A bumblebee from above with its wings outIslands: 0. Cut the body as three bands and leave strips of card between: the strips become the stripes.
A coffee cup with one bridge across the handleIslands: 1, inside the handle. Add a curl of steam as an open S, which makes no island of its own.
A light bulb with its screw thread cut as three slotsIslands: 0. Cut the base as three short slots; the card left between them reads as the thread.
A maple leaf as a single cut outlineIslands: 0. One outline with nothing inside it. Turn the card, not the knife, at every point of the leaf.
A moon and three stars as four separate holesIslands: 0. Four separate holes. Leave a finger's width of card between them to keep the sheet stiff.
A ring doughnut whose bite does the work of a bridgeIslands: 0, because the bite joins the middle to the outside. Without the bite it needs two bridges.
A sitting cat with an open curl of tailIslands: 0, if the tail stays open. Stop the curl short of the body so no patch of card is cut loose.
A swallow cut as one hole, with rounded tail tipsIslands: 0. Round the tips of the tail a little; a needle point of card lifts and lets paint under.
A teapot seen from the sideIslands: 1, inside the handle. Bridge it across the handle at its thinnest, or stop the handle short of the pot.
An anchor whose top ring is held by one bridgeIslands: 1, inside the ring. Bridge it at the top, in line with the shank, where a break looks natural.
An old door key with a round bowIslands: 1, the hole in the bow. Bridge it at the top, or fill the bow solid and lose very little.
Open scissors with a bridge across each finger ringIslands: 2, the finger holes. One short bridge across each ring, both on the outer side.
Letters and numbers with bridges 12
A capital A with one bridgeIslands: 1, the triangle. Bridge it through the top point, or through one leg just above the crossbar.
A capital B with its two bowlsIslands: 2. One bridge for each, both through the upright so that the breaks line up.
A capital D, P and R with matching bridgesIslands: 1 in each bowl. One bridge at the same height in all three keeps a word looking even.
A capital O held at the top and the bottomIslands: 1, the middle. Two bridges on one vertical line, at twelve and six o'clock.
A question mark and an exclamation markIslands: 0. Each is a stroke and a dot. Leave card between stroke and dot or they run together.
A star with one initial left uncut in the middleIslands: 1, the letter itself. Join it to the star's edge with a bridge at its top and at its foot.
A three-digit house number on one stripIslands: none in 1, 2, 3, 5 or 7; one in 0, 4, 6 and 9; two in 8. Keep all bridges one width.
A zero beside a capital O, told apart by their bridgesIslands: 1 each. Bridge the zero on a slant and the O top and bottom, and nobody mixes them up.
The five vowels in a row, A E I O UIslands: 2, in the A and the O. E, I and U cut as they are. Rule a top and a bottom line first.
The number 8Islands: 2. Three bridges in one vertical line: at the top, at the waist and at the bottom.
The word OPEN in capitalsIslands: 2, in the O and the P. E and N are open shapes. Space the letters one bridge-width apart.
Your initials inside a ring broken in four placesIslands: the whole disc inside the ring, plus any in the letters. Break the ring in four places.
Repeat borders 12
A chain border with every link broken where the next crossesIslands: 1 per link. Break each link where the next one passes over it: the overlap is the bridge.
A Greek key border with a break in every repeatIslands: 0, but the fingers of card are long. Break the line once in every repeat to stiffen them.
A paper-doll chain cut as one long openingIslands: 0. The figures hold hands, so they are one hole. Tape the card down at both ends before you dab.
A row of daisies with open centersIslands: 0, if the petals do not touch: the card between them holds each center in place.
A row of ivy leaves on a wavy stemIslands: 0. Break the stem between leaves; each gap is a bridge that keeps the strip from flopping.
A running scroll of wave curlsIslands: 0 while every curl stays open. Stop each cut before the spiral closes on itself.
A twisted ropeIslands: 0. A row of slanted S shapes that do not touch. The uncut slants between them read as the twist.
A zipper with two rows of teeth and a pull at one endIslands: 1, the hole in the pull. Bridge it at the top. The teeth are short slots in two rows.
Bunting: triangle flags on a dashed stringIslands: 0. Cut the string as dashes, so that no long slit runs the length of the card.
Scallops like the edge of a pie crustIslands: 0. Leave a sliver of card between neighbors; it shows as a fine unpainted line.
Stars and dots by turns in two sizesIslands: 0. Cut the first star again at the far end: laid over the last print, it spaces the next.
The tracks of a bird walking along the edgeIslands: 0. Three toes and a spur for each foot, every one its own slot. Alternate left and right.
Two layers 12
A cup of tea: the cup, then the tea and a tag on a stringLayer 1: cup and handle, one bridge. Layer 2: an oval of tea, a string, a square tag.
