More Stenciling Ideas-Answers to Questions

Recent questions on stenciling are:
Can you stencil over a print? Yes, will show you a couple examples in this post.  My samples are all thrift store clothing pieces.  You can use the same method on wood, paper, metal, plastic.....you only need to add a dot of FabricMagic on fabrics you well be washing.

What is the difference between a dye/Colorant and a paint? Dyes/colorants are more transparent, additive. This means that your resulting color is a combination of the base color and the one you add.  For example, on a yellow base adding red will create an orange. Paints can be more opaque since they sit on the surface and will be slightly stiffer on fabrics.

Can I use multiple colors on a single stencil? You sure can, example to follow.

Stenciling over a print

When stenciling over a print you will need to decide how opaque you want your design to be.  If you want to cover the underlying print its best to choose a paint. If you like the color variation (This is most often my choice.) then stenciling with Colorants works well. Colorants, FabricMagic and Tackifier can be found at-http://earthsafefinishes.com/Colorant.html  Shimmers, metallic paints, & Generation Green No Voc paints are at-http://earthsafefinishes.com/shimmer-paint.html and http://earthsafefinishes.com/Acrylic-Paint.html

Apply Tackifier over the backs of all stencils, allow to dry and you will get very nice clean lines.

On this shirt a used Yellow Colorant mixed with a bit of FabricMagic randomly dabbed on then repeated with Neon Pink Colorant and Red Orange Colorant.  Once I dabbed for random but balanced color distribution I misted the whole shirt with water.  Allowed the shirt to air dry.                                  Stenciled the brown motifs using Burnt Umber Colorant, FabricMagic and stencils from The Crafter's Workshop http://thecraftersworkshop.com/ ,Daisy Doodad both large and small sizes.  Another easy way to get more out of your stencils is to use a portion of them, I used the centers for an additional design element.

Here is how this $1.69 Good will shirt started out.

The stripes on the shirt are extreme values, could be a candidate for paint but I went with Colorant again.  This time Red Colorant with FabricMagic and Festive Peace from The Crafter's Workshop.

Multicolor stenciling

Here are a few tips on multi-color stenciling:

Use a separate brush for each color

Tape off areas of differing colors

Make sure you have a good coat of Tackifier on the back of your stencil

Here I used White Colorant on the clouds then added the tiniest dot of Blue Colorant for the birds.  Straight Yellow Colorant used on the sun and Sage Colorant on the leaves and dots.  Burnt Umber Colorant is on the trunk and branches on The Crafter's Workshop stencil Tree of Life.  PEACE is from Earth Safe Finishes http://stores.earthsafefinishes.com/-strse-Accessories/Categories.bok

I used the smaller version of Tree of Life on the front pocket.  Thinking I will use the small version to do Earth Day shirts for the kids and the larger one for adults.         

Thanks for your questions.  Please feel free to ask questions any time and I will do my best to answer and show some examples. Love and Peace!