Stencil Maker for Painting

Painting a picture, or repeating a shape?

If you’re painting a picture, on canvas, paper or a mural wall, you need an outline to trace: the main shapes and shadow edges, so the proportions are right before the first brushstroke. Use Lines.

If you’re decorating, with a motif on a wall, furniture, a sign or a T-shirt, you need a cut-out stencil to paint through. Use Solid (cut-out), which also adds bridges and exports an SVG for a cutting machine. Using spray paint? See the spray paint stencil guide.

How to trace a photo onto a canvas

1. Make the outline

   Upload the photo and keep Lines with a low Detail. You only need the main shapes; the painting does the rest. For faces, see the portrait stencil maker.

2. Print it at canvas size

   One page covers a small canvas. For bigger ones, take the PNG to a print shop, or project it (see murals below).

3. Transfer the lines

   Put graphite transfer paper under the print, graphite side down, and trace the lines with a ballpoint. Or shade the back of the print with a soft pencil and trace over the front.

4. Paint over the guide

   Graphite lines disappear under acrylic or oil. Block in the big shapes first and add the detail last.

How to make a cut stencil for walls, furniture and fabric

1. Make it solid

   Switch to Solid (cut-out) and keep Detail low: big, simple shapes paint cleanly and are quick to cut.

2. Add bridges

   If the tool finds floating pieces, tick Add bridges automatically so the stencil holds together.

3. Cut the stencil

   Print it and cut it from Mylar or cardstock with a craft knife, or press Download SVG and cut it on a Cricut or Silhouette.

4. Paint with an almost dry brush

   Fix the stencil with painter’s tape or repositionable spray adhesive. Load a stencil brush or a foam roller, wipe most of the paint off on a paper towel, then dab straight down.

Which stencil material for which surface?

• Walls: Mylar (0.18 to 0.25 mm) lasts a whole room and stays flat for repeat patterns.
• Furniture and signs: adhesive stencil vinyl gives the crispest edges on smooth wood and painted surfaces.
• Fabric and T-shirts: freezer paper ironed on shiny side down, with fabric paint. Peel it off once the paint is dry to the touch.
• Canvas art: cardstock is fine for a single use; Mylar if you’ll repeat the motif.
• Glass and mirrors: adhesive vinyl with glass paint or etching cream.

Painting a mural from a photo

On a wall, scale is the hard part. Project the outline with any projector and trace it in pencil or chalk, or use the grid method: draw a grid over the printout and a larger matching grid on the wall, then copy one square at a time.

For a motif that repeats along a wall, cut one stencil and mark registration points at its corners, so each repeat lines up with the last.