Re: Where to get stencils cut for a paint job?
I spent some time stenciling a few years back, this is my technique.
Get a pic of the Iwo Jima image, print it out in your desired size/scale. Get some posterboard and a stencil xacto from a hobby store. I got my xacto for less than $10 with replacement blades.
Use a pen like the uni-ball or something with fountain-esque ink that has a tendency to bleed though the paper, and trace out the image from the printed picture to your posterboard; or you can use a push pin and preforate the image borders. You should pin or tape the paper to the posterboard so it does not shift on you.
If you are doing a stencil with multiple colors, you will have to print the image for however many colors you want to spray, then make up a stencil for each color. Alignment of the image and posterboard is extra crucial when doing multiple stencil colors, and when spraying the stencils they need to be indexed so the colors all line up correctly.
When that is finished and your posterboard has the stencil outlines, you can start tracing out the lines with your xacto. To cut the corners your slices will have to intersect in little x's or the edges will tear and mess up your borders. Take your time, don't rush the project, its easy to fatigue yourself and screw up so do the cutting in batches, make sure your xacto stays sharp, they have a tendency to dull so replace the blades when it becomes laborous.
When you finish cutting your stencil, spraying the image needs special care too. Mask off everything to avoid overspray, (if your posterboard is too small or the image is near the borders you will spray the posterboard outline onto your 'canvas') make sure you have no gaps between your stencil and your canvas or the paint will get underneath the stencil lines. Circles, squares, holes that have to be cut into your stencil can be accomplished by making a little slice to get from a solid border to the hole...doing the stencil right takes a little bit of studying to determine how the cuts need to be made.
As far as printing out an image for stenciling goes, you can print grayscale versions of an image and then make a stencil for each gradient in shading for a full color stencil. Practice cutting basic stuff first like letters and simple shapes, and spraying it onto cardboard to get an idea of the painting and cutting techniques.
Its do-able, take your time and your end result may suprise you.
