Andrew Pomeroy

For this type of stenciling, I wanted to experiment with creating a larger pattern from a variety of elements on-the-fly. What I imagined was to cut some smaller stencils with which to form a larger image by reusing and layering over and in conjunction with each previous sprayed layer.

More specifically, I wanted to create a "drip pattern" down the side of my mini-fridge. I started with a bit of a rough sketch of what I had in mind in Illustrator, and then fully fleshed it out by expanding it into the pieces I would later cut and spray with.

To create a full image of a drip pattern I would need several elements in a variety of sizes: The start (top) of each individual drip, a thin stream to "extend" each drip, and the teardrop-shaped bottom of each drip. I also threw in some moustache-shaped things towards the end to use as basic curves with which to smooth out transitions between one drip and another. Here's what my Illustrator file looked like, which is what got sent to the laser cutter:

As far as application of the patterns went, it was fairly simple: I just started with one drip, sprayed each element over one another individually, and then continued on with the next one until I had a pattern that I liked, after which I smoothed out the transitions and did a little cleanup.

The hardest part was masking, I felt as though there was a lot more spillage than I would have liked, and dealing with applying and reapplying a newspaper mask was very frustrating. Overall, though, the pattern-making process was beautifully simple, and could easily be applied to any other surface, including one that spanned much more area, with infinite potential for customization.

A timelapse of the painting process:

Timelapse - Constructive Stenciling from Andrew Pomeroy on Vimeo.