3 Masking Techniques to Use with Stencils

Hi everyone! It’s Lindsay here, from Crafting While Caffeinated Blog and YouTube Channel, sharing another video with you all! One of my favorite techniques to use in cardmaking is masking. But if you pair masking along with your stencils you open up a whole new avenue of techniques! Today I want to share just a few of those techniques with you. Be sure to watch the video below for all the details!

Some of the products used in the video above were sent to me for design purposes. I only design for companies I can stand behind 100%!


I love stencils and I love to mask, so when you combine the two you can create some really interesting backgrounds and elements. In the video above I’m sharing three different techniques and each one can be customized to fit your cardmaking style!

With all of these techniques painter’s tape will be your best friend, but for this first technique it is soo important. I started off by cutting my tape down to 1/4″ strips and adhereing them to my cardstock in a fun pattern. Then, I used different stencils with different colors of ink to fill in each triangle. This is a great way to create a really fun background for cards or recipients you are sure what to make! It’s also great for masculine cards!

A few things about this technique. One, you can create any number of patterns, use as many (or as little) stencils and inks, and use whatever width of tape to create your patterns. This is truly one of those techniques that is completely customizable. The second thing I would keep in mind when masking this way is what stencils you will be using. You want the pattern to be small and detailed enough to fit into smaller spaces and not just look like a blob of ink.

The second technique I am sharing in the video is one you can do so many different things with! I started by die cutting a heart into some masking paper. This is one of those times you DO want to use masking paper and not just computer paper. It is going to create a better barrier for the next step. After adhereing the mask onto cardstock I applied a really heavy layer of Distress Ink. Then, keeping the mask in place I overlaid a stencil and sprayed water onto the paper. I let the water sit for a few minutes then dabbed it up. This is going to create a really subtle bleaching effect, but if you want it to be even more intense, like mine, hit it with your heat gun!

One thing you want to keep in mind when recreating this technique is the amount of water you use. You really don’t need to overdo it. Another thing, I used regular heavy weight white cardstock, but if you want a more intense look, but less crisp stenciling, use watercolor paper.

The final technique I’m sharing is an easy one! You just need a few ink pads, cardstock, painter’s tape and a stencil. I started by masking a strip in the center of the panel and ink blending just in that strip. Then, after moving the painter’s tape to cover what I just blended, I used a different color ink to stencil the rest of the panel. This create a really crisp two (or three, four, five, etc.) toned background! Be sure to watch the video above on this one! There are a lot of tips and tricks to help this process go as smoothly as possible.

You may be wondering why I didn’t just mask over the top of the stencil and I agree that would be a lot easier! But masking over (instead of underneath) the stencil doesn’t create as crisp of a line between the two inks. It creates a slight overlap and the line between the two inks is more of a slight blend instead of that crisp look. Also, it’s harder to put ink through the stencil when you’re close to the tape. Even using a sponge, it just doesn’t want to tranfer to the paper.


I hope you all enjoyed a look at these fun masking techniques you can use along with your stencils! I absolutely love that they are all customizable and can be fit to suit your cardmaking style.

If you are interested in any of the stencils I used, you can find them all listed and linked down below. Until next time, happy crafting!!

Lindsay Adreon — TCW Design Team Member


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