All About Stenciling

I am moving into a townhouse in a couple of weeks and the landlords there said I could paint whatever I like. I really wanna do accent paints, such as the stencils that you PAINT on, not the stick on kind or just cool ideas for painting things on the walls. I would really love some good websites and pictures also please. Thanks!!

Getting involved in stencilling could be intense or easy, depending on your artistic talent/stamina and budget. If you are new to stencilling, I'd start out small, like in a bathroom until you get the "hang of it". You could pick up some pretty nice stencils in an art supply store, like Michaels or AC Moore. The more expensive the stencil, the more professional the results. Going on line will make you crazy, because there are SO many things to choose from. You don't have to do a chair rail or the typical wallpaper border first time around. If you are artistically brave, start with a simple leaf or vine and freestyle around a window, doorway or over your bed. Add a flower or bud, and you won't believe the results. Dabbling two or more colors onto one pattern (leaf,flower) also looks more professional. Dry brush is key. Also work with a damp sponge. If you mess up or dribble, you can wipe it off real fast. I recommend the blue painters tape to tape down the stencil. It isn't as sticky as regular masking tape so it wont ruin the paint on the existing wall. Good luck and have fun :)

check this site out

I seen on tv-- they were stencilling cherubs along the ceiling line & it looked pretty neat. first they used the cherub stencil with a dark gray paint & let that dry. they put the stencil back up on the dark gray cherub, but moved it to the right 1/2 an inch then put a layer of either plaster or dry wall mud on the cherub stencil. when they took it off, it was like a faux 3-D effect . the dark gray was like the shadow

http://mariesmanorbedrooms.com/projection-stenciling.html

I think stencils are a very cool idea. Heaps of different designs here: http://www.designerstencils.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=HomeDecor Also, HGTV has so many suggestions for faux finishes: http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/dc_faux_finishing/0,1792,HGTV_3398,00.html I *love* this trompe l'oeil: http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/dc_faux_trompe_loeil/article/0,1793,HGTV_3404_2388781,00.html