Photo to stencil
How to Convert a Photo to Line Art (Clean, Printable Lines)
Photo to line art explained: what a good source photo looks like, AI vs hand and vector tracing, line weight control, and exporting transparent PNG line art.
· 7 min read
Stencil guides
Tested, practical guides on making and using stencils: tattoo transfer, photo-to-line-art conversion, materials, bridges and islands, and craft projects. Written by the developer of Stencil AI from real output and real transfer paper, with no filler.
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Tattoo stencils
Tattoo Stencil Line Thickness: Getting Line Weight Right
What tattoo stencil line thickness means, why thick lines hide detail and thin lines vanish on skin, and how to adjust line weight before you print.
· 8 min read
Crafts and DIY
Pumpkin Carving Stencil from a Photo: Faces, Pets and Logos
Turn a photo of a face, pet or logo into a pumpkin carving stencil: picking a picture that carves, line art, bridges, sizing, transfer and carving order.
· 9 min read
Stencil basics
Single-Layer vs Multi-Layer Stencils: Which Do You Need?
Single-layer stencils cut one colour in one pass; multi-layer stencils build shading with registered layers. Learn when each wins and how to split a design.
· 9 min read
Crafts and DIY
Spray Paint Stencils: A Beginner's Guide from Cut to Coat
How to make and use a spray paint stencil: cardstock vs mylar, clean cutting, bridges, spray distance and light passes, surfaces, colour layering and reuse.
· 8 min read
Tools and apps
Stencil AI App Guide: Every Editor Tool Explained
The complete Stencil AI app manual: photo conversion, the comparison slider, every Adjust, Transform, Ink and Touch Up control, saving, printing and privacy.
· 11 min read
Tattoo stencils
Tattoo Stencil Paper: Thermal vs Hectograph vs Freehand
Tattoo stencil paper explained: how thermal and hectograph sheets work, what each costs in money and time, and when a freehand skin marker beats paper.
· 8 min read
Tattoo stencils
Tattoo Stencil Size Guide: How to Size for Any Placement
How to pick the right tattoo stencil size for wrist, forearm, calf, chest and back placements: measure the body, print to scale and test-fit before transfer.
· 8 min read
Crafts and DIY
Wall Stencil Painting: How to Stop Paint Bleeding Under the Edge
Why paint bleeds under a wall stencil and how to stop it: offloaded brush or roller, low-tack adhesive, base-colour seal coat, registration marks and fixes.
· 8 min read
Stencil basics
What Is a Stencil? Definition, Types and How They Work
What is a stencil? A plain definition, how a stencil differs from a template or a transfer, the main types, and what makes one cut and print cleanly.
· 9 min read
Tattoo stencils
Why Are Tattoo Stencils Mirrored? (And When Not to Mirror)
Why you mirror a tattoo stencil, which transfer methods flip the image for you, and how to check the carbon side so lettering never ends up backwards on skin.
· 8 min read
Crafts and DIY
Wood Burning Stencils: How to Transfer Line Art for Pyrography
How to make a wood burning stencil and transfer it: graphite paper tracing, the pencil-rub method, toner heat transfer, wood choice, line weight and sealing.
· 9 min read