Creating And Using Wall Stencils

Wall stencils are exactly what they sound like: stencils used to create a pattern or image on a wall. They can vary greatly, from small to large, with animals, letters, plants, or other designs. Wall stencils are a great alternative to wallpaper, as they allow the artist to replicate a design as many times as they would like without the mess of cutting and gluing the wallpaper. Wall stencils are also useful in creating a mural painting of a particular scene, such as an ocean filled with fish for a child's bedroom.

To create any sort of wall stencil, it is important to have the proper materials. With stenciling, quality materials are the most important tools you will need and use, as they will be specifically designed to make your job easier. The main supplies you will need are the stencils, a set of stenciling brushes, paint, a ruler and level to keep everything uniform, paper towels, and painter's tape to hold the stencil in place.

It is best to have more than one size and shape of stencil brush. That way, if one brush is too big or small, you will already have another one at hand. Furthermore, it will make it easier on you if you have a brush for each color, because then you won't have to clean your brushes quite as often. In general, larger brushes hold more paint, and are more useful in stenciling larger design elements. Small brushes will be useful with smaller stencil areas and for shading.

Once you have your materials, you are ready to go. Use the ruler and/or level to align the stencil and tape it to the wall with the painter's tape. Great stenciling has very crisp edges, so it is helpful to wipe off any excess paint from the brush with the paper towels before applying it to the walls. In wall stenciling, more paint is wasted than used, because excess paint on the brush creates a mess on the wall. Though it may be an adjustment to be wasteful like this, it will ultimately give you a higher quality result if you wipe the brush each time with a paper towel before you use it.

Using a circular or pounding motion, apply the paint over the stencil. It is critical to wait for the paint to dry between coats; moving on before the paint is completely dry can cause smudging or color mixing. Once the paint is dry, you may choose to add another color for more dimension, or move the stencil and repeat each step to make a pattern. For wall murals, you will most likely use many types of stencils and colors to create your design, but it is still important to wait for the paint to dry before overlapping the stencils.

Once you are finished with your project, your brushes, paint palette, and stencils should all be cleaned with soap and warm water, then dried carefully with a paper towel. Proper maintenance of your stenciling tools will enable them to be used time and again for many beautiful wall designs.