Fall Fun: Traced Leaves- Making a Stencil

A bit of autumn fun that focuses on how to make and use a stencil.

Materials

• Leaves
• Cardstock
• Scissors
• Paint
• Sponge or brush
• Masking tape
• Shallow tray
• Pencil/ Eraser
• “Wood” contact paper
• Smock

Directions

• Go on a nature walk and find fall leaves.

• Trace one of your leaves on a piece of cardstock or use them as inspiration for drawing your own.

• Carefully cut your leaves out, leaving the outside “wall” in tact.  We gently folded the cardstock in half and made a snip so it was easier to cut out the centre, when unfolded.  Another tip is to make a small snip near the stem from the outside to cut out the middle. (You could apply a piece of clear tape to it after to put it back together.)  This forms your stencil for later.

• Cut out strips of your “wood” contact paper to make a branch.  Peel off the backs and apply them to a piece of cardstock, layering them to make a branch.  You may need a bit of adult help with the sticky nature of contact paper.

• If there are pieces that extend past the edge, flip your work over and then trim the excess with your scissors.

• Don your smock.

•  Put a few tape donuts (a little roll with the sticky side facing out) on the back of your stencil and secure it to a spot where you would like your painted leaf.  You could also have an adult hold it in place (as was requested by the “director” in our shots!)

• Put a little bit of paint onto your tray.  Using a dry brush, get a little bit of paint and coat your brush evenly by dabbing it up and down on a clean spot on the tray.  We used a paint sponge.

• Dab your paint on the stencil, being careful to go directly up and down to avoid it seeping under the stencil.  Try not to go over the outside edges of your stencil as well.

• Allow it to dry completely and remove the stencil carefully.

• Repeat, using different colours and leaf stencils.

Purpose

• To learn how to make a basic stencil to replicate an image.

Safety Notes

• Use scissors with care and supervision.