Stencils and Spray Paint Tutorial

Image Courtesy of Wallpapers.com

For this post, I decided to do a craft/art project with a technique I have never done before.  Stencil and spray paint.  I have done many a project with making your own stencils, however never quite like this, so I decided to come up with my own tutorial that I made up as I went. I have never used spray paint before this project. If you find the right picture to use, you can end up with a modern piece of art with a vintage twist.  It really isn't as hard as it looks; I just tried to include every detail. 

For this project you will need...
     -A computer and internet access
     -Spray Paint (color of your choice)
     -A printed picture of your own, or from the internet
     -A canvas the same size as your printed picture
     -An exacto knife
     -A thin piece of cardboard or plastic (I used a cereal box)
    
I chose to use silver spray paint,to go with my teal walls.  I also chose to do a picture of Audrey Hepburn, because she is my favorite celebrity, and this picture is a classic!

To start, you will need to find a picture that you would like to use in your project.  If you choose to use your own image, you will have to upload it to your computer.  After you have done that, upload the image to the photo-editor PicMonkey by clicking "Edit a Photo", on the home page.  Once you have uploaded your photo, on the sidebar click "Effects" then scroll down until you get to "Posterize."  You will have to drag the number of colors bar down, until it gets to two colors, however don't change anything else.  As you will see, your photo will be in only two colors.  If your photo is not visible with this effect, you will have to pick a new picture with more contrast.  After editing your picture, it should look something like this.  

Screenshot while editing my photo

Once you have completed these steps, it's time to print your photo.  You may print it in whatever size you'd like, however be sure that it is the same size as your canvas.  I just used standard size printer paper, and bought a canvas that is a little bigger.  

After printing your photo, tape it on top of the piece of cardboard.  Take a really really sharp pencil, or pen, and pressing hard, outline the shaded parts of the edited photo.  If you push hard enough, the lines should show up on the cardboard, though they might be faint.  Mine lines were a little too faint to cut over, so I outlined them with a pen.  After these steps, the cardboard should look something like this...   

My Cardboard Outlines

Once you have done this, you can take off the tape, but don't throw away the printed photo.  Take your ex-acto knife, and cut out the areas of darkness, following the outlines on the cardboard, but still referring back to the printed photo so you don't mess up.  Once you finish cutting the cardboard, it should still look like the picture, but less detailed.

The hard part is over now... It's time to spray paint!  Line up the cardboard a s perfectly as you can on the canvas, and tape it down.  Then, spray the cardboard/canvas until the whole thing is silver.  Be sure that you aren't too close when doing this part; I stood up, and set it on the ground outside while I sprayed.  I also added a layer of sparkly spray paint, however you cannot see it in the picture.  If you are doing the spray painting inside, or in a garage, be sure to put down newspaper.  Let the paint dry for a few hours, and enjoy your masterpiece!  

My Final Product!!