Cutting Out Stencils for Decorative Painting!

Cutting out stencils is the extra step of a cut-and-paint stencil design. Cut-and-paint stencils require you to actually cut out the openings (islands) where paint is applied. However, for the extra work, they provide some great advantages.

A cut-and-paint stencil design is usually printed on paper and so it can be reduced or enlarged to fit almost any project size. This is a big deal. If you like a Plastic Pre-Cut Stencil and it comes in two sizes -small at 2’ and large at 4’- and the area you have for an image is 1’ then the plastic stencil will not work for you. Take a cut-and-paint design to a copy machine and resize it to whatever your project area requires. Flexibility is great!

Also, cut-and-paint stencils are less expensive. You are not paying for the manufacture, warehousing and shipping of a product. If you can find downloadable stencil designs you can have your stencil immediately and no delay to your project.

These instructions are assuming that you are using a paper stencil. For instructions on how to preserve your paper stencil so that it can be used again and again please go to Stencil Making Design Tips for Long-Term Use.

Well on to the one disadvantage: Cutting the stencil.

If your paper stencils are in a book, I would recommend making a copy of each stencil overlay for the project you have chosen. By using the copies, your book and originals are preserved for future use. Don’t forget that you can reduce or enlarge the size to fit the area you want to place the picture when you make copies.

Using a craft-knife cut out the objects on the stencil. Make sure your blade is sharp at all times. Dull blades may cause the paper stencil to tear. The goal is to cut along each line only once with a firm, smooth motion. With your free hand, hold the stencil firmly and rotate the stencil so that you are always cutting at a comfortable angle. When cutting past a thin bridge area carefully use a firm finger to hold down the paper. Always keep your fingers well away from where you are cutting. If you are working with a multi-layer stencil don’t forget to cut out the registration holes in each of the four corners, which will be used for the alignment of the stencil overlays.

Well, I am sure that once you get the hang of cutting out stencils you will find the many advantages well worth the extra work. Happy Stenciling!

Are you ready to try out some cut and paint stencils? Visit Designs From Penny for a great selection of stencil designs. Here is a sample of just a few of the designs available. Enjoy!

Mister Art.com carries both the X-acto and OLFA options mentioned above. To get right to these options do a search on "craft knives." But don't miss out on some of the other items they have to offer. They feature a department dedicated to stenciling.

Dick Blick Art Materials is a supplier of fine art supplies, but they have a good supply of stencil making materials. They too carry the X-acto #1 knife with the #11 blades (my choice for stencil cutting). Check them out!

Of course, if you are seeking more information on stenciling or any other crafting subject, Amazon.com is the place to go. Here are a few samples of what they have to offer on stenciling.

Still can't find what you are looking for? Then try the Google Search below.

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