I draw. A lot. You can see my art on Instagram: @matthewjschultz or on my website: https://mjs.art

As part of my artistic process, I create custom drawing stencils. I design them for my use, but I've received a lot of interest, so I'm making some of them downloadable.

This is ‘Drawing Stencil Kit #5’. DSK1 comes with three stencils: small ellipses, large ellipses, and circles.

I designed my stencils with an asymmetrical top and bottom:

• The smooth “top” side of the stencil lays the shape flat against the paper. This is probably the side most people will use. Note that my logo is mirrored when the stencil is used this way
   
• The rough “bottom” side of the stencil has an undersized 1/32" tier to lift the edge of the shape off of the paper while drawing. I designed this with my favorite isograph and rapidograph pens in mind. This is the way.

My innovative tiered design prevents the pen tip from contacting the edge of the stencil and the paper simultaneously which can result in a capillary action that causes ink blotches.

Another innovation comes from 3D printing the stencils with the top side facing down. This results in the bottom side having a bit of texture that provides a tiny bit of grip (when compared to the smooth top side) on the paper.

NOTE: Because of how FDM 3D printers work, the z-seam creates a small “pip” inside rounded stencil shapes. I remove the pips before selling a stencil on my store using custom-designed 3D printable sanding blocks.

I designed this for me and my use, but I'm interested in your experience, too. I'm constantly revising my designs as I work with my tools, so stay tuned for any updates/revisions, and I'll be sure to add some kind of version log in this description.

© Matthew J. Schultz - All stencils and their designs are copyright Matthew J. Schultz - All Rights Reserved

Update 2024-02-29: I'm currently testing a branch of OrcaSlicer with the new “scarf joint” feature to almost eliminate z-seams on stencils featuring ellipses. Stay tuned!

Revision History:

v1 - 2023-09-01: Initial Release