The Use Of Stencilling Over The Years

The highly decorative art form of stencilling has been used for centuries to create intricate patterns and designs. The use of templates allows a pattern or image to be transferred on to the surface underneath. Ink or paint is passed over holes that have been cut out of a suitable material to generate a design. Stencils can be made out of many different kinds of material, but nowadays the most common are plastic or stainless steel. Obviously, the designs can be of absolutely anything, but popular ones include letters, flowers, birds and other animals, children's characters or simple geometric patterns. By far the biggest plus point with stencils is the fact that they can used over and over again, so the design can be reproduced many times.

Stencils can be used on many different surfaces, but these days they are most often used to decorate walls in the home. Using stencils to decorate a room can transform it from a boring space to one that is bright and cheerful. Stencils are great for adding a bit of fun and colour to children's bedrooms and nurseries - there is such a good selection of cute and interesting designs to choose from. Whole wall displays can be produced using this technique! However, it should not be forgotten that they are also used widely in industry, business and the military. Stencilling can be used to produce company logos, and the technique is also used for road markings, playground designs and labelling vehicles and objects.

As mentioned in the opening paragraph, this art form has a very long history. Some historians believe that the use of stencils dates all the way back to the prehistoric period. Stencilling examples have been found in caves in different parts of the world including France and Fiji (dating back thousands of years), and the Egyptians were also known for their use of stencils to produce beautiful designs and patterns.

More recently, stencils have been used in the illustration of books. This was popular in France in the 1920s and was known as Pochoir. There were numerous studios in Paris that specialised in this intensive and luxurious way of producing pictures.

Stencils can also be used on cloth. The traditional Japanese method of Katazome involves dyeing cloth using a resist paste applied through a stencil.

In conclusion, stencilling is an ancient technique that still has a place in modern day life. Its versatility means it can be used not just in the home, but also in industry and institutions such as government, utility companies and the military. The main advantage of stencilling is the fact that the design can be repeated over and over again.