Stencil tips
Hi revlaura,
I have a few suggestions, hope one of these helps.
1. When using your dauber the saying I use is "load heavy, tap lightly." Ink up your dauber, tap it gently a few times on a scrap piece of paper (this helps to avoid the heavy ink outlines of your dauber...circles of heavy ink), then tap LIGHTLY onto the well taped down stencil. You can always go back and reapply more ink for deeper color if you wish. The key is to tap, not to press down firmly with the dauber.
2. As obvious as this seems, make sure your stencil is flat. Any area where it may have been bent, even a slight amount, will allow the ink to flow under it.
3. When you wash your stencils make sure you to use a flat basin. I use a Pyrex type of dish. Use a nail brush and rub over the stencil while holding it against the flat bottom surface. To dry your stencil lay it flat on a few paper towels and pat it dry. Once dry, hold your stencil up and blow hard through it. This will force any tiny drops of water out....then pat those off.
4. If you have ANY water moisture on your stencil, i.e. not COMPLETELY dry after washing, your ink will bleed and seep into covered areas.
Hope this helps. I love stenciling. Don't give up on using them. If you ever have the opportunity to take a class from Lynell Harlow, owner of Dreamweaver Stencils, jump at the chance. She does travel and teaches many techniques using stencils. Surprisingly, the cost to receive direct education from her is reasonable. Take a look at her site, they have instructions on many of the techniques. Believe me, I am not affiliated at all, wish I were (hahaha), only a convert to using stencils because of her!
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