Tencilling is painting patterns or pictures over open spaces cut in thin sheet metal, cardboard, or wood. The latter are seldom used; but fret-sawed boards, when the patterns have been sawed out, can, by bevelling or sloping down the edges, be very often used for stencils. That is to say, if we take a sheet of anything, cut a leaf out from it (Fig. 29), and then lay it on another sheet of paper on the wall, etc., and brush it over with colour, when the stencil is removed we find the leaf painted in one uniform flat or dead colour. When this is dried we can, with another stencil, add the shade.

Fig. 123. Stencil Plate and Pattern.

Stencilling can of course be executed with different stencils in as many colours. When retouched by hand with a brush very good pictures may be thus executed, especially for wall and ceiling decoration. This is carried to a great extent in Italy. I am writing this in a room in a palazzo in Florence, which once belonged to Mme. Ristori, which is profusely decorated with stencilled-retouched subjects which have all the appearance of well-executed paintings.

Nail, Scale, and Stencil Work.

Stencil cutting in sheet metal for small or fine work applicable to paper or boxes of white wood is executed by fret-sawing, or by cutting with a tool like a graver. In cardboard only a penknife is needed.

It is necessary when cutting out a stencil to leave uncut many spaces or places which do not belong to the pattern, and which are necessary to hold the stencil-plate together. Fig. 124. These are generally painted out after the colouring. If these necks or ties were not left, the pattern would buckle up or bend, so that the stencil could not be used. Sometimes, for bold mural or wall work, they are left untouched. They correspond in effect exactly to the clamps used in bent or strip metal work. Stencilling is well adapted to lettering or inscriptions. It is a long and tedious process to draw and fill in a motto, say in Gothic or black letter; but if we have an alphabet ready cut we can very rapidly mark out a motto, letter by letter, with the stencils.

Fig. 124.

There are in every city men who cut stencils, generally for lettering on boxes, who will supply the sheet metal and tools, and give instruction as to their use.

Any person who can trace or draw a pattern can fret-saw or cut it out from sheet metal, and painting over it is a merely mechanical process which only demands care. In this way any blank wall can be easily ornamented. Let the pupil begin by stencilling on sheets of paper - the back of any wall-paper is best for this purpose - and after a few trials he will be able to make ornaments or an inscription for the frieze or cornice of a room.

Those who cannot draw may make stencils by taking figures of animals, such as are sold in sheets for children, or other easy designs, pasting them on thin wood or metal, and sawing them out.