Airbrush Masks & Friskets

Using Frisket Film in Airbrushing
Frisket film is a masking material that is typically used in airbrushing. Frisket is a clear, acetate-type film that has an adhesive backing. This type of film is used most commonly for creating murals with an airbrush, or for illustration airbrushing. One little known fact about Frisket is that all Frisket film is manufactured by one company and then sold to other companies where it is rebranded and sold by distributors. For this reason, there is no difference in Frisket film from brand to brand; it’s all the same.

Art Mask Frisk Film		Badger Matte Foto/Frisket Film		Daler-Rowney Masking Fluid		Large Set
Price: $61		Price: $26 - $36		Price: $9		Price: $25 - $29
Brand: Iwata		Brand: Badger		Brand: Daler-Rowney		Brand: Masquepen
Use Art Mask for porous surfaces like canvas, gesso, board, clayboard and watercolor paper.		Transparent, low tack, easy to lift.		This fluid is used to create striking white highlights or to mask areas for overpainting at a later stage.		This set includes everything in the Small Set, with the addition of a Masquepen refill.
Original Frisket Film		Small Set		Stretch Mask and Hobby Mask		Ultra Mask
Price: $45 - $53		Price: $21		Price: $18		Price: $60 - $95
		Brand: Masquepen		Brand: Iwata		Brand: Iwata
Use Original Frisket Film to create your own stencils or protect your work from excessive handling.		This set includes one Masquepen and one ultra-fine 0.		These are especially suited for non-porous, curved and irregular surfaces, making them ideal for a variety of applications.		Use this professional masking film for airbrushing graphics on any surface.

As a note of caution, when using Frisket film with solvent-based paints – be advised that the solvent in these paints work to release the adhesive from the back of the Frisket film, which can leave a huge mess on the surface that you are painting when the Frisket is peeled off. Avoid using solvent-based paints together with Frisket film.

You can purchase Frisket film in sheets and rolls with either a gloss or a matte finish. Most people prefer to use matte-finished Frisket film. For those folks who will be using a lot of Friscket film, then it may be more cost-effective to purchase it in rolls instead of sheets.

Many airbrush artists recommend that beginning airbrush enthusiasts use Frisket film. Frisket is commonly used in airbrushing to make custom stencils with ease. Frisket is clear, so it can be applied over a sketch, allowing you to see a design through the film. You can then use an exacto knife to cut through the film based on the design that you see. It’s then a simple matter to remove the areas of the Frisket film that you want to paint. This allows your paint to be confined to just the area of the stencil you’ve made.

Some tips for using Frisket film:

• Use a sharp exacto knife when cutting Frisket film. You don’t want to cut completely through or you’ll scratch the surface that you’re painting.
• You can reuse Frisket film. If you use a large piece of Frisket film on a project, chances are good that you can use the piece over again for a smaller design.
• Frisket film is super sticky. This can cause some issues if you are working on an illustration board or paper because (you guessed it) it may peel the paper away with it when you pull it off. You can make Frisket film less sticky by rubbing the exposed adhesive on your pant leg or even on your arm before use.