Crafty Love Notes

Sometimes people are just genius!! Make a stencil AND a mask for your art using a magazine photo. This was inspired by Julie Fei-Fan Balzer who I just absolutely admire! 

 You'll need:

• Fashion magazines, catalogues, or junk mail fliers with figures on them
• Clear packing tape or Con-tact® paper
• A sharp pair of scissors

Directions:

1. Find some pages of figures that you think would make a good silhouette. For interest, it's preferable if the figures are gesturing with their arms or have a hand on their hip.
2. Cover the front of the page with clear packing tape (you may need more than one piece) or a sheet of clear Con-tact paper.
3. Turn the page over and cover the back the same way, making sure you include all of the silhouette that's on the front. By covering both sides with the tape/Con-tact paper, you will make the silhouette sturdier and will be able to use it multiple times.

4. With a sharp pair of scissors, cut out the silhouette. Take the time to cut it out accurately so you will have a smoother, more recognizable image. Tip: To achieve a cleaner cut, Julie says to feed the paper into your scissors rather than moving the scissors around the page.
Note: If you want to have both a stencil and a mask, cover the entire page with tape before cutting, or at least a half-inch beyond the cut-out area.

Now you have a stencil and/or mask you can use over and over again for practically free.