oh deer, a stencil

i decided to venture into the freezer paper stencil forum. here's a somewhat step-by-step tutorial of my process. freezer paper can be purchased in your local grocery store, usually in the foil and baggie section.

take a sketch and turn it into a simple stencil.

adjust size to what you want and print out. (i was able to print the image directly on the freezer paper after cutting it down to 8.5x11. it was a little flimsy so i tried to staple it to a heavier sheet of cardstock. it ended up getting jammed in the printer, so i just fed the freezer paper by it's lonesome and it worked. and make sure you print on the flat side of the paper not the shiny/waxy side)

cut out negative image using a sharp blade. (be sure to leave little arms for any positives in you stencils such as the eye. you'll paint those in by hand as the final step.)

iron stencil onto desired surface, shiny side down. (as you can see, you can use the stencil multiple times before it loses it's clingablity. is that a word?)

make sure you have something underneath your surface before you start stenciling. the paint will more than likely bleed through. be sure to use paint that can adhere to your surface. i used fabric paint and a sponge to apply. begin applying the paint. you can apply one coat or if you want a bolder color apply a second coat after the first coat dries.

let paint dry and begin peeling the paper off.

be sure to color in the positive space with a brush and paint.

presto! you now have a nice stenciled tee or whatever you decided to tag with your artwork.

i also used the negative image of the deer i cut out and ironed it to some fabric to cut out a applique. i attempted to sew it on a tee but i still have to get the hang of doing so. it's probably a little too detailed for me at this point. here's the end result.