this one to print patterns on cloth for kimonos. It is about 150 years old.

• Name the motifs: are they geometric, plant or animal?
• Look at the white spaces. Can you see a fine net of criss-crossing lines? Some stencil makers glued a net of very thin threads into the stencil to hold the delicate parts in place, like tiny bridges.

Try it yourself

Try each one first, then tap Show answer to check.