So you've got your outline printed and your ready to cut? Cool. Tape your printout to a sheet of acetate. You want to be able to see your outline through the acetate.
Using the #2 Xacto, start slowly cutting out your stencil tracing the lines of your outline. Be careful here not to let the paper slide around under the acetate. For the more intricate parts, use the #4 and push it straight down instead of using a slicing motion. You should start by cutting the smallest pieces first and save the largest areas for last, or do the larger areas in smaller segments. Having big holes will make it easier to tear the stencil. If you tear your acetate while cutting, you might be able to save it using some tape. Depending on how complex your stencil is, this could take some time. It's up to you how exact you want to be with following your outline. You may want to smooth some parts of it out while you're cutting. This is the longest part of the process and if you mess up bad, you have to start all over, so take it slow.
Now hopefully your acetate is thicker than mine and isn't .003 or .005 thick. If it is, you're going to be cutting your stencil out twice. Thin acetate like .003 tears easily. It's easier to cut, easier to accidentally tear, and when paint dries on it the stencil curls up and it can't be used again. I'll be using cardboard from file folders to make my stencil re-usable. Lay your stencil on the cardboard and using a pencil, trace everywhere you've cut. When you're done you should have an outline of your stencil again. Put the acetate stencil away somewhere. You'll want to save this as a template. Make sure not to tear it.
Cardboard cuts a little differently than the acetate does. Be careful not to rip it here either, especially if you have narrow bridges. This is going to be the stencil you paint with.
Using the #2 Xacto, start slowly cutting out your stencil tracing the lines of your outline. Be careful here not to let the paper slide around under the acetate. For the more intricate parts, use the #4 and push it straight down instead of using a slicing motion. You should start by cutting the smallest pieces first and save the largest areas for last, or do the larger areas in smaller segments. Having big holes will make it easier to tear the stencil. If you tear your acetate while cutting, you might be able to save it using some tape. Depending on how complex your stencil is, this could take some time. It's up to you how exact you want to be with following your outline. You may want to smooth some parts of it out while you're cutting. This is the longest part of the process and if you mess up bad, you have to start all over, so take it slow.
Now hopefully your acetate is thicker than mine and isn't .003 or .005 thick. If it is, you're going to be cutting your stencil out twice. Thin acetate like .003 tears easily. It's easier to cut, easier to accidentally tear, and when paint dries on it the stencil curls up and it can't be used again. I'll be using cardboard from file folders to make my stencil re-usable. Lay your stencil on the cardboard and using a pencil, trace everywhere you've cut. When you're done you should have an outline of your stencil again. Put the acetate stencil away somewhere. You'll want to save this as a template. Make sure not to tear it.
Cardboard cuts a little differently than the acetate does. Be careful not to rip it here either, especially if you have narrow bridges. This is going to be the stencil you paint with.
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