DIY: Airbrush T-Shirts & Stencils
You can design custom T-shirts by airbrushing with a special type of paint or acrylic ink. Airbrush stencils are used to guide the T-shirt painting process and can easily be created with computer graphics software such as Photoshop.
Creating the Stencil
Find an image that you'd like to use on your T-shirt. You can find free images by searching sites like photobucket.com or morguefile.com. Import the image of your choice into Photoshop by going to the menu bar and clicking "File," then clicking "Import." Duplicate the layer by right-clicking the original layer and selecting "Duplicate." Use the magic wand tool to select the area around the subject. For example, if you've chosen a picture of a basketball, select the area around the basketball. It's important to delete the original background as it can interfere with transferring the image to the T-shirt later. Use the background eraser tool to erase the selection. Use the paint bucket tool to fill the selection with a color that contrasts the image. For example, if you have an orange basketball, choose a bright yellow fill for the background. Because deleting the original background can cause some unwanted pixels to show up, use the blur tool set to 50 percent to blur any pixelation or jagged edges around the image. Invert the image.
The Painting Process
Print it on 8.5 by 11 inch non-glossy, thick photo paper. Use a sharp and precise knife to cut the stencil out of the paper. Tape the stencil to the T-shirt using masking tape and cover any other areas of the shirt with scrap paper to prevent unwanted splattering. Mix the acrylic ink of your choice until you receive a desired color. Fill an airbrush tool with the ink and airbrush the area within the stencil. Let the ink dry overnight. After the ink has dried, remove the stencil, paper and tape. Place wax paper on top of the new image on the T-shirt and iron it with the iron on high. This will set the image and keep it from coming out in later washings. Hand-wash the shirt.
