Street Art : - Stencil tools.

Now primarily stencil artists tools break down into three categories;

Stencil material.


The sky really is the limit here and pretty much ever stencil artist swears by a different medium, I've seen stencils made from cereal boxes to metal to material to plastic milk bottles and everything in between. Ultimately it depends on what you want from your stencil; Such things as repetition of use, detail, ease of travel, whether you are stenciling on a horizontal surface or vertical even whether you'd doing it upside down can all be affected by what you cut the stencil from.
The best, and only, way to find what works best for you is to experiment, something that after years of stenciling I still do. So sorry I can't just tell you the best material to use and you pop off and make amazing stencils straight away. I can however give you a few tips on what to consider and what to look for.
Some things to consider are the thickness of the material, the rigidity, size and how porous the material is. Now obviously the size of the material your using dictates the size of the stencil, however it is possible to increase the size. For example if you require a meter square stencil you can make it up fastening 4 sheets a half meter square together, in this case masking tape is your best friend (duct tape for heavier duty materials).
The thickness and rigidity of the material are both fairly linked and dictate how the stencil is cut and how it is used. For example a stencil made from paper can be cut with even the bluntest of blades but is very flexible and can only really be used horizontally without support/glue. However a stencil made from sheet metal is going to have to cut with specialist tool but can be used practically anywhere even upside down. Many stencil artists however find it a bit cumbersome to hire/buy metal cutting gear and seek a happy compromise somewhere in the middle. Many go for heavy weight papers or cards something over 200gms2 , this then provides something that is thin enough to be cut with a sharp craft knife yet rigid enough to hold up against use.
Another group of materials in common use are plastics and here is where the porous nature of the material comes in. The most common type of plastic used for stencils being mylar sheets or OHP sheets taped together. The use of plastics is generally for when a stencil is to be used repetitively as the paint not only does not sink into the stencil, but with careful application of thinners it can also be cleaned to prevent clogs and blockages.



Stencil cutting tool.


This depends entirely on what material you are cutting through. For now I'm going to assume you are cutting by hand through something that doesn't require superhuman strength or a boron lazer. So knives, there's lots of different ones out there and they all have their own merits. So lets talk knives (a phrase that often has people around me worried). 
The most readily available type of knife would be those used for DIY purposes such as box cutters/Stanley knives. These are often bulky about the size of an average screwdriver with a retractable blade, sometimes the blade is scored with 'snap points' to provide a new fresh edge for cutting others replacement blades. Now with a big blade that you get with these you aren't going to be able to get extreme fine detail, however they are fantastic for use with thick materials and large scale stencils. They also have the advantage of being easy to acquire and usually fairly cheap.
For detailed pieces what you should be looking for is a 'craft knife'. Now here is where wishes are horses, the market out there is flooded with different types and styles of craft knives. To list them all here would be pointless, tedious and ultimately make for a boring as hell read. So instead some pointers; As much as it pains me to say this... You get what you pay for, dollar/pound store craft knives are a false economy. Yeah they don't cost much but they blunt awfully quickly and in some case the handle/blade can snap under pressure leaving you with at best an unusable knife, at worst a broken blade buried in part of you (from experience I can tell you a knife blade tip in the eye really HURTS).
Craft knives are made up of two parts a replaceable blade and the handle it sits in. Of course the blade is important, you want something that's going to be sharp for as long as possible (stainless steel is good, titanium is better but also really expensive). Then again if you're going for detail you are also going to be cutting for long periods of time and will want something that is a good shape/has a comfortable grip. Again this isn't something that an article like this can decide for you. I've tried over the years dozens of different handle/blade combinations, and I've finally settled down on one type of knife for general use. I do however still have a variety of knives for different uses and emergencies, including hand made ones (similar to prison shivs, not very safe do not try at home).



Paint.


Now for most street art this would be spraypaint and that's what I'll be mostly talking about here, however stencils can be painted with all sorts of other paints using sponges/stipple brushes/rollers etc. 
Now with spraypaint there are many brands/types out there and it can be a bit confusing to the novice/amateur, they mainly break down to matte/gloss with high/low pressure.
The first are fairly self explanatory in that matte cans will leave a matte finish and gloss ones a gloss finish. I've found that for multi-layered stencils matte paint works best as it dries at a faster rate with a nice finish.
The pressure difference is basically how fast the paint comes out, with high pressure cans pushing more paint out in a faster time than low pressure. For fine detailed stencils I'd suggest using a low pressure can with soft broad strokes to ensure coverage and cut down on drips/runs. High pressure cans can be useful however for large scale stencils as a large area can be filled very quickly, especially if a wide nozeled, fat, cap applied to the can.


Other Tools.

There are a few subsidiary tools that whilst not necessary do come in awfully handy.
Tape: Many varieties out there the most common would be masking tape. This can be used for many things such as attaching sheets of paper/card/etc. together to make the stencil. Blocking out areas of and around the stencil to prevent over/underspray making the stencil cleaner and crisper. Finally of course holding the stencil in place, freeing up the hands for more tasks and avoiding paint getting on them.
Cutting mat/boards: Different types here include rubbber/pvc/self healing plastics and toughened glass. Listed here in the order of how good they are in my opinion. Seriously those toughened glass cutting mats are fantastic, they last for ages (until you drop it and break it really) and have a nice smooth surface for cutting on. Pricier but well worth the investment for those plan on doing some long term cutting.


