Almost two years ago, I decided to design some helpful tools for the custom paint industry, primarily focusing on the automotive airbrushing profession. Having been involved with airbrush artists since I dove into the custom paint industry many years ago, I've watched the profession evolve first hand. 

A wide variety of stencil kits are available from Huntington Beach Bodyworks and KustomShop.com. They offer a starting point for each artist's unique designs.

Airbrush artists have been receiving media attention like never before thanks to the large crop of custom motorcycle and automotive shows produced in the past few years. The public's interest in the custom automotive market was greatly underestimated for many years and has since exploded in popularity. Even companies in unrelated industries - shoe, snowboard, skateboard, clothing and apparel manufacturers - have been using airbrushing as a lure to their target markets.

Currently, there are two airbrush artists at Huntington Beach Bodyworks - Terry "Kiwi" Stephens and Johnny Sotelo. They always come up with designs for our projects and have, on many occasions, taken the time to make free-hand tools and shields to aid them in their artwork.

On the Skull King, for example, I observed Stephens using skull stencils that he designed and made himself out of some ordinary construction paper and an

First stencil placed on clean, prepped panel to begin airbrushing projects that can ultimately become the famous Skull King.

exacto knife. With this handful of free-hand stencils and 1,000 hours of airbrushing, he covered every inch of the Skull King truck, creating a jaw-dropping masterpiece that has won us recognition along with many awards.

This led me to believe that a market of aspiring airbrush artists could benefit from having a readily available selection of stencils to help in the creation of their artwork. So together, Huntington Beach Bodyworks and KustomShop.com have produced over 200 original designs. With an easy-to-use, dual layer system, the stencils are made from flexible, translucent, solvent-proof material - laser cut for total accuracy and clean lines. Registration markings - a necessity in the printing industry, but not necessarily common in other airbrushing stencils - make these stencils unique.

The hood has several skulls in various states of completion.

Paint your masterpiece

On a clean, prepped panel, start with the first layer - an open outline. This layer is for the beginning stage of the artwork, which is usually spraying a base color. Begin by taping down the first layer (marked number one in the corner). At this time, either spray the base color, completely covering the open area, or go to the second layer.

This second layer is also referred to as the detail layer. Align the registration marks from the second layer with the markings from the first layer. When they are lined up, go ahead and tape down the second layer. With the base color, very lightly spray through the detail layer. It is important to keep it very thin and light, because if the detail is too pronounced, it will be harder to cover later with the airbrush.

Remember that these stencils aren't meant to give you a finished piece with a couple sprays and "poof" you're done. They are only tools to aid in the process. You can't get the level of workmanship of a project, such as the Skull King, without a fair amount of free-hand airbrushing. The object of the game is to use a combination of stenciling and free-hand airbrushing techniques to achieve a completely free-hand, but very clean look. The stenciling technique allows us to organize the piece, keep it tight and clean, easily repeatable, and a time saver.