Graffiti Art: a How-To Guide on Stencils
21 June 2009Stencilling has actually been around for 25 years, even though many people think Banksy devised it. You can apply cardboard, paper or other types of media (such as plastics) to create templated imagery and text. You merely cut around the shapes from your cardboard/paper/other surface, place said surface onto a wall (example), then spray or roll-on paint.
The definitive rule of stencilling is creating outlines via cutting shapes, and spraying paint within these cutout shapes – making distinct graphics on the surface underneath. It’s also feasible to employ multiple layers of stencils to produce an illusion of depth or even add colours.
There are countless causes for being a stencil graffiti artist. For some, it is a great platform to put across a political message. Other artists treasure the publicity that their artwork can receive. Some just desire their work to be seen. Because the stencil remains uniform during its use, it is easier for a stencil artist to speedily replicate what could be a complicated artwork at a very quick pace, when equated to other established tagging methods, so without question, there is also a powerful self-promoting reason to choose stencilling.
Banksy has applied stencilling as a means to make a political statement, often rather succinctly, providing the viewer to get the message themselves. This is often why people enjoy his artworks so much, as they make the viewer think. The graffiti artwork of Banksy is now being reproduced on t-shirts, canvas and posters, such is the popularity of Banksy.
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