Stencils With Personal Style

• Develop a design that conveys a message that’s important to you.
• Transform your design into a stencil, and use it to share your message.

• Make a portrait of a place that’s important to you.
• Represent the place as you see it, finding a visual voice that illustrates how you feel about your subject.

• Create a simple design using negative and positive space.
• Transfer your design onto mylar, poster board, or cardboard.
• Get help cutting out your design.
• Use spray paint or sponge paint to transfer your design onto an approved surface.
• Experiment with layering colors and textures.
• Don’t forget: It’s illegal to use your stencils in public places without permission. Instead, find creative ways to share your message. Put your design on a T-shirt or tote bag, or get permission from your school to create a mural with your classmates.

Use old cereal boxes to create your stencil. If you don’t have paint, you can use markers!

Before you begin, check out these examples by Nancy Hoover’s students at The Girls’ School of Austin in Austin, Texas!