How to Stencil a T Shirt

170,351 views
23 Editors
Edited 20 weeks ago
Ordering custom t-shirts can be an expensive option and usually requires a large
order and advance notice. With these instructions, you can make your own for next-
to-nothing and have the t-shirts looking exactly the way you want.
Steps
1.
1
Print out the design you desire to stencil in black and white only (not grayscale).
2.
2
Staple the piece of paper with the design to the back of a piece of contact paper
(clear book covering), so that the design is visible through the contact
paper. Make sure the contact paper side is up (as opposed to the peel-of backing).
3.
3
Cut out the black areas of the design on the contact paper with an exacto knife, in
the same way you would if you were tracing something.
4.
4
Peel the backing of of the contact paper, and stick the stencil frmly to the
surface to be painted.
5.
5
Place something between the front and back of the shirt, so that no paint bleeds
through to the other side.
6.
6
With a sponge brush, cover the cut-out areas with fabric paint using an up-and-
down motion. For better results, do not use dimensional fabric paint.
7.
7
Wait until the paint dries, and then peel the stencil of.
THE GUIDE TO T-SHIRT PRINTING WITH STENCILS
Home Tutorials The Guide to T-Shirt Printing with Stencils
Share86 Tweet4 70 Tumblr0 4
Printing T-shirts
This tutorial deals with printing up low cost t-shirts with your existing stencils using paint.
There are many ways to print stencils up on shirts, silk screens etc, but this is the cheapest
and easiest and only way that we hae explored so !ar.
The Stencil
Pretty much any type o! stencil material will do !or the printing. "e hae !ound acetate to
work the best, as it adheres to the !abric and preents bleeding. Howeer we hae also
printed shirts using laminated stencils or #ust ordinary stationary paper !or the budget
conscious $%&T'( paper bows due to the moisture in the paint, there!ore paint !ast).
The Shirt
*t+s harder then you think to !ind a decent ,uality blank shirt at a low cost !or printing stencils
on, but we+e !ound that the thicker the shirt, the better. -ust make sure that you wash the
shirt !irst to allow !or shrinkage.
The Stain
*t+s up to you what you use !or the actual printing. There are a !ew products on the market
!or adhering paint to !abric. personally we use a textile medium which can be mixed ./0./
with normal acrylic paint, ask your !riendly assistant at your local cra!t or hobby store about
them. The medium helps to stain the !abric with whateer color acrylic paint that you mix in.
"e+e !ound that approximately .ml o! paint and .ml o! textile medium should roughly coer
a 12 si3ed stencil when applied liberally.
4ead more at http(00www.stencilreolution.com0tutorials0t-shirt-printing-with-
stencils05y6#Gxok7&bd#3wt.88
How To Stencil T-Shirts In Mintes!!

Now "o can Create T-Shirts with
"or own Csto# Designs or
$rtwor% in Mintes& 'st (ollow the
instrctions on the Home Page to
create "or Csto# Stencil& Then
(ollow the ste)s *elow& $lso +o
can )rint in se,eral Colors *" sing
non-stic% ta)e to co,er )arts o( the
stencil so that onl" the correct color
co#es thr&
-& Place Car.*oar. *ehin. the /a*ric&
Use a )iece o( car.*oar.0 ct to the
si1e "o nee.0 an. )lace it insi.e the T-
Shirt n.er the area where "o will *e
)rinting the artwor%& S#ooth the shirt
.own o,er the car.*oar. so no
wrin%les will *e in the wa"&
2& Secre the Stencil to *e Printe.&
Place "or stencil where "o wol. li%e
the in%e. i#age to a))ear& It shol. *e
.irectl" O3ER the car.*oar. which "o
ha,e )lace. insi.e the shirt& 4NOTE5
Here we show the stencil on a )lastic
(ra#e& +o #a" want to se a (ra#e
an. the" are shown *elow& We ha,e
(on. that Oa% /ra#es are the 6est&
7& In% +or S8eegee&
P9:;; b:;;<t Paint on "or S8eegee
or on the le(t han. e.ge o( the stencil&
6e sre "o se enogh )aint so that
the co)" will *e co,ere. easil"&
9& S8eegee The Paint Onto The Shirt In One Motion&
Hol. the stencil .own (ir#l" with one
han.& Pll the in%e. s8eegee across
the stencil with "or other han. in one
s#ooth #otion sing a light to #e.i#
han. )ressre& Practice once or twice
on scra)s to get the :Right: (eel to "or
s8eegee #otion&
;& Gentl" Li(t U) +or Stencil
Gentl" li(t ) "or stencil *" hol.ing
one corner o( the stencil or (ra#e so as
not to s#ear "or in%&
<& En=o" +or T-Shirt!
Here is "or co#)lete. shirt& +o can
#a%e the )aint or in% )er#anent *"
letting it .r" an. then )lace a scra)
)iece o( cloth o,er the gra)hics an.
iron with a reglar hosehol. iron on
#e.i# (or a*ot ; #intes&
SUPPLIES
The design you want to create
Some kind o! transparent plastic sheet
7utting board
=-1cto blade or similar cra!t kni!e
>asking tape
1 t-shirt
7ardboard
%ewspaper
Spray glue
6abric spray paint $you could #ust use regular spray
paint
1n iron
1 towel