Airbrush Stencils

A stencil for spraying with an airbrush

A stencil is a thin sheet with cut-outs which you lay on an area and spray over. The paint goes through only where there is an opening, so a pattern with a clean outline appears without your having to guide your hand. It suits things that are hard to do with a brush: irregular patches, surface textures and repeating small shapes. Stencils of this kind are among the aids for building dioramas.

How spraying through a stencil works

• let the surface dry properly, otherwise the stencil will print itself into the paint
• hold the stencil down or fix it with a piece of masking tape
• spray perpendicular from above and in thin coats, not all at once and by force
• the closer the stencil is to the surface, the crisper the edge of the pattern
• shift and turn the stencil to repeat the pattern in another place

What to watch out for

The commonest mistake is too wet a coat: the paint gets under the edge of the cut-out and the outline runs. Less paint and more passes will help. If the pattern is to be less conspicuous, hold the stencil a few millimeters away from the surface and the edge will soften. Wipe the stencil after work, while the paint is damp; a dried coat narrows the cut-outs and the next print will come out differently. The size of the stencil and the form of the motif are given in the manufacturer's instructions. And one more small thing: lay the pattern on irregularly and never twice in the same place in the same position, or the repetition will give itself away and the surface will start to look machine-made.

Terms of supply

Paints, masking tape and a base are not part of the delivery, unless stated otherwise.