Stenciling on Tin

(Applicants may choose either a tin project or a wood project for the stenciling requirement.)

1. DESIGN

Choose typical, well-balanced design, composed of many different units shaded one behind the other. One piece stencil designs will not be accepted. Choose design of appropriate scale for the article; it must be of authentic size and scale and correct for the class.

2. CUTTING OF STENCIL

Stencil cutting must be clean with no rough edges, angular curves or broken areas. Veins must be free and fine but discernible. Ovals and circles must be true.

3. STENCILING AND OVERALL FEELING

The stenciling must be skillfully done with bronzing lining powders (fine) and should create the illusion of a third dimension with careful smooth shading of unit behind unit. Highlights should be well polished. The overall feeling must be pleasing without having conspicuously brilliant or harsh areas or dull or weak ones. There must be no loose powder adhering to the background.

The central motif should be well placed; relationship of the lesser motifs should be made meaningful by careful placement and shading; all other decoration should bear a proper relationship to the whole with a good balance of light and shadow. All repeated motifs should be of the same brilliance. Avoid over-crowding or obvious blank areas.

Any Metal Leaf Painting will be judged here according to the requirements for Metal Leaf Painting. In this particular category, metal leaf motifs may be skillfully outlined with black paint if such outline appears in the original design. Modeling of metal leaf motifs may be achieved by etching or painting. (On stenciled trays metal leaf motifs were often applied often through a stencil.)

Blooming around a silhouette (reverse) stencil usually extends to both stripes on the flange of the tray with the blooming fading to a faint shadow at the ends.

Suggestion: The theory of all stenciling is highlight to shadow.

4. COLOR

Show skillful use of transparent color of proper tones, free of specks, and evenly blended. Freehand brushstrokes and foliage, if any, will be judged here. (Painted brushstrokes over a stenciled unit are not considered a colored wash.)

5. STRIPING

Enough striping to show ability must be demonstrated. It should follow the lines of construction of the article, be straight, sure, of even width, and of good opaque color. See: The Striping of Stenciled Trays.

6. FINISH

Finish includes application of background paint and the varnish finish coat. Both must be free from specks and brush-mark ridges. The final varnish coat should have a smooth, rubbed finish. Raw varnish, (not hand rubbed), dull-type varnish, and sprayed finishes will not be accepted. All work must be done by the exhibitor.

All articles to be decorated must be either old pieces of the period or authentic reproductions.

Designs traditionally used for stenciling on wood will not be accepted for stenciling on tin.

All work, including background paint and final finish, must be done by person submitting article.

Pieces to be judged MUST have a hand rubbed finish. Pieces without a hand rubbed finish will not longer be acceptable for judging.

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