I am a horrid artist. If I ever try to create anything, it generally turns out looking more like a glob than anything else. One thing I can do, however, is stenciling. I constantly stencil shirts, and it makes people think I'm very smart and artistic, which is always good. If you have some time on your hands and a desire to feel clever, stencil away. I usually buy my shirts at a craft store, for about $2, but I recently found some really fab shirts at Target for $6.
1. Find your stencil. You could print something out off your computer, find something in a magazine, or just draw it yourself. It should be one color, and with as few islands (areas that you want to remain the original color of your shirt that are not connected to the outside of your stencil) as possible. Make two copies of your stencil.
2. Glue your stencil to something. If your stencil is currently just a sheet of paper, the paint will soak through to what you are stenciling. The two main choices here are heavy paper or freezer paper. Freezer paper is basically wax paper with wax on only one side. You can then iron it on to the shirt you are stenciling. Due to my lack of ironing skills, I always use paper, usually half of a manila folder.
3. Cut it out. Find yourself a cutting board. I usually use a wood one, but glass also works well. Plastic cutting boards tend to retain cut marks, so, unless you (and your parents) don't care if your cutting board has an image on it, refrain from using one. Now, cut along the lines of your stencil. I cut my stencils out with a razor blade, bought at Wal-Mart. I also have an exacto knife, purchased at a craft store for about $5, but it does not cut nearly as well as the razor blade. If your stencil has any islands, also cut those out, and put them somewhere safe.
4. Attach it. If you used freezer paper, just put a cloth over it, and iron it (without steam) to your shirt. If you used heavy paper, you can attach it several different ways. You could simply tape it, but that does not hold the middle parts down, and your paint may bleed. I use a temporary spray adhesive, bought at a craft store. You could also glue it with a washable glue. Using the second copy of your stencil, place all islands where they should go and attach them also.
5. Paint it. I use Tulip Soft Brushable Fabric Paint, but almost all fabric paints will work. If you have a sponge brush (basically a small, handled sponge), those work very well. If not, an ordinary paint brush will work. Dab the paint on. DO NOT BRUSH IT. If you brush the paint, it will bleed, and you will get paint where you do not want it, which is no good.
6. Reveal. Pull off the stencil, being careful not to smear the paint. Admire your lovely creation.
Of course, you do not have to stencil only clothing. You can stencil almost anything. I like to stencil myself, using fabric paint, because it's not water soluble. It generally lasts 1-2 days, depending on how lazy you are. When it's time to remove the design, I use nail polish remover. Of course, you should always do a patch test (Put a small amount of the paint on a nonvisable area, wait 24 hours, make sure you're not allergic) before you rub it all over your skin.
Yeah. I'm tired, my throat hurts, and I have some shirts to work on.
8Dyay8D
