How to Do Stencil Graffiti like Banksy
Stencil graffiti, made famous by Banksy in the last 4 or 5 years, has actually been a form of street art for 25 years. You can use paper, cardboard or other forms of media (such as plastics) to create templated imagery and text. You simply cut around the design from your cardboard/paper/other surface, put said surface onto a wall (example), then spray or roll-on paint.
The fundamental principle of stencilling is creating outlines via cutting shapes, and spraying paint within these cutout shapes – making clear-cut images on the surface underneath. It’s also possible to employ multiple layers of stencils to produce an illusion of depth or even add colours.
So why do some people prefer to be a stencil artist? For a few, it is a great platform to communicate a political point. Many stencil artists value the publicity that their art can obtain. Some simply wish their art to be seen. As the stencil remains uniform throughout its use, it is far easier for a stencil artist to speedily copy what could be an involved artwork at a very quick pace, when equated to other traditional tagging methods, so without question, there is also a persuasive self-promoting reason to choose stencilling.
Banksy has applied stencilling as a way to put a point across, often quite succinctly, leaving the witness to get the message themselves. This is oftentimes why people love his work so much, as they force the viewer to reflect on the message behind the artwork. The graffiti artwork of Banksy is being reproduced on posters, t-shirts and canvas, such is the popularity of the street artist.
