Double Layer Mao Zedong Stencil

Rather than shoot for a 3 layer stencil right off the bat I decided to go for the 2 layer first. Plus I have not managed to find any supplies yet so I am still using the standard office box cutter and sticky label paper. The main picture for this stencil is this Chairman Mao portrait. Faces are the easiest to work with so I might as well stick to this.

I fidgeted with the image to make a stencil, and then added on some details for the second layer, which is the rising sun effect in the background. I was not really thrilled with the quality of the Mao stencil but I was more eager to try out the double layer graffiti. So as this is a double layer stencil, I printed out 2 copies of the image.

And then the tedious task of cutting once again. On the first image which would be the bottom layer, I cut out the stencil of Mao. On the second image I cut out the rays of the rising sun and left the Mao intact. This is still a simple version of a double layer stencil; because the elements are not overlapping. But none the less, the placement would have to be good so the final image looks accurate.

I ran a test on newspaper sheets but you can only get the real result by spraying on the wall. I was not too happy with the color red because it looked a bit too orange. But it dries into a decent shade of red. But at least running the newspaper test I worked out the issue of placement, and I realized I would need a lot of buffer around the stencils to keep the spray off the walls. I also made a third stencil saying ‘ID’ which I figure I can use for fun.

So now one of the walls in my apartment has become the testing zone for my stencils. It was either this or defacing the stairwell in my apartment building, which I did not feel too good about. And if I am going to put anything out on the street I want to make sure it looks half decent at least. The base layer goes up first, Mr. Mao.

I let the coat dry for a while, which was really hard for me. I have no patience when it comes to this type of stuff, and I was really eager to see how the double layer would turn out. So after lining the edges of the stencil with old DVD covers I had lying around, I placed it carefully over the Mao.

Then Spray… The red paint was wetter than the black. I mean it dripped more. I also need to practice spraying to get a nice even distribution of color without creating big drips or clots.

Like I said, the red looked a bit orange right after it went on. But by this morning it actually looked a lot redder. The rising sun did not come out exactly the way I thought they would but I am still pretty stoked with the results of this stencil. I think it would look a lot cooler painted on a dumpster though. Its very rough around the edges.

Finally I decided to add on the ID tag. It was not really necessary but I wanted to keep going and that was the only other stencil I had.

There you have it, a double layer Mao Zhedong stencil. Not my best work but this is progress. I got a couple of other wikid images fixed up already and now I just need the appropriate tools to start making some quality stencils.