Can't get it right

[essentialcycle]

:angry-smiley-030: Okay, now I'm getting upset. I guess I just don't know what I'm doing, but I know what I want to accomplish. Every time I use a stencil I get a hard edge. Vey noticeable. I want to get a better looking edge that looks more natural. I attempted the woodgrain how to from this website. The woodgrain looks awesome. That turned out perfect. Adry brush and a very liitle paint, looks like cedar! Can alomost smell it lookin at it! LOL! But then I taped out the flames and went at it with the ab. I pulled back all the masking and it looks like crap! The edges are too noticeable. How do I use a stencil to get the look I'g goin for? If you look at the woodgrain how to on the skateboard, you'll know what I mean. I've got the same result on other stuff Ive also done. It gets me upset. I need help!!!! If anyone has a visual how to on this it would help greatly!

[colourshift]

Using a paint mask always gives you a step, I'm afraid (varying in thickness to how much paint you layed on). Loose masks diminish this somewhat... but leaves you with a softer look.
Others will probably have a nifty solution....but I've used the end of a very fine nail buffer/file (something that feels like 600 or so grit, women use em on acrylic nails) to knock down the step without attacking the rest of the painted area. If you've ever seen John Harris' real flames DVD, he uses 2000 grit to knock down some steps...very very carefully.

[Cowboy]

Not sure what Yer tryin ta do. But I,ve never used a stencil that I know of. For hard edges Ive allways used fineline tape and spray away from the tape for a softer edge & low paint buildup on the edge .Sorry , Probably not much help. Good Luck.

[purplemyth]

don't spray at the edge, paint build up will create a hard edge. Fog it instead.

I've looked at that how to, later want to apply those flames to my truck.
I'll have to pull it up again, but I think the edges are feathered a lil with a different color to create depth.

I just pulled it up again. redhouse has shading on his edges .

with taping though it's hard not to have a crisp edge.
Can you post a pic of what you have so far? might help someone else in guiding you to fix it~

[josie]

hi essential it used to happen to me often..didnt know how to get that softer edge until Luc showed me to just lift my shield a litlle to get that softer edge...i tried inserting pic here but didnt work....if its hard for u to understand what im saying i can email you a pic

[essentialcycle]

I would like that, Josie. I have some stencils that I made and want to sue them on some other stuff other than paper. But my results are crap. I understand what you mean, but I guess the correct term for this not to happen is to "fog" the paint in. I am guessin that that means not to hit the edges hard, but get the general shape of what I'm stenciling. Then go in and do the edge work by shading. Finish up th edetail and there I go. Does this sound right? I really need to get a video or somethin. My budget wont allow right now, so I am relying on help from here.

[essentialcycle]

Her is a pic I did about a month ago. It' son paper. The tiki guy has ral hard edges. The skulls did to until I tried making the outside edges with my ab. The paint is reall hazy, another problem. But here is a sample of my isue.

[airarts]

Josie was taught the way I was taught! Just lift the shield or edge up a 1/4 inch or so. You can also make the edge "organic" by having the edges of your shield be freely ripped and lifting it at the same time. You can rip the edge to the shape you want. Hope that helps some.

[blinddog 99]

essentialcycle, what I have done in the past is to blow a light light coat out toward the edges of the stencil, just enough to discern where the shape is, as little color as possible. Then pull up the stencil or mask and freehand over the edges low pressure and quite close, it will soften the edge as you build color. I use this often, to define the shape, then finish it freehand, tracing along the edges by hand.

It takes a steady hand but with practice, works like a charm.....hope that helps!

[Ladypainter]

All of the above.

One thing all us "new painters" do is have a tendancy to use WAY more paint than we need to....

When spraying in a taped, masked, or stenciled area.... we often want to spray till it looks 100% covered, then add a little more for good measure.

In a typcial bike or automotive paint:

This area will have easily had spayed within it's boudries: base color, primary color, protective intercoat of some sort.

This is a typical 3 layers of paint that have each been "just in cased".

Try spraying just a hair too little. When the tape is removed, you'll have less edge and the coverage will be surprisingly ok.

And, I'll quite often remove the tape/stencil/mask and spray down the entire surrounding layer with an intercoat - to protect nearby base and new art. The paint edge is then sanded down, with the inevitable retouch required to get rid of the new white ridge I just made.... it's all push-n-pull.

[sharonsstudio]

I Don't know if it's me but in you pic your paint around your skulls looks like it's spotty. If that is the case in ? I think your paint is to thick.. I don't know if I helped you at all..