A fried egg: the white, then the yolkLayer 1: a wobbly white on dark paper. Layer 2: one yellow disc, off center. No bridges anywhere.
A ladybug: a red body under a black head, spots and center lineLayer 1: the whole oval. Layer 2: head, spots, the line. No islands on either sheet.
A panda face: a white disc under black ears, patches and noseLayer 1: the head, white on colored paper. Layer 2: ears, eye patches, nose. All separate holes.
A ringed planet: the ball, then the ringLayer 1: the ball. Layer 2: the ring as two arcs that stop at the ball's edge, so no island is cut.
A sneaker: the shoe, then laces, sole stripe and a starLayer 1: the side view. Layer 2: lace bars, one long stripe, a star at the ankle. No islands.
A strawberry: red fruit, then green cap and seedsLayer 1: the fruit. Layer 2: the leafy cap and the seed dashes. Cut the seeds last; they are tiny.
A tiger face: orange head, then black stripesLayer 1: the head with two ears. Layer 2: stripes as separate slashes, mirrored each side of the nose.
A toadstool: red cap, then white spots and stalkLayer 1: the cap. Layer 2: the spots and the stalk. Spots near the rim are cut as half circles.
A traffic cone: orange cone, then two white bandsLayer 1: the cone and its base. Layer 2: two slanted bands. Dab the white on only when the orange is dry.
An eye: a white almond, then the iris with a highlightLayer 1: the almond. Layer 2: the iris. Its highlight is an island: bridge it to the rim of the iris.
One capital letter with a drop shadowLayer 1: the shadow, shifted down and right. Layer 2: the letter. Same bridges on both sheets.
Faces and animals in light and shadow 12
A cat's face from six small holesIslands: 0. Inner ears, eyes, nose and one whisker pad. No outline at all; the eye fills in the head.
A dog with one dark ear and one dark eye patchIslands: 1, the eye inside its patch. Bridge it toward the cheek, or leave it out and add the eye by pen.
A face in sunglasses: the lenses, a nose shadow, a lip shadowIslands: 0. Four holes. Add a slanted glint to each lens by leaving a strip joined at both ends.
A face lit from one side, the dark half cut as a single shapeIslands: 0, if the shadow runs off the edge of the face. Squint at a photo of yourself to find it.
A horse's head in profile with the mane as separate flamesIslands: 0. Cut each lock on its own; the card between the locks is what keeps them apart in print.
A lion with the mane cut and the face left as cardIslands: 1, the whole face. Bridge it out through the mane at both ears and at the chin.
A peace-sign hand cut only where the shadows fallIslands: 0. Cut only the shadows between the fingers and under the thumb. The hand itself is never cut.
A portrait in three shapes: hair, glasses and collarIslands: 2, the lenses inside the frames. Bridge each at the nose piece and at the hinge.
A wolf howling, with only its shaded underside cutIslands: 0. Throat, chest and the inside of the far ear. The lit top of the head stays as card.
A zebra's head where the stripes are the stencilIslands: 0, if every stripe is its own hole. Let the stripes stop short of each other; the gaps are bridges.
An elephant from the frontIslands: 0. The shadows inside both ears, two eyes and five creases across the trunk. Nothing else.
An owl from two bridged eye rings and a beakIslands: 2, the eyes inside their rings. Bridge each one at the top, where a brow would shade it.
How it works
A stencil has one rule: nothing may be cut loose. These 60 stencil drawing ideas run from one-piece shapes to letters, repeat borders, two layers and faces drawn in light and shadow.
Read the full guide
Islands and bridges
The middle of an O is an island: cut all the way round it and it falls out. A bridge is a narrow strip left uncut that ties the island to the rest of the sheet. Count them before you cut. A capital B has two. A ring doughnut has one, and a bite out of it gets rid of that.
More than one color
Each color gets its own sheet. Two layers holds twelve: the first sheet is the whole shape and the second its details, as in a ladybug with a red body under a black head and spots. Cut the same notch in one corner of both sheets to line them up.
A craft knife is an adult's tool. Cut on a mat, away from the hand that holds the card.
Dab the paint on with a sponge, straight down, with very little paint on it.
Stencil on paper, or on anything else only with its owner's permission.
Questions and answers
What is a stencil?
A thin sheet, usually of paper, plastic, wood or metal, with a design cut out of it. Pigment goes on through the holes, so only those parts of the surface underneath take color. The same sheet can be used again and again.
What are easy stencil ideas for beginners?
Choose One-piece shapes. A maple leaf, a swallow, or a moon with three stars has no island, so there is nothing to bridge: each is a single outline or a few separate holes.
Which letters need a bridge in a stencil?
Every letter with a closed bowl: A, B, D, O, P, Q and R among plain capitals, and 0, 4, 6, 8 and 9 among the digits. E, N and U are open shapes and cut as they are.