Now go out there and have safe fun with all those knives.
As inspiration here's some of the wonderful things that can be done with stencils.


untouched used wasted by Burgi687 Tools of the trade by snikstencilstuff Motivational Quote - Spray Paint Stencil Canvas by RAMART79 halftone 4 by kingstom Typography Butterfly by GateGraffiti Nothing Compares To You by bobbyzeik RDR Undead Nightmare stencil by fear-0f-james Home by squirrel1 Spider by sykonurse



This will be my last DD roundup as my term as the community volunteer for the street art gallery here on dA is now ended.
I have had a fantastic time meeting all of you guys out there and been very privileged to be sent some truly amazing pieces of art as DD suggestions.

So sit back and let your eyes take in this final feast of goodies from my term.

:bigthumb374781930: Portland Road Squirrel. Seven Sisters. London by Boe-art A drop of pink in Isar's waters by nevercrew SpideRabbiTarantula by DrChainsawHandz FRESH AESY by AESYONE 603094 4666085383581 1380677711 N by umaxgraff Mr Mong and Derm from the Bad Taste Crew by bigillustrations Graffiti Decoration Space floor marbelized by Graffiti-decoration Walker - Sticker Art on vinyl by Gaz-de-la-Raz Robot Rock by paulo2070 Dero by deroone :bigthumb377352009: AWYK by okus581 heARTwork sticker pack series 2 by azridjokoloro :bigthumb377528908: 'This is letting go' - Full shot by snikstencilstuff Mural by TurkesART Travelling in a fairy tale. by Nikolaj-Arndt

For any of you who are interested in being a community volunteer the first place to check out would be this FAQ #18: Who selects Daily Deviations and how are they chosen?

Big love to all the little creative vandals out there :heart:

Kiwi :peace:
Does what it says on the tin.

050113 by glaze73  A Triumph of Technology 3 by SergVandreef  argh by antz81  Bird Sidewalk by KatOtter 

Mature Content

A Liv se le vuelan los pajaros.......... by elhesto
  Untitled by SABOTAZER  Fuck this by Tonikor  Journey to Newcastle 5 by Burl-C :bigthumb369742314:  ponytailed by sicknico  Going Bananas by OblskOne  4aero fly streetart by aniaart  Persian Graffiti by Kolahstudio  Cold Eyed by s-cum :bigthumb354943228:  LEGESAKIS by geebees08  Bad 1 by meijs  pajaro by flannmd  Skytrek by karmaela 

Keep those suggestions coming in, already had a few corkers for June but still plenty of space :D
So it's officially spring here in the northern hemisphere; And the naughty little vandals are all coming out to play...
I'll be keeping an eye on the submissions to the street art galleries for the dopest works; But with there being so many of you talented crooks out there it's always possible I may miss a sick piece or two.

So that's where you come in, that's right you. No not the person behind you. YOU!
Send those suggestions in, note me, comment on my profile page, smoke signals just keep them coming in. Actually notes would be best as due to the curvature of the earth and buildings and stuff smoke signals don't really work beyond a few dozen miles or so... So yeah note me :nod:

So April has ended and her is the list of awesomeness that has been featured as a DD this month; ENJOY!

eichhoernchen by cars-ten  ACV_reunion by originalASKER  ADVAN 2 pager by Viper627  A Colourfull Abstract Stare by jarbid :bigthumb363231348:  Youlorangevert by YoulDesign :bigthumb364136154: :bigthumb299649214:  Pulp (Science) Fiction by Zombie-Pacman :bigthumb348622110:  Progetto Pardo-Attila P. by Attila-P  Style #1 by SparksOne  Cotton Candy Chocolate by TheAetherOne :bigthumb364191440:  2013 ! by MorePL  Space Race by zombiewhales  https://www.facebook.com/pages/mone78-aerosol-fana by Mone78  Untitled by Layer-tape  Img 1707 2 by BazilLD  scared by Raggatron  blossoms of spring by Ryanxart  JungleSport walls by lukart  'Dreaming' by Artby2Heads 
Title says it all; Feast your eyes on these beauties....

Choco Orange by cry-clown  Kier Defstar 7 by Brandon-Montrone  zwei by SUREGRAFFITI  Rescue the bees by sKodOne  Uuu by kosokoso  'Awe' by Faigy :bigthumb358787816:  Long Time No See by ExitMile  DO NOT OPEN ! by TheArtofBlouh :bigthumb359018807:  Collab Themes by Serenity-Scene  ROARING LION by doktah74  Dead Bride Stencil by iStncLart  Esperanza Gomez by nkdk  Quick 'R' by JohnVichlenski  ALL IN DA MIX 10.09.2011 by Hucklemary :bigthumb360923780:  colorful and cold by EOK73  Graffiti 3d Ed-Mun by Ed-Mun  popper wall 1 by tronzero  Children of the Grave by MrM4tty  eichhoernchen by cars-ten

I'd like to say a few things here;

First of all BIG props to :icondoseoner: for constantly pointing me in the direction of epicness.

Some places to go and try your hand at street art against others; :iconkpdd-stickertrades: :icongraffiti-demons: and finally a new group :iconpushing-limits:

Last but not least, and I shouldn't have to say this, and it applies to all DDs not just the street art gallery. But if you do not like/approve of/think its worthy/etc. of a DD; Then don't complain to the recipient (it just makes you look like a douche). How about instead you suggest a DD you do like/approve of/think its worthy/etc. of a DD. Just a thought... 

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