Stencil
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
Please help improve this article or section by expanding it. Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion. |
|
"Stencil" |
 |
| Street Art Formats |
|
Types of Street Art |
| Street Artists |
|
List of Street Artists |
| Graffiti Culture |
|
Activism |
| Artist Idologies |
|
Art Intervention |
| Street Art Related |
|
Built environment |
| Street art by country |
|
Australia • Spain • Germany |
A stencil is a template used to draw or paint identical letters, symbols, shapes, or patterns every time it is used.
Stencils are formed by removing sections from template material in the form of text or an image. This creates what is essentially a physical negative. The template can then be used to create impressions of the stenciled image, by applying pigment on the surface of the template and through the removed sections, leaving a reproduction of the stencil on the underlying surface. Stencils are limited by the fact that the template must remain contiguous after the image is removed, in order to remain functional. Sections of the remaining template which are isolated inside removed parts of the image are called islands. All islands must be connected to other parts of the template with bridges, or additional sections of narrow template material which are not removed.
Silk-screen printing also uses a stencil process, as does mimeography. The masters from which mimeographed pages are printed are often called "stencils." Stencils can be made with one or many color layers using different techniqes, with most stencils designed to be applied as solid colors. In silk-screening and mimeography, images to be stenciled will be broken down into color layers and multiple stencils are used on the same surface to produce multi-colored images.
A related surrealist technique is aerography, in which spray-painting is done around a three-dimensional object.
Contents |
[edit] Stencil Uses
Stencils have unlimited practical applications and the stencil concept is used frequently in industrial, commercial, residential and recreational settings, as well as by the military, government and infrastructure management. Stencils templates can be made from any material which will hold its form, ranging from plain paper, cardboard, plastic sheets, metals and wood. A stencil technique is employed in screenprinting which uses a tightly woven mesh screen coated in a thin layer of photo emulsion to reproduce the original image.
[edit] Official Use
Stencils are frequently used by official organizations, including the military, utility companies and governments, to quickly and clearly label objects, vehicles and locations. Stencils for official application can be customized, or purchased as individual letters, numbers and symbols. This allows the user to arrange words, phrases and other labels from one set of templates, unique to the item being labeled. When objects are labeled using a single template alphabet, it makes it easier to identify their affiliation or source.
[edit] Home Use
A common tradition for stencils is in home decorating and arts & crafts. Home decor stencils are an important part of the DIY industry. Prefebricated stencil templates for home decoration projects are available from hardware stores, arts & crafts stores and through the internet. Stencils are usually applied in the home with a paint or roller brush along wall borders and as trim.
Stencils templates can be purchased or constructed individually. Prefabricated stencils are most commonly made of flexible plastics, including acetate, mylar and vinyl. Some stencils are sold as children's toys.
[edit] Street Stencils
Stencils have also become popular for graffiti, since stencil art using spray-paint can be produced quickly and easily. These qualities are important for graffiti artists where stenciling is illegal or quasi-legal, depending on the city and stenciling surface. The extensive lettering possible with stencils makes it especially attractive to political artists. Also well known for their use of stencil art is Blek le Rat from France and Banksy, a British artist.
[edit] History
Stencils may have been used to colour cloth for a very long time; the technique probably reached its peak of sophistication in Katazome and other techniques used on silks for clothes during the Edo period in Japan. In Europe, from about 1450 they were very commonly used to colour old master prints printed in black and white, usually woodcuts. This was especially the case with playing-cards , which continued to be coloured by stencil long after most other subjects for prints were left in black and white.
[edit] See also
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: |
