Stencil Cut Windows

[commandercup]

STAFF PLEASE CHANGE THE TITLE TO: "Stencil Cut Windows"

I plan on making and selling custom cut acrylic windows with various designs and images cut out from them with various acrylic backings... (for really cheap of course!)

but here is my dilemma. I need to make the cutouts appear more like the image themselves... Although the cutout I just made looks a bit like the TF2 sniper, it doesn't really look much like it... at least not in my opinion, although I could be wrong... I'm sure that some images will look a lot better as cutouts, but this could work out well if I tweak the stencils right... so I need some help there!

Here is the stencil I used:

Here is the original image:

So... can anyone help me make some better stencils by changing the original image into a better stencil? I can use that as a basis to see how much I have to change the image to get it right.

I used this guide to make my stencil.

Oh... and I think I'll be making the standard as having a clear 12" x 12" piece of acrylic mounted on top of the cut piece of 12" x 12" acrylic which would be a florescent or opaque color rather then just clear so that the cut isn't exposed on the outside. There will also be an option to change the color of the clear first panel if requested for an added price as an option in my site. I'll also give the option to add a third panel to fully enclose the cut (thus protecting it) and giving a better effect overall.

Personally I love seeing the clear over the florescent then that over a black opaque piece because it really looks clean and nice that way. However, you could try to go for a color mixing effect by layering various florescent colors over and over which might turn out well... I'll have to see once my budget gets bigger.

 

[Trotter]

I fixed the title for you.

From what I can see, it would look better if you went back and added in details that were washed out when the stencil was made... things like the open area(s) between the rifle/scope and the face, the difference between the jacket and shirt on the character's front, etc. You could also add an outline around the character to give it definition, as well as white lines to show interior detail. Yes, that would make it harder, but it would look loads better.

You could always look for a better shot to make the stencil from, as well.

 

[aspire]

Yeah the problem lies with the multi-layered nature of your original image.

Because there are so many layers an image made from a cutout does not look like what it should.

 

[atomic tofu]

here you go, did a little edit to test

 

[Luke]

Posting to subscribe (the subscribe feature wasn't working)

I don't know, you can't really tell what it is....

 

[commandercup]

well the problem is that all the cutout areas have to be connected to the original piece of acrylic, otherwise I'll have to manually glue them down... which I guess could work out... but meh?

so tofu, if it isn't too much work, could you just add white lines connected every white part? and some of the edges need to be changed from back to black to white

for some of the simpler images that aren't as extensive as this, and more blocky, I'll be actually cutting out the pieces and using those layered.

such as with the OCN logo (the OCN Flame) each flame segment will be a different peice in hopefully different colors of acrylic.

and with something like a crosshair, I'd actually cut that out, and possibly etch some more intricate details onto it

edit:

oh and thanks trotter!

 

[aspire]

FSCK OCN!!!

Moderators there are tards, banned me because I joined another forum, and wouldn't stop going there.

So I said, F U and left.

 

[commandercup]

what forum were you going to?

I actually thought the moderators were really nice? Sure the rules are much stricter... but they just have such a big modding community... that is pretty much the only place I post

 

[atomic tofu]

it's funky that png...has a black bg in the thumbnail but it's transparent

I was actually doing the "connected" thing if you could tell...but then I just started to squint and see what is what and just started "painting"

this reminds me sort of...of the time in high school I think, where we had a piece of linoleum we were trying to replicate old wood block printing...it was pretty fun, hehe

so...the cut out parts are his sleeve vs his vest? the white is the cut out part? or is it vice versa...is the black shapes in your black on orange pic the parts to be cut out? i'm just not sure what's what

 

[commandercup]

what?

the black in the actual cutout is just a separate sheet of acrylic I put under there to make the cut stand out

the black in my stencil is what I cut out