How to Make Stencil Art in Procreate

2026-06-25

Stencil art — think Banksy — turns an image into bold high-contrast shapes that read instantly from across the street. Procreate makes the whole process digital: threshold a photo into a stencil, spray it, and add street texture. Here's how to make stencil art on iPad, step by step.

What is stencil art?

Stencil art reduces an image to flat shapes of solid color — usually two or three tones — that could be cut from card and sprayed through. The look is graphic, high-contrast and bold. The digital version skips the cutting: you build the tonal shapes in layers and spray them.

1. Choose a strong image

Stencils work best from high-contrast subjects with clear light and shadow — a face, a figure, an object against plain background. Import your reference photo onto a layer to trace from.

2. Threshold it into tones

Reduce the photo to flat tones. Use Adjustments → Curves or Gradient Map to crush it toward black and white, or simply trace the two or three main value shapes by hand: the darkest darks, a mid-tone, and the lights. Each tone goes on its own layer.

3. Build the stencil layers

On separate layers, fill each tone as solid flat shapes with a hard brush — no gradients. Classic stencils use just black + one accent, or black + grey + white. Keeping tones on separate layers lets you recolor and re-stack like real stencil passes.

4. Keep the "bridges"

Real stencils need bridges — small connectors that hold isolated pieces (like the center of an O) to the rest. Adding subtle bridges and gaps gives that authentic cut-stencil look rather than a smooth illustration.

5. Spray it for texture

Flatten or clip a spray texture over the shapes so edges feather and overspray bleeds — this is what makes it read as sprayed, not drawn. Use a stencil spray from the special effects category or graffiti tag; see best spray paint brushes.

6. Add a wall and grime

Place the stencil on a concrete or brick wall texture, add slight misregistration and grime, and a few drips. For putting it on a real photographed wall, see street-art mockups.

Stencils for tattoos and prints

The same high-contrast approach works for tattoo stencils and bold prints — related technique in our tattoo design guide.

Brushes and next steps

Make stencil art with free spray and texture brushes from the special effects category, graffiti tag or any free brushset. Combine it with full graffiti art.

Frequently Asked Questions

Click a question to expand the answer

How do you make stencil art in Procreate?

Import a high-contrast photo, reduce it to two or three flat value shapes using Curves or by tracing the darks, mids and lights onto separate layers, fill each as solid flat color with a hard brush, add stencil bridges, then spray a texture over it so the edges feather like real aerosol.

What images work best for stencil art?

High-contrast subjects with clear light and shadow — faces, figures or objects against a plain background. Strong, simple value separation reduces cleanly into the two or three flat tones that define the stencil look.

What are bridges in stencil art?

Bridges are small connectors that hold otherwise-isolated pieces in place — like the part keeping the center of a letter O attached. In a real cut stencil they're structural; adding them digitally gives that authentic cut-stencil appearance rather than a smooth illustration.

How do I make a stencil look sprayed in Procreate?

Lay a spray texture over your flat shapes so the edges feather and overspray bleeds, add slight misregistration between tones, and place it on a wall texture with grime and a few drips. The feathered, slightly imperfect edges are what sell the sprayed look.