What Is a Stencil? Types, Materials and What Each Is For
What is a stencil? A plain-English guide to stencil meaning, the main types of stencils, the materials they're made from, and which one suits your project.
A stencil is a thin sheet with a design cut out of it. You lay it on a surface and apply paint, ink or another medium through the cut-out areas, so the design transfers wherever the holes are and the solid parts block the rest. Stencils let you repeat the same shape cleanly, again and again, without needing to draw it freehand.
That's the short answer. Below are the main types of stencils, what they're made from, and how to pick the right one.
What does stencil mean?
As a noun, a stencil is the cut sheet itself. As a verb, to stencil is to apply a design through one. You'll also hear "stencil" used for the finished image, as in "a stencil on the wall".
The idea is the same whether you're painting a sign, spraying street art, printing a T-shirt or decorating a cake: cut-outs let the colour through, solid areas keep it off.
How a stencil works
Every stencil has two parts:
- Open areas: the holes, where paint goes through.
- Solid areas: the sheet that stays in place and blocks paint.
There's one catch. Any enclosed shape, like the middle of the letter "O", has nothing holding it to the rest of the sheet. Cut round it and it falls out. These loose pieces are called islands. To keep them, stencils use bridges: thin strips of material that connect the island to the rest of the sheet. Those little gaps you see in stencil lettering are bridges. The bridging tutorial shows how they work in practice.
Types of stencils
Positive and negative stencils
People use these two terms in slightly different ways, so here's the version I use:
- Positive stencil: the design itself is cut out. Paint goes through the holes and the image appears in paint. Most stencils are this kind.
- Negative stencil: the design is left solid and the area around it is cut away (or the design is a separate cut-out shape you paint around). The image appears as an unpainted silhouette in a painted background.
If a tutorial uses them the other way round, don't panic. Just check whether the paint is meant to form the design or surround it.
Single-layer stencils
One sheet, one colour. Great for lettering, logos, silhouettes and patterns. They're the quickest to make and the easiest to use.
Multi-layer stencils
A set of sheets, one per colour or tone, sprayed one after another to build up a detailed image. This is how stencil artists get portraits with real light and shadow. Each sheet has registration marks (alignment marks) so the layers line up. I've covered the process in how to make a multi-layer stencil.
Reusable and disposable stencils
- Reusable stencils are cut from durable material like mylar and washed between uses. Ideal for repeat patterns, wall borders and anything you'll paint more than once.
- Disposable stencils are cut from paper, card, freezer paper or adhesive vinyl and used once or a handful of times. Ideal for one-off projects.
If you want one that lasts, see how to make a reusable stencil.
Specialist stencils
A few trades use the word for their own version:
- Screen printing stencils block ink on a mesh screen, usually made with a light-sensitive emulsion or a cut film.
- Tattoo stencils transfer a line drawing onto skin as a guide for the artist. They're traced, not painted through.
- Food stencils decorate cakes, cookies and coffee with icing sugar, cocoa or edible paint, and must be made from food-safe material.
What are stencils made from?
| Material | Reusable? | Best for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paper or printer paper | No | Quick tests, tracing | Goes soggy with wet paint |
| Card or cardstock | A few uses | Spray paint one-offs, kids' crafts | Edges soften over time |
| Mylar (plastic film) | Yes, many uses | Walls, furniture, repeat patterns | Harder to cut by hand |
| Freezer paper | Once | T-shirts and fabric (iron-on) | Only sticks to fabric |
| Adhesive vinyl | Once or twice | Signs, glass, crisp edges | Can lift fresh paint |
| Acetate | Yes | Food, small detailed designs | Can crack if folded |
| Metal (brass, steel) | Yes, for years | Marking, industrial use | Needs specialist cutting |
There's more detail on choosing and cutting each one in stencil materials for beginners.
How to choose the right stencil
Ask yourself three questions:
- How many times will I use it? Once means paper, card or vinyl. Lots means mylar.
- What surface is it going on? Fabric suits freezer paper, glass and signs suit vinyl, walls suit mylar, food needs food-safe acetate or plastic.
- How many colours? One colour means a single-layer stencil. A photo with shading needs a multi-layer stencil.
How to make your own stencil
You can draw and cut one by hand, but turning a photo into a stencil by hand is slow. You'd need to trace each tone and work out every bridge yourself.
The free stencil maker does that part for you. Upload a photo or drawing in your browser, choose 1 to 6 layers, and it splits the image by tone, adds bridges automatically so islands don't fall out, and adds registration marks so the layers line up. Free downloads are PDF and PNG with up to 3 layers, ready to print and cut. For the whole process from start to finish, the how to make a stencil guide walks you through it.
FAQ
What is the difference between a stencil and a template?
People often use the words interchangeably. Strictly, a stencil is something you apply paint through, while a template is a shape you trace around or follow as a guide. Many "stencil templates" online are printable designs you cut into a stencil.
What are the gaps in stencil letters for?
They're bridges. They hold the middle pieces of letters like "A", "B" and "O" in place, so they don't fall out when you cut the stencil.
What is the best material for a beginner's stencil?
Card for a first spray paint project, because it's cheap and easy to cut. Move to mylar once you want a stencil you can wash and reuse.
Can you make a stencil from a photo?
Yes. Pick a photo with clear light and shadow, convert it to one or more tones, then cut each tone as its own layer. Free Stencil Maker does the conversion in your browser.
When you're ready to make one, upload a photo to Free Stencil Maker and download a stencil that's ready to print and cut.
Ready to make your own stencil?
Start Making Stencils