How to Make Paint Templates

Creating a template is quick and can protect your painting from mistakes.

Paint templates in fine art are used to protect one area of the artwork from being touched by paint. Templates are most often used to guard an area while the artist is applying a splatter technique. Since splatter techniques are hard to control, the template is vital to keeping the rest of the painting splatter-free. Most commonly, templates are made from thin cardboard or scraps of drawing or watercolor paper that the artist has lying around.

Things You'll Need

• Cardboard, thick drawing paper or watercolor paper
• Pencil
• Scissors
• Gum tape

Instructions

1. Think of the area that you want to shield as a shape. For example, pretend you are going to draw the area as a negative shape, but instead of drawing the negative shape in artwork, you will be using the negative shape for your template.

2. Draw that shape onto your cardboard or paper.

3. Cut out the shape you just drew. If you don't have a piece of paper or cardboard big enough for your painting, join two smaller pieces with tape and then tape the seam where the pieces join so the paint won't seep through.

4. Gently place the template on the area you want to protect and secure it to the canvas using gum tape.

Tips & Warnings

• Your template doesn't have to be the exact size and shape of the area you want to protect. It can be moved around on the canvas to accommodate your painting technique.

• Do not use thin paper for your templates because the paint may bleed through onto the canvas.

• Do not use templates for very small, detailed areas. The gum tape will interfere with the process by making the template too large. Use masking fluid instead.

References

• "Watercolor A to Z"; Grant Fuller; 2008
• "The Oil Painting Course You've Always Wanted"; Kathleen Lochen Staiger; 2006

Resources

• Watercolor Painting: Splatter and Spraying Techniques