stencil trouble
 

Hi - new to the forum but have frequented the gallery for ideas. You're talented folk. I was at the Scrapbook convention in Arlington a few days back and saw this technique where a woman used a brass stencil, and used in daubers to color in, smoothed it over with embossing paste and then removed the stencil to let it dry.

MY PROBLEM - I taped the stencil down like she showed us but when I was inking with the daubers, I had some ink leak or bleed up under the stencil. What was I doing wrong and how can I correct that so that I can keep the sharp lines and clarity of the image I'm stenciling? thanks for all help and advice!

You may have had too much ink on your sponge and it got under the stencil. You could also try spraying a temp adhesive on you stencil (quilters basting spray for example) and that would make sure all parts of your stencil are down on the paper. Hopefully, these tips are something you can use....

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!









3.

I agree with the idea of using temporary adhesive for stencils. I use Stencil Stay .. get it at Michaels in the glue area or where they have stencils for wall decor.

Also, the 'tapping' motion of the dauber is really required. If you use too hard a 'stomp' or 'circle' motion, the edges of the stencil will catch the dauber and release ink underneath.

Good luck and enjoy the technique.

Try using the dimensional paints. If using different colors just tape off the stencil. Let the paint dry before doing the next color. The stencil can be removed and replaced. Also chalks work well with them.