Recently, I’ve been digging back through the countless stencils I’ve drawn and hand-cut over the last 10+ years. From portraits to birds to all kinds of pop art imagery, I realized many of these stencils were only ever painted once, usually for a live event or a custom piece. It hit me that I was missing an opportunity to share more of the process and let people see how my work comes together.
So, I started repainting them.
Each week I’ve been recreating these stencil pieces and posting the time-lapse videos to my YouTube and social media channels. It’s been a fun way to revisit older ideas while also showing how the layering works, something that’s hard to fully appreciate when you only see the finished piece.
Most of the surfaces I paint on are the same boxes my spray paint arrives in, Montana 94 boxes, but I’m not limited to those. I’m always on the lookout for interesting surfaces. Sometimes it’s the color palette of the cardboard, sometimes the typography printed on it, and sometimes it’s simply the shape. I especially love irregular edges, flaps, and tabs that naturally come with reclaimed boxes.
The stencil layers themselves can vary quite a bit. Some pieces are built with as few as five layers, while others can reach twenty or more. My earlier works tended to be simpler, but over time the process has evolved. I wouldn’t necessarily say more complicated, just more interesting to me.
Along with sharing these short videos, I’ve also been building up my online shop, where many of these works are now available. If something catches your eye, go treat yourself to something nice.
I also couldn’t have done this without the design and life coaching help from Alramzi Creations and Ali. If you ever need help with design, websites, or coding, definitely check him out. Plus, he’s just a cool guy.
As for this current time-lapse project, I’ve been releasing about three videos a week featuring stencils from across the years. At this pace, I’m pretty sure I could keep this going for a few years without running out of material (That’s not a joke. I have a lot!)
If you’re into spray paint, stencils, or printmaking processes, follow along on my YouTube channel or social media. And let me know what you think.