Layered Stenciling for Cardmakers: A Complete Beginner’s Guide

Hello crafters, Lisa Tilson here, and today we’re diving into the world of layered stenciling. It’s a fun technique that has taken the cardmaking community by storm over the past seven or eight years, and it’s clear that layering stencils are here to stay.

Layering stencils is popular for many reasons, but they are especially helpful when you’re creating a project and time isn’t on your side. They let you achieve a beautifully coloured image without needing to pick up markers or paints – perfect if you’re short on time, prefer not to colour, or don’t feel confident with colouring techniques. They’re versatile and accessible to crafters at every stage of their cardmaking journey. And although they’re quicker than many other colouring methods, the finished results certainly don’t reflect that.

What are Layering Stencils?

Layering stencils come as a set. There can be any number of stencils, ranging from two to six and, very occasionally, more than six. They are designed to be used in numerical order, with the result being a colourful, high contrast image or background.

In the photograph above, layering stencils has been used after pressing an image using the BetterPress Letterpress System. The results are gorgeous. Not only do you get the letterpress look and feel, but you get a beautifully coloured image as well. In this instance, there were four stencils to complete the colouring.

Layering stencils can be used in conjunction with a stamped, foiled, embossed, or pressed image. In many cases, they can also be used as a standalone product. You can use them solely with inks or you can add some extra dimension, interest, and texture into the mix with an application of paste, wax, or any other mixed media that takes your fancy. Layering stencils allows precise colouring of specific areas without colour overlapping (for example, separating petals from stems or flower centres).

As far as layering stencil designs are concerned, you can find sets that create patterns, plaid, scenes, or other background designs. You can also get those that create a focal image – often floral – but not exclusively.

They are normally made using thin mylar plastic, which makes them super easy to clean, store, and use.

What Supplies Will You Need for Layered Stenciling?

Below are the items you will need or may choose for your layered stenciling projects:

• Stencils
• Cardstock
• Inks – for adding colour to your image.
• Pastes – to add texture, interest, and dimension.
• Sticky Mat – not essential but very helpful. A sticky mat will stop your cardstock and stencils from moving around.
• Blending Brushes – Different-sized blending brushes are helpful. Larger brushes will help you achieve better results when blending over a large area. Small brushes are invaluable for applying ink through the tiniest of areas.
• Other blending tools/sponges/daubers
• Best Ever Craft Tape – Use low-tack tape to secure your cardstock to your work surface and also to tape your stencil over your cardstock. You can also use low-tack tape in conjunction with a sticky mat. Some stencils are not much bigger than an A2 panel of card, and although a sticky mat will still hold the stencil in place, tape can give you that extra reassurance that the stencil won’t move.

How To Use Layering Stencils

In its simplest terms, you place a panel of cardstock onto your work surface or sticky mat. Tape it down if you need to. You place your first stencil on top, secure it in place if necessary, and then apply your colour using a blending brush (or another blending tool). You then work your way through the rest of the stencils, applying light to dark (or different coloured) inks as you go. This helps to build up the layers of colour, and this usually takes place over three or four stencils.

Layering stencils often includes registration marks in the four corners. These help you line up each layer, so your finished design stays perfectly aligned. A full example of simple layered stenciling is shown at the end of this post, but in the photos above, just two stencils and two ink colours have been used so far and you can already see how pretty that image is starting to look.

Cardstock

The type of cardstock you use when ink blending can make all the difference. In general, the smoother the cardstock, the better your results will be. If your cardstock is too “grainy” or porous, it can sometimes be harder to achieve smooth blending as the cardstock tends to absorb the ink. But cardstocks can vary – try what you have and see how you fare.

The following white cardstocks are very popular with cardmakers when using layering stencils:

• Hammermill White 100lb Smooth Premium Color Copy
• Neenah Solar White Classic Crest 80lb or 110lb.
• BetterPress Cardstock – ink blending onto BetterPress Cardstock with BetterPress Inks can achieve beautiful results, even though the cardstock is textured. Ranger Distress Inks and Oxide Inks also work well when using layering stencils with a pressed image on this cardstock.

You don’t have to restrict yourself to ink blending on white cardstock! Although white is popular as your colours will be true, ink blending onto coloured cardstock can give you an entirely different look – give it a try! In the photograph above, on the left, layering stencils has been used on white cardstock. On the right, you can see them applied on Fog ColorWheel Cardstock, layered over a pressed and embossed image.

Inks

Where do you start when selecting your inks for your layered stenciling project? There are many options that will work well.

Dye Inks – you are spoilt for choice here as there are many companies that have their own range of dye inks. Whether you are looking for colour families or individual colours, you have a lot of choices. Working with inks in colour families can be very helpful when you are starting out. All the guesswork is taken away from you as the colours are designed to work together. However, working with individual colours that are not specifically designed to go together can be a great way of experimenting, and you might find some beautiful, unexpected combinations.

BetterPress Inks – these work well for when you are stenciling onto BetterPress cardstock.

Distress Inks – made by Ranger/Tim Holtz, these water-based, fade-resistant dye inks are hugely popular and come in 72 colours. They are a staple in most cardmakers’ supplies.

