Quick T-Shirt Stencil/Paint Tutorial Thing with Paint.net
DIYing this into a tshirt for the Chrissy Chlapecka concert!!!!
Disclaimer: This is not as detailed as it should be, nor is it universal to every image you may want to stencil. I also am not a graphic designer so there are probably easier ways to go about this.
Part 1) How I made the stencil:
Step 1) Acquire image and make a printer friendly stencil (I use paint.net). This way you don't waste all of your ink
Usually I use the magic wand tool to select and delete the inside to leave the outline.
And this is how I make my stencils usually, clean it up, make it black and white, yadda yadda.
Today I did it a bit differently tho (for funsies)
I went to Adjustments-> Levels adjustment and messed around until I got what I wanted (adjusted the input histogram) (don't ask me what this means I'm not a graphic artist, I just fuck around until I get what I want)
Then, I made it black and white
I changed the contrast to make the lines distinct (after trying to print it the first time because it was hard to see. )
Part 2) Bringing your stencil into the physical realm
Hit Ctrl + P to bring up the print menu (if you are using anything other than Windows, I'm sorry). Instead of
PRINT THE STENCIL. Cardstock will give you a much better stencil because it will be more durable.
Then you can take an Exacto knife/craft knife and cut it out. Any old one will do, just make sure your blade is sharp. I did not document this process because I didn't think about making a tutorial until after I finished
My mom is cool and let me borrow her ergonomic knife that she uses for cardmaking (WHICH IS SO GOOD INCLUDED PICS IF YOU WANT TO KNOW WHICH ONE)
AFTER THAT YOU BE VERY CAREFUL AND CUT THINGS OUT. I chose this design specifically because it was already ideal for stencilling, but if yours is not, be sure to leave some attachment points
"Shabby, what about the dot in the 'i'?"
Fret not, fret not! It shall be addressed. I borrowed some low tack tape (again from my mom) (thanks mom) (shout out to moms with craft supplies). I'm going to trace the dot of the eye, cut the tape in the dot shape, and place it over the 'i' when I paint the stencil.
Actual shirt painting later I forgot to wash it 😭
Not the best tutorial, but it should give y'all a starting point