Firstly, to everyone that left me a comment on my stamp carving posts (last month's crusade) I just wanted to say thank you, your words were really great to read, very motivating and encouraging.
I have had a bit of fun with this month's GPP Crusade - Stencil Cutting.
Here is a something I did previously using acetate & a heat cutting tool.
I found a chinese character for Prosperity, enlarged it on a photocopier and then cut the image out of acetate. The image on the right is a canvas that I used this stencil on.
Sizzix have Alphabars in a Stencil Font that are great for making word stencils. I have marked a line under each letter of the alphabet on the alphabar so it is easier to line up the paper to get the words straight. When marking the line you just need to ensure that the line is the same distance under each letter. It is much easier to do this with the upper case, the lower case alphabet needs tweaking on some letters, such as those with tails (g, y, q etc..) and the letter 'm' is on it's side.
For spray painting, these can be attached to acetate. Simply cut out a window on a sheet of acetate slightly bigger than the word but smaller than the card stock and attach with tape.
As these are cut from card, once they have been used a bit they will be wonderfully coloured and you can use the actual stencil in journals/artwork/etc...
I cut an image of a bird in flight that created both a stencil and a mask. Here is the incomplete page I am working on in my journal using these stencils & mask. (The stencils & mask appear on the left of the image).
I have also made a go-with solid stencil for one of the stamps I carved (here)....and I did get a mask from this cutting.
Here is a quick sample of how the stencil & stamp go together.....
My stamping is a little off but I just wanted to quickly try these out together.
I should admit that after the first stamp carving I did, and armed with the knowledge I'd be cutting stencils, I visited my local art shop to find a book with copyright-free designs or patterns that would be good for backgrounds and walked out with THREE! ......I figure I saved money as I put quite a few books back on the shelf....is there such a group as ASA - Art Supplies Annonymous I could join?!
Here is one I am currently working on. it is an image from one of my new books. I made it a bit bigger using a photocopier and then with Black & White pens I transformed the design into a stencil. (If you are not sure how to do this then visit Michelle for some great tips.)
I will enlarged it again to the size (or two) that I want, tape the image to the under side of a piece of glass, tape acetate to the top of the glass and use my heat tool to cut the design.
The heat stencil cutting tools are a BRILLIANT tool to have, especially if you intend to do a lot of cutting. It can take a little practice but once you have it down pat it is soooooo much quicker to use than a blade.