Public signs are often spray-painted using stencils.
Making a stencil for tagging is useful because you can put most of your work into preparation, thereby minimizing the amount of time it takes to actually execute your tag. Some artists, such as the elusive Banksy, whose work has been seen all over the world, use stencils as their primary medium. Once you have actually created the stencil you will be using, give a lot of thought as to where you will be using it. Stenciling your tag on private or public property without explicit permission is vandalism. You can be arrested and face large fines for tagging illegally.
Instructions
1. Design your image. Your image will consist of a set of bold outlines. Text is fairly simple to design, while photographs and portraits are more difficult. Visualize your design as a two-tone image. If you are working with a photograph, try digitally editing it in Photoshop with the "Threshold" function. This will render it into a more stencil-friendly, black-and-white image. Remember that ultimately your painted image will be formed by the black portions of your stencil and the negative space between those portions. Visualize the white part of your stencil design as the background on which you will be painting the stencil, whether it is concrete, plywood or steel.
2. Draw or print your image on a sheet of regular computer paper. Mount this paper onto the stencil material using strong tape or spray adhesive. You have a few options here. You can use cardboard, foam core, acetate or laminated paper as your stencil material. Cardboard and foam core are more durable, but harder to cut. Acetate and laminated paper are easier to cut, but also flimsier. Place a cutting mat or glass plate under your stencil material.
3. Cut the stencil. This may be the most challenging part of the process. Use a sharp blade like an X-Acto knife for thinner stencil material and a larger blade for thicker material. Start by cutting out the most detailed portions of the stencil first. Remember to only cut out the black portions of the stencil. When you have gotten those out of the way, move on to cutting out the larger portions. Be extremely careful with the blade. Not only do you want to take great care to make the correct cuts, but you also want to avoid cutting yourself. When you are done, carefully remove the drawing from the stencil material.
4. Paint your stencil using spray paint. If you made all your cuts correctly and precisely, your painted image should be an accurate rendering of the original drawing. Depending on the stencil material, and the conditions under which you are painting, you should be able to use it repeatedly in different places.
