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It’s great to see so many new stencil books coming out – especially, ones like this that provide tools and inspiration. Stencil Me In does a great job of showing off all kinds of new possibilities for this craft.
Bound into the back of the book is an envelope, filled with 28 plastic stencils. You can wash and reuse them over and over. And, since they’re made with this green plastic, you can also put them on a photocopier and reduce or enlarge them. Make your copies on clear acetate sheets, cut them out, and you have even more stencils!
The book is beautifully organized, with a very clear and detailed basic how-to section that covers stenciling on a wide variety of surfaces, with a wide variety of media.
Following that, there are a few pages dedicated to each of the stencils included with the book, so you can see them in action. Here, a power line stencil is applied to a mouse pad and some glass candle holders.
(Oh – and yes, spiral binding, yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!)
The stencil designs run a nice gamut from ornate to punky. If you’re trend-phobic, you should know that the obligatory skull and bird are included here, but there are also lots of really cute motifs I haven’t seen elsewhere. (Don’t you love how this stencil is repeated on the chair seat?)
I think Stencil Me In‘s real strength is in how many different ways it portrays the use of these stencils. You’ll see them applied to wood, paper, fabric, glass, metal – even candles! You’ll see several stencils combined on one project. You’ll see them sized up and sized down. You’ll see projects that repeat a stencil over and over, and projects that use only a portion of a stencil. Really inspiring.
Case in point: this chandelier stencil has some dangling elements in it, but for this project, those were blocked out so the designer could add chains and pearls instead. Brilliant.
This French press pot with its stenciled poppies makes me very happy. You could totally stencil some matching mugs.
And this? This is genius! Makes me want to go comb thrift stores for bad paintings so I can stencil robots all over them!
Do give this one a flip-through next time you’re at the bookstore.
re: copies on acetate
it must be said that there is a certain type of acetate for certain types of copiers. please check and make sure that you have the correct type before you run it through the machine; otherwise, you’ve got a copy machine full of melted shit.
re: copies on acetate
it must be said that there is a certain type of acetate for certain types of copiers. please check and make sure that you have the correct type before you run it through the machine; otherwise, you’ve got a copy machine full of melted shit.
I’m gonna have to check thisone out!
I’m gonna have to check thisone out!
That t-shirt is outrageous! If only I were 10 (OK, more like 15) years younger…..
That t-shirt is outrageous! If only I were 10 (OK, more like 15) years younger…..
i’ve always loved stenciling! these ideas are so, so cool!! thanks
i’ve always loved stenciling! these ideas are so, so cool!! thanks
Oh thanks so much for such a terrific review. I’ll def have to give this a looksee!
Oh thanks so much for such a terrific review. I’ll def have to give this a looksee!
Awesome – nice review! Ditto about the spiral binding. That makes me SO happy :)
Awesome – nice review! Ditto about the spiral binding. That makes me SO happy :)
I love that coffee press pot! I have lots of them but none with poppies on them..
I think they make the best coffee, ever! And it’s so quick too!
love it!
xo
I love that coffee press pot! I have lots of them but none with poppies on them..
I think they make the best coffee, ever! And it’s so quick too!
love it!
xo
I spent a week looking at this book one day. It is spectacular.
I spent a week looking at this book one day. It is spectacular.