Stencils

This is the first of what will probably be several, at least a few, handmade stencils... especially since this tutorial isn't going to be technically complete.  I'll explain at the end.  You'll see why.  What I will describe will work best for hard, non-porous surfaces like glass or ceramic tile.  You could use it for fabric, but freezer paper works much better for that... a post for another time.

This type of stencil is handmade from contact paper.  Which, if you don't know, is roughly similar to wall paper.  Major differences are that this is removable and it isn't used to cover walls.  Most people use it to line shelves and drawers.  It comes in a variety of colors and textures, including clear.  You could use a dark color for stencil-making so that it's easier to see against whatever it is you're stenciling on, but it requires an extra step or two.  I got clear for two reasons: one, it was one of the cheapest; and two, even though it has paper backing, you can still see mostly through it unpeeled, which makes for easy tracing.


The first step is to get the images you want to make a stencil out of.  This can be a lot trickier than it sounds if you have to make it yourself.  You can do a Google image search of the design you're looking for and add "stencil" to the parameters.  You will probably get a decent amount of pumpkin carving designs in the batch.  However, if you can't find what you're looking for, you might have to Photoshop a black and white version of whatever it is you're doing.  There's a lot that goes into that, steps and rules and whatnot.  This is a tutorial on someone else's site, on how to do just that. Too much to go into here. 

Make sure that before you print, they'll print to the size you'll need.  Then, cut out a section of contact paper from the roll that will be much bigger than the image.  This allows the medium you're working with (paint, glass etching cream, glitter, etc.) to have space to "spill over". 

I simply placed my section of contact paper, backing still in place, over my image plastic side up.  Since I printed my images how I wanted them to appear and tracing directly onto the contact paper, not the backing, I don't have to worry about finished designs coming out backward.  A permanent marker works pretty well to trace.  You could use a fine tip if you need, but it doesn't always work with the coating.  Plus, designs that are super intricate will take a very long time to draw/trace and cut out precisely.  Since the sheets of contact paper wanted to roll up, I gently taped the corners down while tracing and afterward to another surface to keep it flat.
 
The next step, which isn't shown, is to use an "Exacto knife" or craft knife to cut out everything that you drew with the marker.  (Use a cutting board or mat!)  You will notice in my Star Trek "com badges",  if I cut out everything that I marked, I will have many pieces floating around.  That is why I won't do that step until I am actually going to use them.  This isn't such a big deal in this case since these are single use stencils.  If I were making multi-use stencils, I'd have taken precautions in my image-making step so that it stays all one piece.  The link to that tutorial halfway through this post talks about that fact.  

When you're ready to place the stencil on your project, peel of the backing and stick it on.  Place any floater pieces, like I'll have, where they belong.  Once everything is placed where you want it, press all edges firmly to seal it, making sure your medium won't bleed under the edges and ruin the look of your project.