Spray Painted Stencils

                    

 

   To Begin this project we started by selecting a photo and then adjusting it with threshold in photoshop so that it was black and white only.  With it black and white I was able to blow it up to a much larger size and then use a projector to trace it onto a poster board.  The poster would later be used to get cut out with an Xacto Knife and turned into a stencil.  With the contrast of the black and white, it was easy to locate the positive and negative space and use it to identify what parts of the poster should be removed.  You had to be catious while cutting, making sure to only cut in the places that were marked and being careful not to cut yourself with the blade.

   After preparing the stencil, we moved on to creating the background of the stencil.  It consisted mostly of a collage of old newspapers that had been ripped into bunches of shapes and the occasional colored paper to give detail.  We attatched the paper to a wooden frame, backed with cardboard by covering it in a diluted glue. Once it was dry we added another layer of color by spreading a water and colored paint mixture on it.  It is best to choose a paint color that is in contrast with the color you are planning to spray paint, so that the stencil is very visible.  After it dries it's ready for spray paint.

   Spray paint, the last step, is what transfers your stencil onto the frame and completes the project.  Choosing a vibrant color that stands out against your background is the best choice.  Before we spray painted the design we first used items with simple designs to create a texturous look underneath the stencil.  Afterwards we layed our already cut stencil on the now dry frame, making sure it was pressed down and spray painted it and let it dry.  This compositon of steps creates and completes the stencil.