printmaking - stencil

Stencil printing involves creating a design that is cut out on a paper, plastic, or cardboard sheet.

Ink or paint is applied over the cut out areas onto a surface, the areas of the design that are not cut out remain blank. Screen Printing is a type of stencil printing often used in advertising and mass media that uses a fine mesh to transfer ink onto a surface.

Campbell's Soup Cans by Andy Warhol is a famous example of stencil printing.

Andy Warhol, Campbell’s Soup Cans (detail), 1962, synthetic polymer paint on 32 canvases, 50.8 × 40.6 cm.

just try it!

Make a stencil by cutting out a design on a piece of cardboard or heavy paper. Place it on another paper and apply paint or ink with a brush or sponge. Lift the stencil to see your design!