Thanks to the great wide world of the web, there's no reason to bother going to the craft store to find stencils for your next arts and crafts project. Virtually any image that you can think up can be found through a simple image search on your computer. Then, with a few supplies and very little expense, you can make your own, unique template for stenciling anything from painted wall designs to line drawings.
Gather Supplies
To make your own template for stenciling, you will need the following:
Poster or foam board
Craft knife
Tape
Ruler
Internet access
Printer
Find an Appropriate Image
The Internet offers a wealth of images that can be used to create large and small stencils. However, when selecting an image for stenciling, be sure that the outline of the image is relatively simple with few appendages and wavy lines (especially if this is your first attempt or your stencil will be small).
The best way to find these is to employ a Google search for "drawings" as opposed to "photographs." Or, if you're having trouble generating stenciling ideas, visit a stencil website such as stencil-library.com.
Once you find your image, right click, copy and save it to your computer. Then open the image in a photo editor and size it to the desired height and width and then print it.
Make the Template
Once your stencil is printed, cut it out along the edges of the image. Then affix it to your poster board (for small stencils/drawings) or foam board (for large wall paint stencils and sponge techniques) by placing a loop of tape (sticky on all sides) between the cut-out printed image and the board.
Draw a square around your stencil with a ruler or a straight edge (straight edges make it much easier to apply stencils along a straight line). Leave at least two inches between the cut-out printed image and the interior edge of the square. Cut the square out of the larger section of poster/foam board with your craft blade. To keep your lines as straight as possible, cut along your ruler.
Next, cut around the cut-out printed image with your craft knife, keeping the edges as smooth and regular as possible, especially if the stencil will support a line drawing. In fact, you may want to practice making curved cuts on a spare sheet before attempting the real thing.
