Stencils are a great way of decorating pottery, if you want to achieve a nice precise looking design. 

You can buy pre-made stencils from most pottery suppliers, and, also on Etsy.  However, they are very easy to make, and if you make your own you can design them exactly as you wish.

Stencils can be made from paper, card, or vinyl.  Craft foam is also a good option as it is flexible and non-absorbent.  

There are lots of different ways of using stencils.  And the technique you use will depend on what materials you are using, what the stencil is made from, and also whether the pottery is greenware or bisque fired.

Here are just a couple of ways to use stencils for decorating pottery.

Stencils on Greenware

Draw your design onto absorbent paper like newspaper.  Then with a craft knife, carefully cut out the design from the paper. Alternatively for more intricate designs, the image can be cut out using a die cutting machine, like a Cricut.

Place your soft leather hard pottery on a banding wheel, and spray it with some water.  Place the paper stencil onto the damp pottery surface.  Press the stencil onto the pot so that the edges of the stencil stick well to the damp clay.

Be careful to ensure that the stencil is stuck flat against the side of the pottery and that there are no wrinkles. 

Then brush your underglaze or colored slip over the design.  If you are using underglaze, apply at least 3 layers, making sure that they dry between applications.

Once you have applied your color, you can carefully peel the stencil off to reveal your design.  This can then be bisque fired and then coated with a clear glaze.

Sticky stencils can be effective if you have a detailed design.  You can draw your design onto self-adhesive craft paper and then cut the design out using a craft knife or a die cutting machine.

This is the die cutting machine and the purpose is help with making templates and stencils. 

The Cricut Maker – View on Blick

Once you have cut out your design, peel the paper off the back of the stencil.  Carefully stick your stencil on your bisque-fired pottery.  This can be a bit tricky and take practice, as the stencil can stick to itself or stick on the pot in the wrong place. 

Once the stencil is applied, you can use this to apply underglaze.  When the stencil is peeled off, you can then apply a clear glaze to the underglaze design.

Or you can use the stencil to apply your pottery glaze to your pot according to your stencil design.

Reference -  thepotterywheel.com -