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Origins of Stencils
The 1960s is when stencil art began. Originating in Paris by Blek le Rat, the first was inspired by graffiti in New York. However, he wanted to put his own spin on it, creating his first spray-painted stencil. He became famous and got his name from his signature stenciled rat. -
Cornbread
Stencil art made its way to Philadelphia. Darryl “Cornbread” McCray was the first to create the first work of modern graffiti by scrawling the word ‘Cornbread’ on a wall. He loved cornbread, hence the reason why he wrote it. He got a lot of glory and eventually was known to many for his legendary scrawl. -
Early 1970's Graffiti
In New York, kids that began to flourish with graffiti in the early 1970s were usually poor and young; meaning they had nothing better to do. Tagging your name or your street name gave some recognition or fame to kids who never got that feeling. And because tagging was the most popular form in those years, legibility was more important than style. They called themselves ‘writers’ before ‘artists.’ -
Mid 1970's
This is when the bubble font made its appearance. The thick, marshmallow style is also referred to as ‘softies.’ After tags were put up on New York alleyway walls and subway cars, street graffiti became a political target. City officials began to protest the use of graffiti, and a real threat was imposed on the writers. -
'Wildstyle' Art
In the ’80s, stencil art and graffiti became more and more associated with hip-hop music. The new ‘wildstyle’ brand of writing featured much more creative flow and allowed artists to add their own signature look or tag. This shift in style also began the transition from words or names tagged on walls to marvelous artwork displayed for all to see. -
First Female Artist
The ’90s brought the first female street artist to New York’s streets! Moving in from Japan, Lady Aiko introduced a graphic style of stencil art, influenced by Japanese woodblock prints. Using her stencil skills, she mimics the graphic effect which made her a founder of the FAILE collective, which emphasizes graphic, monochromatic styles. -
Illusion Stencils
Sten + Lex were a graffiti-drawing-duo that made a name for themselves in the 2000s. Their signature look was abstract work made by small circles or hatching to create an image only seen from a distance. Their stencil innovations changed the expectations of stencil art and gave way to a whole new world of stencil creativity. -
Deadboy
Deadboy (graffiti artist in Toronto) stencils a hand cut image on an alley wall. He tells reporters that he’s “starting to come out of the dark now.” Council members work on getting artists to paint their work on legal walls to display their talents. A vote would take place and 6-10 of the winning artists would get commissions to paint legal murals on the property of consenting buildings.