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I am trying to get some tactical arrows on my rhino transports and decided I would create a stencil to do the job. So I measured it ou, and cut it out with a razor. The stencil looks great, however when I air brushed it on the model it came out washed and very VERY blurry. It doesn't look like an arrow, it looks like someone piled whit paint on the model.

I am not stupid, so what I did was dial in my needle, fine point, reduced the air pressure, and reduced the amount pf paint hitting the model but still no crisp and sharp lines. What am I doing wrong. It seems like the stencil might not be a good idea, as the distance between the stencil and the model is causing the blurred lines. Any thoughts I can use to fix this? Should I just tape it off and do it that way? Is taping a model better than using a stencil? If you do tape off a model for a detail like that, how do you measure it out so they are uniform!

Any help is greatly appreciated. I can post pics if needed. At this rate I am about to ditch the airbrush, it feels like I will never get the hang of it!

Why aren't you holding the stencil to the mini? You can't have a gap between the stencil and the mini at all if you want crisp lines, if you do have a gap, it shouldn't be more than ~1mm or 2. Think of a stencil as being the same as taping off, but you don't have to redo it every time you want to make that shape/pattern, etc.

Well, I did use plastic tac to hold the stencil to the model. Maybe a sixteenth of an inch off? Is that too much?

Yes. You had it too far away.

For best results, it needs surface contact.

Tape the stencil onto the model. The closer the better.

Try this: rubber moldmaker.

It's about 10 bucks a container, with 1000 uses.
It paints on and is watertight. Paint one color, paint it on, slop paint on the other color, peel off the rubber for perfect results.

You uh... You can also make molds out of it. Shhhh

You can also get something called frisket film at art supply stores. It is a (usually) transparent film with a sticky backing. You could cut your design in it, stick it to the model and airbrush.

It is low tack, and will not damage your paint job

Rather than taping off the whole arrow try taking some low tack tape such as drafting tape and cut the stencil shape out on the acttual piece of tape. The gap your getting is acttualy an effect intentionally done when you edges to have a feathered look for things such as camo patterns.

Part of the secret is not gluing the top doors on so you can mess with it

I like http://www.frogtape.com/ for stencil making (edge-lock technology or some other bullcrap, but it works)

Make a small sheet of it on wax paper, cut out your stencil, peel the wax paper, stick it to your surface, and paint.

As already noted, stencils and the like require surface contact.

+1 On the Firsket paper, I use it all the time, did this with it;



That is the back door of a DC rhino.

Ashton