Stencil 101

We don't do too many tutorials...

but sometimes, we get so many questions about the same topic

we decide to tackle it...

 "What's the best way to stencil?"

Is one of those questions!

But, alas, you see...

we're no experts on stenciling!

Do you know who is?

The folks at 

Royal Design Studio

Regina, who works with RDS

(you might know her from Fauxology)

was gracious enough to offer us an impromptu class,

sharing Melanie's techniques and tips

so our tutorial would be full of great info!

So here goes:

 Step one:

Start with the proper tools!

(We can't emphasize enough

what a difference these tools made!)

 Stencil brushes and

Stencil Creme

both from 

Royal Design Studio

 I like to use adhesive spray, but

Frog Tape works great, too!

Apply a LIGHT spray of adhesive

before placing your stencil

 For this project,

we chose

Cherry Blossom

(we have an actual furniture project planned for this stencil,

this was our trial run...!)

 You'll want to have a rag or paper towel handy...

 barely dip your brush into the stencil creme or paint

(or just use the lid...you don't need much!)

Now swirl your brush onto your rag

to remove the excess paint

 (excuse my wax-stained hand!)

Your brush might seem like there is nothing on it...

but as illustrated here,

it's plenty!

 Once your brush is ready,

you'll want to apply the creme in a swirling motion

like little circles with your brush

(A great tip we learned?

Start your swirl outside the area to be filled in

so any extra bits get worked out

before the paint touches the open stencil area)

 For the stem, we used Stencil Creme,

but for the blossoms, we wanted

soft pinks...so we used Annie Sloan Chalk Paint

(did you know Royal Design Studio is a Chalk Paint Stockist?)

 We hoped to demonstrate what happens when you 

use too much paint, and just brush it on instead of swirling...

see all that bleed through?

(also note, the Stencil Creme still looks perfect,

even though we attempted to do that wrong, too...

not sure you CAN do it wrong with these cremes!)

 For the second branch, we did as instructed,

barely filling our brush

before blotting off the excess

 The Cherry Blossom Stencil comes with a variety

of stencil sheets, so you can create your own pattern...

we simply waited for the first to dry

(the cremes dry almost instantly, and ASCP is nearly that quick, too!)

then placed the next one...

LOVE that we can create our own unique pattern

based on the piece being stenciled! 

 Clearly, following the directions is the way to go,

because THIS branch appears almost airbrushed,

it's so crisp and lovely...

this is with NO touch-up!
Gorgeous, right?

(Be sure to remove your stencil before the paint is completely dry...)

 Even though this was just a sample board

(plywood, no less!)

we wanted to finish it off properly,

so we applied clear and dark ASCP wax

after distressing

Notice the wax did NOT remove

 the metallic Stencil Creme...

which is unusual, 

and AWESOME!

We've used lots of other metallic products,

like gilding wax and Rub-n-Buff

but you can't wax over them
which can be a bummer

The final step to insuring your next project is perfect?

Clean your brushes right away, 

and clean your stencil right away, too!

The Stencil Cremes are formulated for easy clean-up

We simply placed the stencils on a flat surface and gently 

sponged off the paint

If you're not using Stencil Cremes

or you are a total slacker and don't wash them right away,

try Simple Green...works great!

 Once they are dry, we'll store these on our stencil wall

with tiny nails...

I know, you don't have a stencil wall...

No worries!

Just be sure to store them flat

This was a really fun project

and it's tremendous how much

easier it was to do

and how much better

it turned out

with a little instruction

and the proper tools and products! 

We're really looking forward to tackling the bigger project

with this stencil...

...and you KNOW

we will be ordering EVERY COLOR

in the Stencil Cremes!