So these are just some things I've messed around with today, after finding this community and _seethesky's tutorial. Since they're my first, please go easy on me. xP I know a few are probably a bit too detailed in the hair and I haven't touched some of them up but I still like them. Some of these I hope to eventually use on actual shirts.

I hope the lj-cut worked...I'm not use to using them.

( Stencils under cut. )

I'm going to do my best to list all of your best options as far as stenciling goes. Ready?


Paper
freezer paper: This roll of paper has a plastic coating on one-side that easily adheres & removes from fabric with an iron. It is NOT wax paper...so don't mix them up!
cardstock: It's just thick paper! easy as that. Run through printers easily. If you use it, the stencil will be re-usable up to 10 times.
bristol paper: It's pretty much the same as cardstock.
stencil paper: Paper made especially for stencils! I don't think you can run it through printers, which makes it a bit of a hassle. But it should last you a really really long time.
vellum: A bit more expensive, translucent paper that should last a pretty good while.


Cutting
X-Acto:I wouldn't use anything else. This thing is amazing. Be sure to replace the blades if you notice it's getting difficult to cut clean lines.


Paint
Speedball screen printing inks: These are probably my favorite paints to use on clothing, especially the darker colors. For lighter colors, I prefer...
Jacquard inks: Their white ink never bleeds, and comes out opaque from round 1.
acrylics: the best option for anything other than clothing, if you don't want to spray-paint (painting by hand give you much more control).
spray paint: always gives a streak-free, professional look! Unfortunately, the smell will linger on your finished product for quite some time, if not forever. Please don't use this on clothing...ever...
bleach: If you put 1/2 bleach 1/2 water in a spray bottle and spray over your stencil, you can get a really cool effect on dark-colored fabrics. It'll look something like this.
Puffy paint: Most people think "puffy paint" is for drawing on fabric. They're WRONG! Puffy Paint is so much more!! Paint this stuff on like normal screen printing ink, then iron it, and it puffs up! Gives amazing texture. Puffy paint rules.


Brushes, Etc.
stencil brushes: These are really great to use along the edges of your stencils to avoid bleeding underneath the stencil. I wouldn't recommend using it over large areas of paint, however, because it might turn out looking blotchy.
flat acrylic brushes: If you're really careful, using these brushes can make for beautiful, well-done stencil results.
stencil roller: These are alright... I prefer using brushes though.


Hope this helps everyone!
-Amanda

Oh gosh, I'm so new to this I really have no clue as to what to do. Does anyone have any tips for me? What kind of supplies do YOU use? I've seen people mention something about freezer paper...but can you really put something like that in a printer and print off stencils and not mess your printer up? What do you guys use to cut the stencils out? Paint, there's so many options and I'm not sure where to start. Will Walmart have what I need in terms of paint (because it's the only place around here that has crafts stuff...stupid small town)?

I've looked through a few of the past posts on here but it's all broken up and I'm still a bit confused. So any help in understanding on how to use/make stencils is welcome. The possibility of being able to buy some cheap t-shirts and make my own designs has always appealed to me. Even when I was in high school. They'd make perfect gifts for in the future as well.

I figured I'd try to get this IN B4 SPOTLIGHT! Because it's gonna go nuts tomorrow. :D

Anyway, I'm looking for some peacock feather stencils, and the simpler the better because I've never stencilled before. I know, I'm starting off ambitious! I need peacock feathers in, say, three different positions to give it a varied look. Like one curled, one somewhat straighter, etc. Also, am I ridiculous for even attempting this with all the different colors involved? :/ I might try to embroider them instead with lineart, like this, but that would be a lot of work. Not sure, and looking for some veterans to give me some advice!

 Hi,
I was hoping that someone could please make this into a stencil for me and also cut out the blanket so there's not to much texture. Basicly so its just the dog!

( Pic under cut! )

Thanks in advance

Happy New Year, everybody!

Don't forget that we'll be in the lj spotlight in a few weeks, so brace yourself for a lot more activity in the community. I'll probably be posting some contests for you guys to compete in too, so get ready for that as well :)

-Amanda

So I spent some time the other night trying to put together a cherry blossom stencil.

I'm thinking about turning it into a shirt.

here is a "rough draft"

Name:
Geoff Adams

Age:
21

Location:
Inland Empire, CA

How long have you been stenciling?
4-5 years

Where do you stencil? [clothes, canvas, street, etc.]
Somtimes clothes, a lot on canvas, not as much on the street anymore.

Anything to share?
Just one more for the road. ( Stormy Weather. )

What's everyones favorite program to resize an image? I usually use word but I also have used another program whos name escapes me at the moment. Word will only let me do half a page but the other program will only do full pages, as in I can't half pages at all.
I want to make a few shirts for my brother for Xmas but hes a big guy so I need something that can let me make the image a page and a half. Something that's customizable like a page in a half in one direction but a different amount in another would be even better but I'd settle for any tips or point in the right directions for something that could do half sizes.

What do YOU use?

(I checked the tags and couldn't anything so I'm looking for personal recommendations)

Thanks!

Hello! I am the maintainer of handmade_gifts and we just became affiliates with stencil_swap. You may have recently seen us in the LJ Spotlight - we are a community dedicated to sharing links, ideas, and tutorials for all kinds of handmade gifts. We'd love to have you guys join and perhaps share some of the ways you use stencils to create one-of-a-kind gifts for others! Everyone is welcome. :)

This is my last post today, I promise.

Just wanted to share this link with you:

http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewPicture&friendID=385727695&albumId=1297886


Its some of my boyfriend's work.

Tags are up & ready to be used!!

POST YOUR REQUESTS!

POST YOUR PHOTOSHOP STENCILS!

POST YOUR FINISHED PRODUCTS!

POST COOL SITES & LINKS!

POST ANY QUESTIONS YOU HAVE!

POST HELPFUL HINTS YOU KNOW!

And be sure to tag them appropriately :D
ReadySetGo. And tell your friends.

-Amanda

This is the first stencil I've ever sprayed 2 years ago (sorry for the bad quality cell pic).




(my mom is in love with Donald Duck, and it was really easy to cut out... the back round was fun to spray.)

( AND a flower... )

I'm working on making a t-shirt version of this fake advertisement (design modified slightly, obv, but the same general idea, because, um. lol), and I was disappointed at the lack of Fred Astaire stencils in the world. I made one--not an awesome one, but I think it'll do--and in case someone else someday needs some Astaire on their chest, I'm sharing it with the world. ♥

( cut for image )

Also, may I suggest that we start using a tags system in this comm? I'd be happy to try and make/post more stencils if I knew they'd be findable for people later on down the line. It could be the same keywords as in the memories (this one'd be people, movies, music related, stencils, vintage, celebrities), but I think it'd make this community more helpful in the way of stencil swapping.

I only ask because I tried adding tags to this post, and it didn't seem to work.

I just did my first stencil piece today using Krylon paint on canvas and I was wondering, would oil or acrylic paint work better to fill in bridges?

Also, does anyone have any MICKEY ROURKE or LADY GAGA stencils?

does anyone have a shawshank redemption stencil?