Airbrush Stencils and Masks

No Airbrush Technique would be complete without the aid of Airbrush Stencils and Masks to help create and build up your picture

Probably the most obvious way for the beginner is to buy pre-cut stencils.

These come in a large variety of sizes, shapes and styles, and is a great way for the budding Airbrush Artist to get a grasp of the techniques of Airbrushing.

Not that these stencils can’t be used by the more experienced user as they are generally of excellent quality and varying complexity.

Making your own Stencils

If you feel that pre-cut stencils are restricting your creativity, or you are perhaps on a low budget, then the next step is to make your own. This is actually a good idea as your paintings will be unique to you, or you may have seen a picture that you like where the stencil is not available to buy.

There are a number of ways to create your own stencil from paper to clear plastic. The next two Videos are a great example of using paper for the stencil material and what can be achieved using just a very simple stencil design

Here are another two Airbrush Videos, again with a basic paper stencil design to create the ever popular Skull

Artool Freehand airbrush templates are an important creative tool for any airbrusher. Flex or curve them easily around irregular-shaped surfaces.

These slick patterns, which were designed by Iwata’s top artists, provide cutting edge imagery to give your projects a stylized look. They clean up easily with solvents, which will not damage the templates.

CLICK Stencil picture for more Artool Designs

Check out this Airbrush Video by the same guy. He talks about some of the materials you can obtain to create your Airbrush stencils very cheaply, or for free.

Making more complex Airbrush Stencils

Once you have become more experienced with creating your own stencils, a whole new world opens up to you where you can create quite complex designs. Up to now the Airbrush Artist will probably be using a sharp blade – perhaps an Exacto Knife – to cut out the design.

However, when using clear plastic sheets another method is the use of a hot iron which has a fine tip. The heat of the tip easily burns through the plastic, making life a lot easier than using a blade.
The next Video is a great example of using an Iron and demonstrates the kind of complex design that can be achieved. Again the Skull is being used as an example.