August 6

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What is Stenciling and What’s It For?

By Hackworth

August 6, 2018

stenciling

You may not know what stencils are but you have definitely seen one on back alleys and even on the side of the road as stencil graffiti. However, stencils are not only limited to graffiti. It is a kind of art produced by the patterned application of pigment to a surface with the use of an intermediate object with designed gaps that allow the pattern or image to be successfully created. Although stencil is usually referred as the finished product (image or pattern), it is actually both the resulting image and the intermediate object themselves. Stencil can either mean both depending on the context it is in.

Definitions of a process can be empty when you don’t know how it’s done. A practical presentation will help you in understanding more about the idea given so the question is: how is stenciling done?

Since a stencil is basically just a series of different kinds of holes cut into a sheet of a resilient, waterproof material (like steel or plastic), it is easy to form the finished product. You just have to apply paint through the cut out areas to the surface beneath, and voila, an image is formed. The stencil used can show identical shapes, letters, patterns, or symbols for drawing or painting. The open sections of the stencil that form the image are called islands. These are the holes or areas that allow color to be applied on the surface under the stencil. What separates the islands, however, are called the bridges. They keep the shape of the stencil for one to successfully apply a color on it. They block or protect the surface from ever reaching or spilling color or paint.

If you know how something is done, naturally, you ask what it can do for you. In the art of stencil, your creativity will surely ignite. It allows you to decorate the stencil with your own personal style. If dealing with paintbrushes, canvases, or even pencils is difficult for you to achieve a certain picture, then stencils are definitely for you. With them having perfect symmetry and perspective, they can eliminate the problems most artists have with proportions and angles.

With stencils, you are free to do whatever you want about the image you want produced and the colors it has. Since you can make the stencil yourself, you are basically the designer of your project. The number and the kinds of designs you can have with a stencil is impossible to count! It just all depends on your creativity and imagination. With a little help along the way, like holding the stencil for you while you apply a color on it, you can easily accomplish your desired image.

You can display your stencil art on the walls of your home, your workplace, or even in the restroom as a design! Whether on the surface of your tables, your windows, or floors, as long as they’re flat surfaces, you stencil art will definitely be appreciated for the accent it contributes.

If making your own stencil materials is quite difficult for you, worry not because here at Hackworth, we can create and design your stencil materials for you and more! With our professional graphic designers, we guarantee you your desired stencil materials for the perfect results. For more questions or comments, you can submit your message below, or you can contact us today!

Photo by rawpixel on Unsplash

Hackworth

About the author

In 1991, Hackworth opened its doors as a blue printer in Chesapeake, VA. Under the direction of Dorothy and Charlie Hackworth and their son Charles, the business is now a full-fledged graphics, printing and technology company serving the Mid-Atlantic.

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