Stencils as a Legitimate Art Technique

10,000 BCE Cave Artists

Stencils have been used to create designs for a very long time. In fact, as early as 10,000 BCE cave artists used their own hands as stencils to produce cave paintings. These early artists sprayed pigment around their hand by mouth-blowing a stream of pigment through a hollow bone.

Stencils for Home Decorators, Signs and Street Artists

Stencils are used by home decorators to create custom wall designs, and of course the ubiquitous use of stencils to create signs. Stencils are used for airbrushing, screen printing and even by street artists such as Banksy, to create what is known as stencil graffiti art.

Stained Glass Windows

The key advantage of a stencil is that it can be used to rapidly and repeatedly produce a relatively intricate design. Stained glass artists have used stencils for hundreds of years to paint a repeating border design or add an intricate design to a background.

A New Twist on an Old Technique

Stencils are not new, but the Glass Tattoo Stencil process is a new twist on this old technique. A Glass Tattoo Stencil design gives fusing artists a place to start. Have you ever found yourself in your fusing Studio in a mood to create your next masterpiece but fall flat when trying to decide on a design? I think it’s safe to say we have all found ourselves in that same situation. That’s when a Glass Tattoo Stencil comes in handy – it gives you a place to start designing.

The Origin of my Heart Flourish Tray

For example, I had purchased a 4” x 8” ceramic tray mold and I wanted to create an interesting piece to make use of this mold. I kicked around a few ideas then I remembered I had this Heart Flourish stencil design. I realized that I could place two of these designs end to end, then come up with some kind of border pattern to finish it off. It took me about 60 minutes total – from cutting the base glass, to forming both Heart Flourish designs then adding the border. My design piece was completed and in the kiln, plus I had my studio tidied up in under 90 minutes. The next morning I placed my flat fired design on the ceramic tray mold to slump fire it. I think my Heart Flourish Rectangle Tray turned out to be a very nice piece. Watch this 8 minute video to see how I did it.

Handy Little Standalone Components

We have developed another process that we call Glass Tattoo Wafers. These versatile standalone components are created on a plastic sheet using one of our Wafer Stencil designs and the Glass Tattoo Gue colors. Let the design dry overnight (until it is stiff-hard), then peal it off the plastic sheet and your design component is ready. You can use these cute little beauties anywhere you desire on your fusing project. I used our fish wafer designs to create a whole school of tropical fish then I placed them around the edge of a 12” diameter circle to make the Shark Bait Plate shown here. Watch the 9 minute video to see the complete process.

Unique Custom Blended Colors

The Glass Tattoo Stencil process enables artists to create custom blended color designs. Notice the blended colors in the flower petals of this Hibiscus. The only way to achieve that effect is by using Glass Tattoo Gue colors.

Here is a 4 minute video that demonstrates how we did it.

All Stencils are HALF PRICE – until March 1st

If you haven’t tried the Glass Tattoo Stencil System yet, now is your chance to get going. We have our entire inventory of Glass Tattoo Stencils on sale at half price from now until the end of February 2021. Click on the link below and you will be taken to the Glass Tattoo Stencil list where you can choose as many designs as you like and get 50% off until the end of this month – so what are you waiting for?

Use Discount Code: HALF in the checkout window to get the 50% discount