Graffiti Stencils

Graffiti stencils, made from paper, cardboard, or plastic, are used in the production of graffiti artwork. Graffiti stencils make the reproduction of the image a painless process. Essentially, graffiti stencils make it really easy to spraypaint a design and hightail it out of there before the police come with the paddy wagon. This type of graffiti is done as an act of rebellion towards authority and may carry a radical or political message. Not that I'm encouraging that. Creating graffiti without the consent of the property owner is vandalism, so you should probably ask first before you try it out on someone's wall. It may look pretty to you, but the owner might disagree and words might be exchanged. It could get ugly.

Now that we've talked about the dangers of graffiti we can move back onto more pleasant topics, such as graffiti stencils used with the permission of the wall owner. The graffiti stencils are no different than any other stencil; the design is cut out of the cardboard and then painted on another surface with spray paint or roll-on paint. Multiple layers of stencils may be used to create various shading effects. Assorted colors may provide highlights and depth.

One artist that uses graffiti stencils for his public artwork is Blek le Rat. Blek le Rat was a pioneer of graffiti stencils; in 1981, he began using them to spraypaint black rats around Paris. He said that he did this because rats are the only wild living animals in a city, and are the only species who will survive once the human population dies out. From there, he began spraypainting life-sized figures: portraits, tributes, and political statements. His paintings are usually spraypainted in black, and are quite a sight to behold, in my opinion.

Bansky is another artist who utilizes graffiti stencils. A British artist, Bansky stencils images with a humourous and political message. For example, Bansky has taken credit for stenciling the words "We're bored of fish" in the penguin enclosure at the London Zoo. Much of his work also contains black rats, taking a cue from his predecessor, Blek le Rat. His work is usually high profile, and lots of it would probably offend your grandparents. His identity is a secret, as his work is considered simple vandalism, which means that he doesn't ask for permission to create his artwork (I'm still not encouraging you to do that!). In fact, he became inspired to use stencils while hiding from the cops under a train after spraypainting those trains I was talking about in the beginning. The stenciled numbers under the train were the inspiration. He makes his graffiti stencils from cardboard. After he stencils the word or image onto the wall, he uses free-hand techniques to add dimension to his work.

Graffiti stencils often carry a stigma due to the fact that they are often used as an act of vandalism. Not always, but often. However, that doesn't detract from the talent and shocking representation of the objects being painted. Graffiti stencils are clearly a mixed bag; they are different things to different people. The artist, whether anonymous or not, leaves them for you to interpret the message as you will.