How to Make a Stencil Box Cutter
Stenciling can be used to decorate a home, on craft projects, or just to have fun with the kids. Make your own stencils from drawings you make by hand or on the computer. Find pictures that can make great stencils. Cut stencils from cardboard, illustration board or acetate. Cardboard stencils work fine for temporary stencils but cut stencils out of acetate with your box cutter if you want them to last longer.
Things You'll Need
- Box cutter
- Pencil
- Cardboard
- Acetate sheets
- Art projector
- Computer projector
- Computer
Instructions
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Free Hand Drawing
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1
Place cardboard or plywood on your work surface to avoid cutting through and scratching the table. Place a sheet of cardboard or acetate slightly larger than the size you want your stencil to be on your work surface.
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2
Draw your design on the cardboard. Trace objects you find around the house or draw the item free hand. Project an image with an art projector and trace the drawing on your cardboard. Divide your drawing into a puzzle-like appearance. Double line your division points so you can cut only up to that division point.
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3
Cut out the divided shapes with a box cutter. Position the template and spray with paint, color with markers, crayons or colored pencils.
Use Computer Prints
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4
Place a protective sheet of cardboard or plywood on your work surface.
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5
Print out an image from the computer that you want to make a stencil of. You can find an image on the Internet, or you can create the image yourself using digital imaging software. If your computer does not come with this type of software you can download a free version like Gimp or Paint.
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6
Place tracing paper underneath your printed image and trace the design onto your cardboard. Trace the picture using an art projector or computer projector by projecting the image from your computer onto the cardboard or placing the printed image in the image holder of the art projector. This will give you a bigger image to trace. Make your division lines in your drawing as if you were separating it into a puzzle. Use double lines so you can cut up to the division line on each side.
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7
Use your box cutter to cut out the drawing at the dividing lines where you want paint to show through your stencil.
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1
References
Resources
- Photo Credit A 60s pop art figure runs past a pop art style face image by Steve Johnson from Fotolia.com