Distress Oxide Inks – also made by Ranger/Tim Holtz, these inks are a different formulation to the dye inks. They are a water-reactive dye and pigment ink combination, and this unique formula can make it easier to achieve soft transitions between colours.

Pigment Inks can also work for layered stencilling. However, as these are slower to dry than dye inks, make sure to leave each colour to dry (or dry it with a heat tool) before moving onto your next step.

Pastes/Waxes/Mixed Media

So, aside from inks, what other products might you want to use with your layering stencils?

To add extra texture and dimension to your projects, you can use glitter pastes, texture pastes, modelling pastes or even waxes, to name but a few. These are often used with the final stencil in the set, as they need time to dry. But if you are patient, you can use them earlier in the process. Just make sure your panel is completely dry before moving on to your next stencil. Pastes and waxes come in many different shades and are a fantastic addition to any project.

In the photograph above, just two stencils have been used to create the shaker frame. Dark pink ink was added onto a lighter pink cardstock using the first stencil. Glitter paste was added through the second stencil and left to dry before the frame was cut to size. The Gold Wax wasn’t used specifically in this project, but it adds a gorgeous shimmery shine when added through a stencil and works great for smaller details.

Adding Further Details to Inked Areas

If you want to add even more detail and definition to your finished image, you can do that with pencils or other colouring mediums such as a white gel pen, a metallic marker, etc.

Cleaning Your Layering Stencils

So, how do you clean your stencils? If you’re using pastes, for example, either clean the stencil straight away so that the media doesn’t dry on it or pop it into a container of water and clean it later.

If you’ve been using inks, a quick wipe with a microfibre cloth is often all you need. You can also use a stamp cleaner such as Ultra Clean. It is important to note that some inks will stain your stencils, and even with thorough cleaning, this can’t always be avoided. The staining won’t affect how well the stencil works.

Tips & Tricks

Here are some tips to help you get the most from layered stenciling.

1. In general, the smoother the cardstock the better your results. Experiment with cardstocks you have in your supplies and find which works best for you. As mentioned above, some textured cardstock can work well depending on the inks you are using.
2. When applying your ink, start outside of the open areas and work towards them if you can. Placing your brush straight down into the open areas will often create brush marks which are very hard to smooth out.
3. Use a light hand to apply your ink. Remember that you can always add more ink to build up depth, but it is hard to fix brush marks.
4. Take your time. If you press too hard, or rush the process, you run the risk of ink seeping under your stencil or ending up in areas where you don’t want it.
5. Use brushes or applicators that are appropriate for the size of area you are blending. Larger areas will be much easier to blend when using larger brushes. The same applies to smaller areas.
6. Use masks to protect your ink from straying into areas where you don’t want it. This is especially important if you are using contrasting colours that will turn muddy when they overlap.
7. Before bringing your ink to your stencil, tap off any excess onto a scrap piece of paper. This helps prevent over saturation which may cause your ink to run under the stencil edge.
8. It can be helpful to keep separate brushes for different colour families. For example, if you use a brush which has green ink on it and you then use that same brush to apply red ink, you will end up with a muddy colour.
9. Clean your stencils as you go. This is particularly important if you need to use several different colours on one stencil. Cleaning in between colours prevents ink that is sitting on the stencil surface from being inadvertently moved into another colour area.
10. Ink can take time to dry. Your results may not look perfect to start but once the ink dries out, the blend is often smoother and softer.
11. As with most things, ink blending, even with layering stencils, takes practice! Give yourself time and grace whilst you are learning.

How To Create a Panel Using Layering Stencils

Below is a simple step-by-step guide on how to work with layering stencils. In this example, the set being used is the Tulips and Daffodils Press + Foil Plate and Stencil Bundle.

1. Foil the tulips and daffodils image onto white cardstock using black foil. Place the panel onto a sticky mat.

2. Secure Stencil 1 over the cardstock panel and, using a blending brush, apply orange ink through the openings. Clean and remove the stencil.

3. Line up Stencil 2.
4. Mask off the tulips using low tack tape and then apply yellow ink through the openings of the daffodils.
5. Clean that section of the stencil and remove the tape.
6. Replace the tape to protect the edges of the daffodils near the tulip heads and then apply pink ink through the tulip openings. Clean and remove the stencil.

7. Line up Stencil 3.
8. Mask off the daffodils and apply a darker pink through the openings for the tulip heads.
9. Remove the tape and mask off the tulips. Apply a darker yellow through the openings for the rest of the daffodils. Clean and remove the stencil.

10. Line up Stencil 4.
11. Apply a light green through the stencil for the first section of the stems and leaves. Clean and remove the stencil.

12. Line up Stencil 5.
13. Apply a darker green through the stencil for the rest of the stems and leaves. Clean and remove the stencil.

14. Your stenciling is now complete.

Summary

We hope you find this guide helpful when using layering stencils. They are a great product to have in your stash and one that you will return to time and time again. Just a few simple tips and tricks can really help you master using them and we hope that you will give them a go. As always, take your time to learn and experiment with different designs, inks, cardstocks and media. What works for one person, may not work for you. Most of all, enjoy the learning process! Thank you so much for spending time with us here on the blog today.