Damburger

Stencilling has actually been around for 25 years, even though many people think Banksy devised it. You can use cardboard, paper or other types of surfaces (such as plastics) to create templated imagery and text. You merely cut out the shapes from your paper/cardboard/other surface, put said surface onto a wall (example), then spray or roll-on paint.

The underlying rule of stencilling is making outlines via cutting shapes, and spraying paint within these cutout shapes - producing distinct images on the surface underneath. Sometimes multiple layers of stencils are applied on the same picture to add colours or give the image some depth.

So why do some people opt to be a stencil artist? For some, it is a great platform to shout out a political message. Many artists appreciate the publicity that their artwork can obtain. Some merely wish their art to be seen. Since the stencil stays unchanged during its use, it is far easier for a stencil artist to speedily duplicate what could be an intricated artwork at a very quick pace, when equated to other established tagging methods, so without doubt, there is also a strong self-promoting reason to prefer stencilling.

Banksy has applied stencilling as a way to make a political statement, often quite succinctly, leaving the witness to get the message themselves. This is often why people love his work so much, as they force the viewer to contemplate on the significance behind the artwork. Banksy artwork is being reprinted on posters, t-shirts and graffiti art on canvas, such is the popularity of the street artist.