Stencil Tip No.3

The third tip for stenciling is tools of trade. Using the correct tools will give you more control over what you are doing and a more professional image.
You will need:

1. furniture paint (vintage paint, acrylic paint, chalkpaint are all good)
2. paper plate or piece of paper
3. stencil brush ( my preference)
4. or small foam roller
5. or foam "dabber"

Following on from the "less is more tip" in post Stencil tip no 2 you will need to use the right tools to create a good looking stencil. I have used all sorts of things and these tools are my personal preferences for the look I want to achieve.

Small foam rollers and different sized stencil brushes

1. Paint - I think this is self explanatory, what you usually use will be fine
2. Plate or Paper - to put your small amount of paint on and use as an excess dabber. Dab on the plate and remove the excess paint from your brush before you stencil. This will help against bleeding and give a cleaner finish
3. Stencil brush - a small natural bristle, flat topped firm brush is best. These come in different sizes for different stencil jobs. You use an up and down dabbing motion to paint onto your stencil. ( this is my preferred tool)
4. Foam roller - can also be used to stencil larger jobs. Very important to roll it a few times on some paper as foam usually retains a lot of paint and this can seep in under your stencil edge giving a messy blurred image.
5. Foam dabber - another tool for dabbing, but dab it a few times on paper and then use as above for foam roller.

Nice clean image from a stencil

Have fun stenciling!