Stencils allow graffiti artists to put up detailed images quickly.
Stencils have become an important tool for graffiti artists. They can be carefully cut ahead of time and are quick to use. They allow the artists to paint their images in detail much more quickly than if they were drawing free hand. Stencils are also reusable, so the artists may use the same image in multiple locations. Many of the worlds most notorious street artists have worked with stencils, and have created many iconic images.
"Gay Policemen" by Banksy
U.K. based artist Banksy has used stencils extensively in his work, creating images that range from punk to playful. On the playful side of the spectrum falls one of Banksy's best known works, "Gay Policemen." The stencil is a semi-realistic image of two policemen kissing and embracing. They are in full police uniform including the tall traditional hats of London police, police batons and handcuffs. The original image has since been removed from the wall and preserved on a canvas before being replaced by a copy.
"First Love" by Above
Above is an American graffiti artist who spent much of his life in Europe working within the street art scene there. He has created numerous tags and even sculpture work, but he is best known for his stencils. In Los Angeles he created a stencil entitled "First Love," which depicted a young girl with yellow hair blowing bubbles shaped like pink hearts and a young boy jumping up to reach them, but unable to do so. Above later released the image as a print replacing the hearts with his signature up arrow.
"Andre the Giant Has a Posse" by Shepard Fairey
Shepard Fairey is an American street artist known for creating the "Hope" poster for Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign. Before that fame, he was known for the wide-spread stencil and sticker work "Andre the Giant Has a Posse," which featured an image of Andre the Giant often with the word "Obey" written underneath. Though the image was a multimedia campaign that included stickers and wheat-paste posters, the stencil was a central part of it, and Fairey has a PDF image that people are free to use to make a stencil to put up themselves.
"Begging for Change" by Meek
Meek is a key player in the street art scene in Melbourne, Australia. His image "Begging for Change" has appeared in several places in that city and abroad. It shows a seated man in a large knit cap with a collection cup. The man is holding a sign that says "keep your coins, I want change." Because of its detailed, black-and-white style, many attribute the work to Banksy, but the image is drawn more sharply than Banksy's work usually is, and uses more paint.
