Stencil Art Techniques
Stencil art for kids offers so much more than just the enjoyable painting activity itself. You can share fascinating facts as you work bringing history and art together at the same time. Stencil art has a truly interesting background and is a great way to pique the interest of older children.
The history of stencil art
Art stencils have played such an important role throughout history with some of the earliest examples discovered in Paleolithic cave paintings dating back as far as nearly 38,0000 years ago. The Sulawesi cave in Indonesia, is one of the most well-known where it is believed cave people blew or spat liquid mineral compounds over their hands as they were flat on the cave wall to create hand art.
Stencil art in street art
Blek le Rat is hailed as the person who first pioneered the use of stencils in street art. He lived in Paris and in 1981 began to use life-size stencils of rats in his work. Eagle-eyed readers may have noticed that rat is an anagram of art. How clever is that!
Banksy: famous stencil artist
The well-known British graffitist Banksy used stencils in the late 1980s to enable him to complete his now familiar works in extra quick time on the streets to avoid being arrested.
Now we are certainly not suggesting you encourage your little artists to spit or turn to graffiti as a way to express themselves but these are really cool facts to share.
How do you make art stencils?
If you plan to use the stencil repeatedly make sure it is made from plastic like our autumnal leaf stencils or a material that can withstand getting wet. These are washable so can be used again and again. There are so many stencil art ideas to choose from such as pirates, unicorns, transport, the solar system and lots more.
See how to use them to create a Leaf Stamp & Stencil Tree Project.
Of course older children may prefer to make their own stencil using some sturdy card or vinyl. There is so much choice and children can be as creative as they want.
How to create stencil art
Once you have decided what to stencil, it’s time to have some fun. A great way to introduce younger children to stencil art is to make some colourful bunting and use our flower stencils and foam dabbers to add colourful fabric paints.
Older crafters may like to make something like this Mermaid Night Light that requires more skill.
What do you use for stencil art?
You can stencil on many different surfaces, paper, card, fabric, ceramics, glass etc. Just be sure to check that the paint you use is suitable for the particular surface you have chosen. You’ll also need:
- • Stencil (Make your own or order online)
- • Brush, sponge, dabber, foam roller
- • Paints
- • Paper, card, glass jar, fabric
