Make Stencils

New Logan Hicks (Videos)

I added a new batch of Videos to YouTube and my blog LoganHicks.com. Over the past year, I have been video taping various events, but I have neglected to upload them the internet. Doesn't do much good if you don't get a chance to see them, so I finally got off of my ass and uploaded these mother suckers. This is my first crack at video editing, so enjoy the fumblings of a novice video jockey.
Here are the videos and the URLs:

Logan Hicks installing art at BLVD

Logan Hicks in South Africa

Anthony Lister

copy-shop trash meditation yields fruit

A Simple heads up: The wrapping used for many types of paper is coated on one side with a thin sheet of plastic which makes it usefull for transferring prints to cloth via ironing. good dirty-cheap method that yields a crisp-clean print on a t-shirt. plus 'cause it's ironed on you can use floaters if you care to.

So... i like paper and pen when i'm on walkabout, and a few months ago i pulled the paper part of that pair from a copy-shop dumpster that i've grown attached to. Typically mark the paper with the pen, and often, having reached every edge of whichever side i've started on, i meander around the nearest corner and keep going on its underside. However on this particular day [a few months ago] i turned a corner and promptly slid to a halt as the ink from my pen began to bead in a very unremarkable way. Well, keeping in mind that making marks on bits of paper is by no means the only way to rest one's feet on a walkabout [plus that whatnot about making…

Stencils on T-Shirts

A few people have asked Stencil Archive for tips and info on spray painting stencils on t-shirts. Some tips I've given them are mostly screen printing tips:

- use a flat palate (piece of wood, glass, or even marble) to keep the shirt flat
- make a mark in the middle of the palate so you can center your shirt
- maybe use spray tack to keep the shirt from moving
- put the shirts out in the sun or in the dryer to cure the paint
- if you want tight lines, practice improves your skills

I've heard from others that painting on shirts is just as good as pro inked jobs. Not much fading or just enough to make the shirt look old and worn.

If anybody has any tips on stenciling t-shirts, your comments would be helpful.

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Yeah, its the cheaper way to have a sentence or whatever you want to in a t-shirt (and for winning a few money if you accept orders...ñ_ñ)
Just two tips more; remember not to use a lot of paint, it…

squeeze bottles for painting stencils?

i'm wondering if you know of anyone who's had success using a squeeze bottle to deliver a paint concoction (for inside use- less noise)... please let me know what you do on this matter.

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i havent tried it but what about those sponge squeeze dishwashing bottles , and putting them in a plastic bag?could get messy though.They sell a house painting tool that holds paint in a tube and has sort of a syringe device that distributes the paint It has replaceable sponge pieces for pretty cheap.I just began expreimenting with stenciling and have only used cans,these are just ideas so far ill try them out and see.

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It helps to ass something to thin it.

When I print shirts I use fabric paint with rubbing alcohol for thinning in a spraybottle.

Rubbing alcohol or paint thinner in small amounts might help it come out smoother.

Cut a Stencil out of Department Store Clothes Boxes

I was searching for card stock at home today and was having trouble finding anything sufficent. I was digging through my walk in closet and found clothes boxes.  Like the ones JCPennys wraps clothes in at Christmas time. Ha, so anyway I created some sick stencils just using that. If you unhinge the corners and flip em up they act as a cool "tray" and catches unwanted paint from transfering.... I don't know if that really helps but it's one of those items lying around the house that kids could easily access. 

Carry Out

From Justseed's "Stencil Four" 'zine (Feb. 2001)

One of the biggest problems with stencils is that you have to carry the things around and somehow still not look like you're causing trouble. For tips this time I'm just going to list a bunch of the ways I’ve found to transport them and cool ideas that other people use.

Probably the easiest way for a small stencil is just sliding it into a folder of newspaper. The problem with this is that once it’s wet, it’ll stick, which can cause a mess.

Some people like to carry stencils in old backpacks and other bags. I've always found that messy.

For bigger stencils, I've lined a cardboard portfolio (usually available for free from art stores like Pearl) with chicken wire. You just look like an artist and the wire keeps the stencils from sticking to the cardboard.

Cut the bottom out of a large brown paper shopping bag and tape your stencil in its place. It just looks like you're carrying home…

The Materials

Another classic by Stencil Pirates author Josh MacPhee

INTRODUCTION

Stenciling is the poor persons' printmaking. It is the easiest and cheapest way to print the same image over and over on different surfaces and in different places. To start off, the three most important things for making a stencil are an idea, something to cut with, and something to cut the stencil out of. I can't help with the idea part, but you shouldn't feel like you have to be an artist to do this. One of the great things about stencils is that since each print looks the same and consists of only a positive and negative, it makes almost all designs look really sharp and good.
CUTTING

Any kind of knife, or even scissors, can be used to cut stencils. Some people like big box cutting blades, but I find them heavy and unwieldy. I always cut everything with the simple exacto knife. Nothing fancy, just the regular size and the regular blades. They're really easy to find (most copy…

Stencil Basics

Classic steps by Stencil Pirates author Josh MacPhee

Starting materials: A piece of cardstock (like a manila file folder works for small stencils).

You can either sketch out your idea on the cardstock, or copy a picture out of a book and glue it to the cardstock.

Cutting the stencil out is probably the hardest part, both the actual cutting with the knife, and deciding which parts of your image to cut out. The main key to doing this well is practice, practice, practice.

Once your stencil is cut, use the paint to make a trial print of it on paper. This way, you can test the paint and fix anything you don’t like before you’re out on the street.

Wear clothes that don’t stand out, and preferably, have big enough pockets to hold a can of paint. Make sure you are comfortable in whatever you wear.

Next, you need something to carry your stencils in. A folded newspaper is probably the easiest, buy you can also make more complicated…