Collection: Pochoir

Pochoir is a method of printing using stencils and was popular in Europe, particularly France, around the turn of the century. It is a very labour intensive and expensive technique, which produces an image that is often indistinguishable from the artist’s hand-painted original. The image is cut into a stencil made from a fine sheet of metal then gouache or watercolour is applied by hand using a variety of different brushes.

A separate stencil is required for each colour, sometimes up to twenty being used. The viscosity of the paint, the number of passes the stenciller makes with the brush and the thickness of the brush itself all affect the final colouration. Because the vibrant colours have all been applied by hand using various brushes and brushing techniques, these have all the feel of original paintings.