Crafting Lifestyle


Today's Crafting is more for the Soul than for survival!



dragon stenciled jeans







A Jeans Upcycle Story



Don’t throw away those old jeans. Decorate them with this cool dragon stencil.





I know you’ve thought of painting stencils on walls and furniture, but have you considered painting your clothes? Well, think about this. You have an old pair of jeans that you like but you don’t seem to wear them anymore because you’re just tired of them. Before you chuck ‘em out in the trash…why not paint an image on them? It could be this dragon stencil or it could be anything that appeals to you. Make a statement with it!


Besides, don’t we buy clothing with labels, stitching/embroidery and other decorations? Why not put an image that reflects your personality on a pair of old jeans? You have the talent and as I often say with stencils - it’s easy.


This project idea is all about turning your stenciling interests in a whole new direction – decorating your clothes. Who knows your interests better than you? We all have images and icons that we identify with. It may be a certain bird, a fairy, an angel…this list of possibilities is long. And the large variety of stencils available to you is sure to include one that you will find perfect for your tastes.



Layers of Color



The best part is that while having fun re-designing your clothes you are creating unique items that only you will be wearing. We all want to stand apart from the crowd and the best way to achieve this is to put your own creativity to the task.





This project uses a three layer stencil so before any paint goes on you need to prepare the surface so that each layer can be lined up exactly where the last one was so the colors all magically create the image when finished! OK! It's not magic and I can be a little theatrical!


Notice the small triangles in the corners of each picture of the layers being painted? Those are registration marks and you need to mark those on your work surface with a pencil or something that can be erased or washed off. If you're worried about that, just put a small piece of masking tape under each registration mark and pencil it in on that. This way you can just remove the tape when finished.


The first step for painting the dragon stencil is to get your first layer stencil in place and tape down (above). As you can see I used two colors to add a little more interest (a bright yellow-green along the top and a fluorescent orange along his belly).





Red for a Fire Breathing Dragon



Then, when the first layer paint dries, line up the second stencil (with the registration marks), tape down and paint with another color (here I used a bright red).





Final Touches to the Dragon



Follow up with the third stencil and color (it's hard to see here but I used black for the eyes and nose of this layer). I finished the whole project with a Chinese dragon symbol on the back pocket (check out the picture below and the inset above).





Dragon in Living Color



Here is a close up of the painted dragon stencil on the leg of the jeans. Notice that I used a little gold with glitter paint on top of the red to add a little more pizzazz!


For more about re-decorating your clothes, go to How To Garment Stenciling. You’ll find the instructions complete with pictures and more details for stenciling on fabrics and a video for stenciling an eagle on jeans.





If you want more information on the basic techniques of stenciling, visit How To Stencil. There you’ll find out more about the stippling technique and ways to keep paint from smearing under the stencil. You’ll also find information on using multi layer stencils.





So Many Ways to Use a Dragon Stencil



If you like this dragon stencil but not too wild about putting him on jeans, then maybe you can create some stencil art prints like this matching set of Oriental stencils.





The koi stencils are in the same book. You'll also find a collection of Chinese stencils and symbols. There is no limit to the things you can do with stencils.


I hope you liked the Dragon Stencil Jeans Re-design Project. If you did, check out the book of Oriental Stencil Designs (you’ll find this and some other unique stencil E-books).



A Dragon that is a Little More Friendly



Maybe the dragon stencil you are looking for is a little more tame. Here is one from the Princess Stencils that may just play into your next scene perfectly!


(You can find the Dragon below along with all of the Princess Stencils in an E-Book - or in print if you prefer - in the Printable Stencils Store.)





I hope you are inspired to add a little fire breathing friend to your world. And while you're here, take a tour and find out what else you might stumble upon.

Happy Stenciling,

Penny





Stenciled Chinese Dragon Symbol



Oh wait! Here's the picture of the dragon symbol being stenciled on the back pocket. It's adds a final touch!







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