A stencil is a cut-out of a graphic design from cardboard, metal, paper or other materials. The graphic design can be a letter, number, illustration, typographical symbol, cartoon, image or any other shape. The history of stencils can be traced back to China. Although derived from the French word “estencler” meaning “to sparkle”, the earliest known designs appeared at the Caves of the Thousand Buddhas in Western China. The art traveled across the Far East and reached Europe where the French created stencils for decorating playing cards, books, textiles and tapestries. In the 18th and 19th century, European immigrants traveling to North America introduced the stencils as a decorative art form.
A stencil is used to create a design of a desired image by painting the surface with the cut-out. Upon removing the stencil from the surface, a painting of the shape is formed due to the cut-out of the stencil. Stencils can be used to create sharp-edged paintings with single or multiple colors using different layer techniques. Silk-screen printing, known as silk-screening or serigraphy, uses a sharp-edged cut-out and porous fabric to create a single color image.
In the Victorian era, stencil art prospered during the arts and crafts movement. Artisans plied their stenciling talent in homes, churches and public buildings while traveling across the countryside. The kind of lettering flexibility offered by stencils made it an attractive option among political artists such as Blek le Rat from France and British street artist, Banksy. Since the rise of graffiti, stencils have been used for creating quality artworks by enthusiasts. Graffiti artists use spray-paint and stencils to create quality art in the shortest span of time; a necessity as graffiti by itself is illegal or quasi-legal depending on the city and size of the graffiti. Stenciling has gained popularity as a premiere form of painted decoration, favored amongst the decorative arts of faux finishes, trompe l'oeil and murals. |
