How would I go about creating a life size unicycle stencil?

[dunawan]

I thought maybe poster board, but how would I cut out the shape of the unicycle with precision? I intend to use spray paint on it so...What do you think I should do?

[maestro8]

The heavier the paper you use for the stencil, the more durable it'll be, but also, the harder it will be to create. Poster board would be a b*tch to cut, unless you have a laser cutter on hand. I'd go with some heavy butcher paper... you could roll it up for storage (unlike a poster board). Find a tube to keep the paper in and you're set!

To create the stencil:

1a) Go to Kinko's (or some other copy / print shop) and have them print out a life-sized unicycle picture.

-or-

1b) Find a projector or spotlight. Go into a dark room (like your garage) and aim the light at a wall. Tape some butcher paper on the wall. Put the unicycle between the light and the paper... its shadow should appear on the paper. Trace the shadow.

-then-

2) Cut out the unicycle with an Xacto knife, or other similar scalpel / razor-type knife. You can find 'em at most craft stores, office supply stores and hardware stores. To avoid tearing the paper, use a sharp blade (toss it if it's dull) and cut slowly. I've been able to get great precision with a new Xacto - almost like drawing with a pen!

[dunawan]

Great! Thank you very much.

[needlnerdz]

I think I'd personally do a mix of all three of those techniques.. I'd setup the shadow with light behind the UNI a some paper or something to give a nice silhouette - Photograph it... (you could also just take your bike.. place it infront of a white wall for as little background complexity as possible)- take that photo into Photoshop (I gues this plan expects you have the software)- Do a Threshold to the photo.. gives a nice solid two color version of the image. Find the right threshold for just the right detail.

Measure your actual unicycle, so know just how tall the photograph needs to be.

Save the image in photoshop as a PDF.. take to Kinkos and have them print one off in b/w on the color laser for extra high density black... then have them do the conversion chart for the size that its actually printed at (around 5x7" or so) - up to the fullsize version.. printed on their large format BLACK AND WHITE cheapo printer... should cost like $5 or so... then if you really want a good stencil, I'd spraymount that to a large sheet of thicker paper.. matboard if youve got lots of time to cut such a thick board.. or just a large sheet of thick construction paper.. - cut out the image, and presto do with whatyouwill..

If you don't have photoshop- take a good digital photo of the bike on a solid white background, try to have as few a shadows or anything behind the bike.. post the photo and i'll do the threshold filtering for you.

However for easy, the shadow and light behind projection method is probably the best....

cheers

[JJtheunicycle]

Originally Posted by needlnerdz

I think I'd personally do a mix of all three of those techniques.. I'd setup the shadow with light behind the UNI a some paper or something to give a nice silhouette - Photograph it... (you could also just take your bike.. place it infront of a white wall for as little background complexity as possible)- take that photo into Photoshop (I gues this plan expects you have the software)- Do a Threshold to the photo.. gives a nice solid two color version of the image. Find the right threshold for just the right detail.

Measure your actual unicycle, so know just how tall the photograph needs to be.

Save the image in photoshop as a PDF.. take to Kinkos and have them print one off in b/w on the color laser for extra high density black... then have them do the conversion chart for the size that its actually printed at (around 5x7" or so) - up to the fullsize version.. printed on their large format BLACK AND WHITE cheapo printer... should cost like $5 or so... then if you really want a good stencil, I'd spraymount that to a large sheet of thicker paper.. matboard if youve got lots of time to cut such a thick board.. or just a large sheet of thick construction paper.. - cut out the image, and presto do with whatyouwill..

If you don't have photoshop- take a good digital photo of the bike on a solid white background, try to have as few a shadows or anything behind the bike.. post the photo and i'll do the threshold filtering for you.

However for easy, the shadow and light behind projection method is probably the best....

cheers

A unicycle is not a bike. Say it right.

[BillyTheMountain]

If just the unicycle, lay it down on a big piece of paper, and trace it. If you want it with rider, lay down with it and have someone else trace you and the unicycle.

[ntappin]

A slightly more complicated way is to go into photoshop, open up a picture of a unicycle.

Remove the background.

Go into Image, then Adjustments, Threshold.

Move the thing back and forth until you get a useable single layer stencil.

Then when you print it and stuff you can just smooth out the lines by yourself.

[needlnerdz]

Originally Posted by JJtheunicycle

A unicycle is not a bike. Say it right.

Party foul... my bad. Guess I'm just new to the whole thing, and still mix up the two when typing reeeally fast.