I begin with a vector image created in Adobe Illustrator.

Prior to spraying my stencils I lay down a couple layers of collage consisting of found papers/ estate sale finds. I often use illustrations from old anatomy magazines, old wrapping paper, and love letters. I feel that the collage elements of my work add another layer of depth and texture to my work.

Each color within one of my paintings has it's own stencil. This one is for black. I cut out the sections of the stencil that I wanted to appear as black on the canvas.

And Spray.

Eight stencils later all of the layers of paint have been applied.

Once the paint dries I like to go back over the painting with sandpaper to distress the surface of the painting slightly. This allows some of the collage to show through and also makes the paint not appear so flat.

The collage can be seen under the spraypaint in this detail of the eye.