Stencils. If you use an airbrush you have seen stencils. You have probably used stencils. You have also probably heard people complain about the use of stencils, to the point that they say that it isn’t airbrushing.

Is it? Or not.

If I was an elitest I would say it most definately not, and that no artistic talent is required. That it is a cookie cutter process, that encourages nothing but duplication of art, and limits creativity and restricts ones growth as an artist as you are trapped within the confines of another artists template.

On the other hand artists like Craig Fraser will tell you that they are tools, that can increase your productivity, and esentially if you are in the custom paint business, make you more money by cutting down your production time.

So which is it?

I find that I personally fall somewhere in the middle. Do I have stencils that I use in my work…sure; however, the trick is to be selective of stencils and there use. Freehand shields are essentially templates, and personally I would’nt try to work without. I have an Artool Freehand Mini-Shield (FH-5) that is full of curves that I use all the time. Stencils like this I find the most valuable in my work, on the other end of the spectrum are things that are too specific, like an eagles head with stars throughout like Eagle One by Artool (sorry Craig). I find the more basic the stencil the more usefull it is to me.

The truth of the matter is that most airbrush artists use stencils, but typically they are made by the artist by cutting frisket film, tape, or paint mask. The difference being is that most artist create their own rather than buy commercial stencils from a company. The big trick is to make sure that the work looks organic and not blasted on like a cardboard stencil and a can of spraypaint.