My daughter is trying to stencil a design on a wood box. She bought a nice stencil. But, every time she applies the paint it looks sloppy. She is using an acrylic paint. I'm wondering if she is applying the paint too thickly or is the paint she is using too thin? She has a stencil brush and she also bought a couple of those foam brushes. Is one better than the other. The stencil reminds me of a starburst so there is several little parts. Also, are stencil paints better than acrylic? The book she has said either is fine. Is stencil paint thicker?

TIA

Use the stencil brush and less paint.  Use very little paint.

There is stencil paint which is very very dry.  I would suggest if using regular paint to dip it into the paint then wipe most of the paint off the brush onto a paper towel...then try on the stencil.

Thanks for the responses :-)

I know this is a bit old but I figured I would place a response down anyways. When you stencil, use a stencil brush, I like the round ones, the brushes are tough. Put a little bit of paint on the brush and dab it on a paper towel so there looks like there isnt any paint on it..this is called dry brushing. It works great, its better to do this several times verses using alot of paint. using alot of paint makes a real mess, thepaint will seep under the stencil. When you apply the paint using the dry brushing , go in a swirling/ round motion, starting at the outer edge of the stencil.