How to Create Your Own Stencil Masks

A mask is the negative of a stencil. It blocks certain areas from being painted so that the paint or whatever medium you’re using creates an outline of the image.

Catalogs and magazines are great sources for creating your own masks. Here’s how to make one:

1. Leaf through your magazines and choose a photo/image that would make a great silhouette.
2. Cover the front and back of the image with clear packaging tape so that you can reuse your mask.
3. Carefully cut out the image from the page.

Voila! Your very own stencil mask!

Here are some masks that I made from a Victoria’s Secret catalog that I regularly get from the mail. When going for people silhouettes, remember that images with expressive arms and legs make the best masks. You can cut away parts of the image to create a better silhouette. For example, the first stencil mask above might work better if I cut out the part of her hair that’s showing on her left side so that I get the shape of her head.

Here’s an example of how I applied the mask. I used the third one from the samples above. You can use a stencil adhesive to temporarily tack the mask on the surface where you’re applying the mask to make sure it won’t lift or move. Here, though, I just held it in place with my fingers and rubbed distressing ink around it with a foam applicator to create an outline. Because the image is protected with packaging tape, I just wiped it clean after I used it so I can use it again next time.

This is actually the outside part of a security envelope from a bill I got in the mail. I’m using it in one of the junk journals I’m currently making. It was full of print so I decided to paint on it.