stenciling

stenciling

art
      in the visual arts, a technique for reproducing designs by passing ink or paint over holes cut in cardboard or metal onto the surface to be decorated. Stencils were known in China as early as the 8th century, and Eskimo in Baffin Island were making prints from stencils cut in sealskins before their contact with Western civilization. In the 20th century stencils are used for such diverse purposes as making mimeographs and fine paintings. The Pop-art paintings of the 20th-century American artist Roy Lichtenstein (Lichtenstein, Roy), for example, simulated the dots characteristic of the halftone process of comic-book illustrations by painting over evenly distributed perforations in a thin sheet of metal.

      Pochoir (French: “stencil”), as distinguished from ordinary stenciling, is a highly refined technique of making fine limited editions of stencil prints. It is often called hand colouring, or hand illustration. The 20th-century artists Pablo Picasso and Joan Miró made prints in this technique for book illustrations. More important was Henri Matisse (Matisse, Henri)'s use of stencil prints, notably in Jazz (1947), his illustrated book with handwritten text.

      The major disadvantage of the stencil method is that, although any open design can easily be cut in a stencil, a design enclosing another is impracticable because the middle design drops out. This can be dealt with by using two overlapping half designs. If all parts of the stencil are held together with a web of threads, however, greater freedom will result. A silk screen or a fine wire mesh that permits colour to pass except where the screen is coated, or “stopped,” with glue or a similar substance is generally used for this purpose. When applied to mass-produced commercial products, such as fabrics, this process is called silk screen. When an artist designs, makes, and prints his own stencil to produce a fine print, it is called screenprinting (formerly serigraphy), and the product is called a screenprint.

      Several methods may be used to obtain a stencil on a screen mesh. In one method, called the blockout-, or glue-cutout-, stencil method, those parts of the screen that are to be stopped are filled with water-soluble glue. Lines could be reserved in these parts by drawing with lithographic tusche (a greasy ink) or crayon, which could later be washed out of the glue with turpentine. Water-based inks are now more common. Another method, called the film-stencil method, employs stencils cut from a thin sheet of coloured lacquer laminated to a sheet of glassine paper. The design is cut only through the lacquer layer, and the finished stencil is fixed to the underside of the screen. The glassine paper is then removed from the stencil, and the design is printed. Photographic transfers both in line and halftone can also be fixed to the screen with a light-sensitive emulsion, which is exposed to light through a drawing or a film positive. This method is primarily a reproductive technique, because no original designing is actually done on the screen. American painters including Robert Rauschenberg, Andy Warhol, and Larry Rivers, however, have used photographic screens in their works.

      Screenprinting is done with a liquid ink that is forced through the open screen by the sharp rubber blade of a squeegee. Since most of the inks used for this purpose are opaque, the reproduction of gouache (opaque watercolours) is almost perfect. Transparent colours can also be used, as can water-based colours through screens stopped with plastic or polymer.

      Screenprinting began to be used for noncommercial purposes in 1938, when a group of American artists working with the Federal Art Project experimented with the technique and subsequently formed the National Serigraph Society to promote its use. Serigraphy, more commonly known in the 21st century as screenprinting, was developed by a number of painters—in France by Victor Vasarely (Vasarely, Victor), in Great Britain by Eduardo Paolozzi and Bridget Riley (Riley, Bridget), and in the United States by Andy Warhol (Warhol, Andy) and Roy Lichtenstein (Lichtenstein, Roy).

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Stenciling — Stencil Sten cil, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Stenciled}or {Stencilled}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Stenciling} or {Stencilling}.] To mark, paint, or color in figures with stencils; to form or print by means of a stencil. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • stenciling — sten·cil || stensl n. thin sheet of some material from which figures or letters have been cut out so that paint or ink may be passed through the perforations onto a surface; designs created with a stencil v. create a design on a surface by means …   English contemporary dictionary

  • stenciling — noun or stencilling ( s) Etymology: from gerund of stencil (II) : the art or practice of one that stencils …   Useful english dictionary

  • Stencil — A stencil is a template used to draw or paint identical letters, symbols, shapes, or patterns every time it is used. Stencil technique in visual art is also referred to as pochoir. Stencils are formed by removing sections from template material… …   Wikipedia

  • Old South Church — This article is about the church on Boylston Street. For the Puritan meeting house in Downtown Crossing, see Old South Meeting House. Old South Church in Boston U.S. National Register of Historic Places …   Wikipedia

  • Olana State Historic Site — Frederic E. Church House (Olana) U.S. National Register of Historic Places U.S. National Historic Landmark …   Wikipedia

  • Textile printing — is the process of applying colour to fabric in definite patterns or designs. In properly printed fabrics the colour is bonded with the fiber, so as to resist washing and friction. Textile printing is related to dyeing but, whereas in dyeing… …   Wikipedia

  • Graffiti — For other uses, see Graffiti (disambiguation). For historical graffiti, see Graffito (disambiguation). Juan de Oñate s …   Wikipedia

  • Harry A. "Paddy" Flint — Colonel Harry Albert Paddy Flint (1888 July 24, 1944) was an officer of the United States Army during World War II. The following text is adapted from Arlington National Cemetery (see external links) The Old Man At 56, cavalry trained Colonel… …   Wikipedia

  • printmaking — /print may king/, n. the art or technique of making prints, esp. as practiced in engraving, etching, drypoint, woodcut or serigraphy. [1925 30; PRINT + MAKING] * * * Art form consisting of the production of images, usually on paper but… …   Universalium

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”