Tuesday, March 1, 2011

X-acto Knife

The x-acto knife is a must have for stencil artists. This little tool will help make the stencil. This is the tool that will cut out the drawing and let it take stencil form.

The x-acto knife comes in a variety of blades and knives. Each knife is designed for a distinct purpose. The standard or classic knife is the best to start out with and more than likely you won't use any of the other knives unless you want to get super fancy.

When using the x-acto knife use extreme caution because they are very sharp. The classic knife is used for precise cuts and this is perfect for the stencil artist.

After you have finished drawing or tracing the picture you are wanting to create as a stencil then it is time to get your cutting board and x-acto knife.

Place the paper, poster board of what have you on top of the cutting board. Then take the x-acto knife in your dominant hand. Place the knife at a 45 degree angle on the paper. The tip of the knife to the middle of the knife should be on the drawing.

When you are ready to cut then cut. Just follow the lines. If you are guiding the knife with you index finger then be sure not to press to hard or you will eventually split the skin on your finger and will be unable to stencil until it heals.

Next time I will teach you a cutting technique called chunking.

No comments:

Post a Comment