Drawn and Quartered: Horse Stencil
Hand's down, the biggest challenge in making an apartment look like a home is figuring out how to cover all those blank walls. Tapestries are so opium den and Monet posters are so wrong at this stage of life. I always cringe a little bit when the designers on Trading Spaces talk about "making art", but they may be on to something. If you can't afford to buy art on your assistant salary (and who can?), it just may be time to make some.
For those who don't/can't/won't draw, stencils are a gift from God. Lucky for you and me, the man who directs and edits these videos is also a cartoonist and kindly agreed to draw a really big horse. Download and print out our horse stencil (8 pages total) here:
horse stencil page 1
horse stencil page 2
horse stencil page 3
horse stencil page 4
horse stencil page 5
horse stencil page 6
horse stencil page 7
horse stencil page 8
If you're not an equine enthusiast, this place has a dazzling array of stencils.
From there, you'll need canvases. I bought mine at a big chain arts and crafts store as I suspected they would be cheap. And since the heavens were throwing me all kinds of crazy gifts, there was a sale: $2.99 for a 16"x20" canvas. I bought four.
If we could do this again, we'd transfer the paper stencil on to a large piece of plastic (available at craft stores) so the stencil wouldn't be quite so flimsy. If you do that, you could paint with acrylics and stencil rollers if you want, since plastic will stand up to a little more wear and tear. We decided to use spray paint and just taped down our paper stencil with masking tape. Then we touched up the final painting with a brush.
Since I have not previously extolled the virtues of spray paint, please let me do so now: spray paint is fast, easy, and calls for zero clean up. You just can't say that about many things in life.
horse stencil page 1
horse stencil page 2
horse stencil page 3
horse stencil page 4
horse stencil page 5
horse stencil page 6
horse stencil page 7
horse stencil page 8
If you're not an equine enthusiast, this place has a dazzling array of stencils.
From there, you'll need canvases. I bought mine at a big chain arts and crafts store as I suspected they would be cheap. And since the heavens were throwing me all kinds of crazy gifts, there was a sale: $2.99 for a 16"x20" canvas. I bought four.
If we could do this again, we'd transfer the paper stencil on to a large piece of plastic (available at craft stores) so the stencil wouldn't be quite so flimsy. If you do that, you could paint with acrylics and stencil rollers if you want, since plastic will stand up to a little more wear and tear. We decided to use spray paint and just taped down our paper stencil with masking tape. Then we touched up the final painting with a brush.
Since I have not previously extolled the virtues of spray paint, please let me do so now: spray paint is fast, easy, and calls for zero clean up. You just can't say that about many things in life.
Comments
my god, lady. you're so charming on camera i sit here grinning and shaking my head the whole time, every time.
Posted by: J. | February 23, 2006 8:10 PM
Wow! NICE CAMERA!
Posted by: Gregor Clark | February 23, 2006 10:21 PM
wow! this is even BETTER than the chicken. And damn, that chicken was a high bar to surpass. woman--you really know your audience!!...can I commission a "moe" stencil?
Posted by: alison | February 24, 2006 2:25 PM
This project is so great! I am a big fan of stencil artwork, nice simple lines and shapes.
Posted by: Zoe | February 25, 2006 2:18 PM
this project is fantastic, and the end result is gorgeous. it reminds me a bit of the horse edie sedgwick drew on her bedroom wall & was later pictured in vogue. i personally, hang a lot of my own work on my walls, because it obviously reflects my own taste and is personal. until i can make serious art purchases, i will definitely go that route.
Posted by: melanie | March 6, 2006 10:34 AM
I'm so glad the response to this project has been so enthusiastic! We were delightfully surprised that it turned out so well. I think it's the first time I've ever done anything that conjures Edie Sedgwick - but I certainly hope it's not the last!
Posted by: Sarah | March 6, 2006 11:50 AM
If you want to make your own sketch or doodle into a large stencil, xerox it on a transparency sheet (clear paper) and use an overhead projector to cast the image on a paper (or plastic or whatever you want your stencil to be on) that's been taped to a wall. trace the outline then cut it out with an exacto knife. voila! a large stencil... if you can find a projector.
Posted by: funmi | March 15, 2006 4:25 PM
Great reading, keep up the great posts.
Peace, JiggaDigga
Posted by: JiggaDigga | April 7, 2006 1:00 AM