This is a two-session online workshop:
2 Wednesdays :: September 16 & 23 :: 3-5pm Pacific.

From cave art to street art, stencils have been in use for as long as forty thousand years. Though associated more often with industrial methods than artistic ones, stencils can be used with a vast range of media, and on just about any surface.

This workshop introduces foundational techniques for designing and creating multi-color and multi-part stencils. We’ll demonstrate a number of principles and practices for translating complex color designs into cut paper stencils, including various registration methods for precise alignment and repetition; cutting duplicate and triplicate shapes; using the negative and positive parts of a cut, and more. 

In the first session you’ll learn a range of techniques and tricks; in the second session you’ll use those techniques to translate your own two- or three-color design into a stencil. 

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Materials to Bring: 

• X-acto knife or equivalent, with a sharp blade
• Cutting mat
• Pencil
• Blue painter’s tape
• Paper for cutting stencils: light to medium-weight sketch paper, 60 lb. (90 gsm) or lighter. Have at least six sheets, around 9 x 12 inches.
• Paper for stenciling on. Any drawing paper should suffice. Have at least a dozen sheets around 9 x 12 (they should be the same size as your stencil sheets).
• Acrylic paint in at least three colors. Heavy-body acrylic is preferred (such as Golden, Utrecht, or Liquitex Heavy Body). Have at least one opaque color and one translucent color.**
• Stencil brushes. Inexpensive round stencil brushes are fairly easy to find, sometimes in a pack of three. Ideally have two larger (about 5/8") plus one small (1/4"). Blick carries the Scholastic White Stencil Brush, and Arch carries Silver brand Stencil brushes (1821S). For Silver brand, get two larger (#12 or #14) and one small (#6).
• Paper towels
• A cup or jar for water
• Palette, or small porcelain dish to use as a palette

Recommended but not essential: 

• Hole punch 
  Light box

**Note: All demos will be conducted using acrylic paint. If you have other media you prefer for stenciling, and you know how to use it, you are welcome to use that instead. If you are unsure whether it will work, get the acrylic colors! 

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Workshop Fee: $80

Date & Time: 2 Wednesdays :: September 16 & 23, 2020 :: 3-5pm Pacific time

Location: Online over Zoom

Please note that we are not recording these sessions. Video will not be available.

Please read over the SFCB Registration Policies before signing up for a class.

REGISTRATION WILL CLOSE 3 DAYS PRIOR TO THE START DATE OF THIS WORKSHOP.

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About the Instructor | Tim Svenionus

Tim Svenonius is a mixed-media artist whose work explores the intersections of history, memory and myth. A voracious reader and an avid researcher, his work is shaped by deep investigations into arcane histories and lore. He has worked for two decades in the museum field, as a designer, writer, and producer of digital media. In 2015 he self-published a monograph, A Book of Lost Latitudes, which explores the role of the whale in mythology and literature, through evocative drawings and found texts.
 

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Past Student Reviews:

“Tim’s delivery is engaging and his sketches are fascinating.”

“It was inspiring to see Tim’s visual lexicon and hear about his process … a very thought-provoking and visually stunning couple of hours.”