The students loved learning about English graffiti artist Banksy and his stencil work. We were working on a unit about graffiti and street art and whether we think it is vandalism or art. The children learnt that while painting on public or private spaces is illegal, many thought if it was appealing and colourful or well drawn it could be classed as art. Banksy’s art is definitely appealing and very well executed, along with being thought provoking or conveying a message. We looked at how artists can use a stencil to very quickly spray a picture onto a wall or surface.

First we experimented with patterned stencils using rollers to print onto paper.

I used a scalpel knife to cut some famous Banksy designs onto A4 plastic sheets to use as a stencil with black spray paint. Students could choose two of the Banksy stencils to fit onto their A3 stencilled paper. They pressed the spray button on the black spay paint can while I directed it around the stencil for even coverage. (I am lucky enough to have double doors to the outside that I could open for ventilation whilst spraying just outside the door with a couple of students at a time.)