DIY: Moroccan Dream Stencil
The country of allure and mystery. When your mind wanders to Morocco, you may be seduced by images of lavish green courtyards decorated in mosaics and intricate geometric designs. Arched walkways in pastel colours, the smell of incense in a bustling souk and the sound of bartering in the background.
You can easily recreate some of this Morocoon splendour by creating an easy Moroccon inspired, geometric stencil that you can use in any room in your house.
Find Your Design
The first thing to do is to find a design that you love. This may be something you saw in a book or it could be something you found online. Either way, you will have to print, photocopy or scan the design from its main source. You may need to resize it. Choose a size that is not too small so it is still easy to work with.
Trace, Cut or Burn
Carbon paper is the best tracing material around. It makes the job go twice as fast. You want to trace your design either onto a piece of thick cardboard or on transparent paper. Transparent paper is plastic-like, and won’t get soggy from paint.
After tracing your design onto the cardboard or transparent paper you need to carefully cut out your design. You can either use a sharp utility knife or burning tool for this part. It is important to take care here. Both these objects can hurt you if it is used incorrectly.
Go Paint
Make sure you test your paint’s consistency to see how it applies to the surface and how fast it dries. Most stencil work requires a water-based paint that can be made thinner with water. You can apply the paint onto the stencil with a soft sponge. The sponge allows you to add paint layers more easily. It also helps that you do not apply too much paint at once. Avoid using too much paint as this will leak through your stencil onto the wall and smudge around the stencil edges.
Looking for more inspiration? Find what you are looking for here.
Cover image by Royal Design Studio Stencils