Many artists use spray paint when working with stencils.
Stenciled graffiti art is appearing in some of the biggest cities in the world. Fans and artists will camp out for days just to catch stencil artists such as Banksy in the act. Many claim to have seen him, but only one possible sighting has been caught on film and it is debatable whether it is actually him in the image. His work and its international popularity was even featured in a 2008 article in "Time" magazine by Alex Altman. Be careful in regard to the laws in your area when using stencils. Stick to decorating your personal space and items such as skateboards or creating unique wall art.
Find a Focus
Artists often try to convey certain political, religious or social messages in the art that they create. Get familiar with your motives in advance so that you will be focused on your subject matter, composition, color, positioning and location placement of your artwork. If you are prepared before you start, you will be able to make your message as effective as you aim for it to be and you will be ready to target the audience that you are aiming to present your message to.
Prepare the Stencil
Using your design method--such as hand-drawing, photocopying, tracing or designing it with image-editing software--capture and acquire the image you wish to use. Unless it is an original design, take a photograph of your image and use some type of photo-editing program to remove the background of the image and convert the imagine into a stencil.
Do this within the software by adjusting the colors, saturation levels and contrast levels of the image to create a simple yet identifiable image. Print the image onto a thick sheet of card stock and use a sharp craft knife to cut out a stencil.
Apply the Stencil
Tape the stencil down or apply it temporally to the surface to be painted. This will help you make sure that you get a recognizable result without smudges or streaks. If you use spray adhesive, allow it to dry until it is tacky before you spray-paint over the stencil. Use a quick-drying spray paint to paint the image onto the surface and allow it to dry before lifting the stencil straight up and away.
