What is the history of stencilling?

The history of stencilling started when the time that our ancestors left
the outdoors for the relative comfort of caves. When faced with bare
walls, our ancestors sought to record their lives for themselves and
their children. The designs became more sophisticated as time went
on, and the art of stencilling developed as well. Stencilling is still
popular today, with new and old designs flourishing apace. BeginningExamples of the first stencils still survive in caves in Fiji, dating back
from 30,000 to 9,000 B.C. These stencils were created by cutting holes
in banana and bamboo leaves and forcing vegetable dye through the
holes. It is believed that the Baffin Islands Eskimos did something
similar with dried sealskin, but none of these early examples have
survived. Egyptians- the Egyptians used stencils to adorn tombs. The
method of creating these stencils was elaborate. First, an artist would
draw hieroglyphs and designs on the tomb. Then a second artist would
cut into the design of the first artist with a chisel. Finally, a third artist
would fill the depression with stucco, and then paint it with bright,
primary colours. Greeks and Romans- the Greeks and Romans used
stencils as well, though, perhaps in the Romans' case, more prosaically.
The Greeks made use of stencils to outline mosaic designs. The
Romans made use of stencils to create signs, while both the Romans
and Greeks used stencils to create mosaics. China and Japan- At first,
stencils were used in Japan and China to decorate cloth, and then from
A.D. 500 to 600, stencils were used to mass produce images of
Buddha. Katazome, a form of reverse stencilling, was perfected by the
Japanese and used to decorate silk. The Japanese also perfected a
method of cutting multiple stencils at one time by stacking pieces of
mulberry bark and carving them with a sharp knife. The Chinese
developed paper stencils, due to the invention of paper in A.D. 200,
and used these stencils to create embroidery patterns or to decorate
material as well as porcelain. The Japanese used stencilling to create
items that resembled silk screening. Middle East and Europe- The
art of stencilling travelled to the Middle East and Turkey along trade
routes from Asia. This art spread still further into Europe during the
middle Ages, thanks to the Crusades, where it began to make its
appearance on the walls of churches and cathedrals and in illuminated

manuscripts. Europe- Stencilling grew popular in France during the

17th century, where it was used to decorate cards. America- When the
first colonists travelled to America, they brought the art of stencilling
with them. Stencils took the place of wallpaper, since the colonists
were not able to afford wallpaper. They used stencils to not only
decorate their walls, but floors and furniture as well. Stencils
experienced a revival in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, during
the Arts and Crafts Movement. And this is how stencilling started

Advantages and disadvantages of stencilling

Advantages1. stencils last long
2. its fast and easy to do
3. doesnt take up much time

Disadvantage1.
2.
3.
4.

it is easy to mess up
it can be done wrong
Difficult to get a smooth surface with some materials eg: some metals.
And it is sometimes very expensive