Art is seen in many forms, some of these forms of art are paintings, songs, playing instruments and photography. These art forms convey the messages of the artists that painted them, composed them or shot them. An art form is a powerful tool to convey messages to the masses. A very popular form of art is stenciling which you can use to get really creative.
Stenciling dates back to Prehistoric Era, where stencil patterns were used in caves. Greeks and Romans used stenciling for their paintings, signboards and other uses. The Chinese and Japanese also used stenciling with some beautiful art produced.
The Japanese used Katagami stencils to prototype textiles using a method called Katazome. Katazome is a reverse dye stenciling that includes the use of rice paste, and silk. Katazome is done by applying rice fix through a pattern onto the silk. Rice paste is applied on the stencil until it is copied on to the clothing. After the pattern has been copied, the clothing is dyed with a coloring of indigo, the paste is then removed to expose the pattern.
Japanese used slim sheets of mulberry bark that were treated in persimmon juice. These sheets were then piled together and cut by a blade. This method was used to enable the artist to cut several stencils at a time so that the same pattern remained on all the stencils.
With the invention of paper the Chinese started to immerse themselves in stenciling. Chinese began cutting paper for stencil designs. These stencil designs were used in designing plates and textiles.
Although the Japanese and Chinese succeeded with their stenciling, there were difficulties that they encountered. One of these difficulties was some isolated parts of the design. An example of this difficulty was the dropping out part of the outer letter O. The Japanese solved this problem by pasting or gluing loose pieces on the stencil. Later, the Japanese used silk strand as a bridge.
This bridge possessed the quality of strength and invisibility that enabled the artist to pattern the designs onto clothing without any trace of the bridge. The use of such a bridge became the start of silk screening. Today, silk screening is frequently used for imprinting designs onto shirts and other types of clothing.
The Japanese and the Chinese have contributed a lot in the development of stenciling. The Chinese invented paper and it was through this invention that stenciling achieved greater heights. The Japanese solved the problem of the loose papers and fueled the start of silk screening.
The paper and silk screening were a great help in the development of stenciling. It was through these medium that stenciling achieved greater heights and catered to more audiences. Up to this day, papers are still sometimes used for stenciling especially when it comes to children’s art assignments and activities. The Silk screen has boomed as an industry. Many people have grown rich because of this.
Many factors have contributed to the development of stenciling today. The inventions by the Chinese and Japanese are just two examples to the advancement of stenciling. Their contributions are still very much alive today and are widely used around the world.
