Airbrush Help For Beginners
Airbrush Basics
Airbrush Reference Photos
Jan 2nd
HAPPY NEW YEAR!! Welcome to 2012 …. the perfect time to discuss airbrush reference photos (you’ll see why in a second).
I few years back I went to an airbrushing class where the instructor stated that “In order to be a good artist, you must split your drawing into thirds. One third is drawing from a reference photo, the second is drawing from real life, and the third is to draw from your mind”
While this is excellent advice and I am sure that the intent was great … this ain’t ever gonna happen for me. I need reference photos. Every single piece More >
What is the right airbrush pressure to get the best results?
Feb 11th
Questions about proper airbrush pressure are common – but unfortunately – there is not one simple answer.
Don’t worry – there is hope
While I may not be able to provide a single answer, I can provide a selection of answers and some discussion that will get you on the right track to finding the perfect “airbrush pressure” for your particular project.
Here are the pressures I prefer to use for my projects….
(keep reading to find the explanations as to why I prefer them)
NOTE: These are the pressures being DELIVERED to your airbrush, not the pressure that is seen on More >
Is Your Airbrush Spitting?
Feb 11th
If you’re experiencing airbrush spitting, I am sorry to say, the problme is more than likely you and not your airbrush…
Don’t worry though – it is easily fixed!
Spitting happens when air is not allowed to flow through the airbrush at all times … the bad habit that people tend to get is “POPPING” the trigger on and off between strokes and that habit leads to lots of SPLATS!
SPLATS happen because when airbrush paint is being supplied on to the needle either through gravity feed or siphen feed and the air is what makes it atomize and “jump off” on to More >
Airbrush Stencils: An Approved Method of Cheating!
Feb 11th
I’m kidding!!! Using airbrush stencils isn’t cheating … they are simply a tool to help you paint faster and cleaner.
There are basically three types of airbrush stencils:
1. Design Elements, 2. Design Aids, and 3. Edge Aids.
(note those are not technical terms – just my way of categorizing them)
Design elements are stencils that, when used properly, actually end up looking like something you recognize. For example an stencil of a skull would be a “design element”.
A design aid would be any type of stencil that doesn’t produce a recognizable result on it’s own but is used instead More >
Airbrush T Shirt Project: Simple Heart and Lettering
Feb 11th
For this airbrush t shirt project I will show you how I painted the shirt shown above.
For this project you will need the following:
- your airbrush equipment
- a selection of paints
- a t-shirt
- thin marker
- water color pencil
- opaque projector (or drawing skills)
- scrap white paper
Scroll down when you are ready to start!
Step 1Grab a piece of paper and a pencil and draw your design. I am not a drawer so it took me multiple tries to get the lettering right.
Step 2Using the thin marker, outline the the image.
Step 3Project the image onto the t-shirt stretched over a board. Trace your sketch using a More >
Airbrushes: Know the Lingo!
Feb 11th
If we are going to talk about airbrushes, we need to speak the same language… as with any niche art form, it has it’s own lingo and it’s important that we are on the same page…
Airbrushes are defined by three characteristics:
#1. Paint Delivery System which can be further broken down into:
#2. Trigger Functionality which includes:
#3. Needle Size
Each of these characteristics serve a different purpose for each particular brush…. so let’s discuss them further…
Paint Delivery Systems
Gravity Feed
Gravity feed airbrushes deliver paint to the needle/paint/air interface through a reservoir or cup positioned More >
What is airbrush tip dry anyway?
Feb 11th
Airbrush tip dry is a fact of life when it comes to airbrush art. You may find yourself asking why paint producers haven’t developed a product that doesn’t cause tip dry…. well, it is not as simple as it sounds.
All paint, whether it is house paint or art paint starts out as powdered pigment. The higher quality the paint, the finer the pigment is ground. House paint has fairly large pigment in comparison to art paint.
To make the pigment “spreadable” they are suspended in a liquid base. That base liquid dries entrapping the powder pigment on to the More >
Airbrush Troubleshoot: Paint Sneeking Out
Feb 11th
Airbrush Troubleshoot:Paint Sneeking Out
This is by far one of the most common airbrush troubleshoot questions that arises with new airbrush artists…. it goes something like this…
My airbrush is leaking paint! When I press down the trigger, expecting only to get air, paint sprays out! Is it broken??
Well let me ease your mind…. your airbrush is likely not broken!
Phew!
There are three reasons why airbrushes “leak” paint from time to time:
- gunk
- needles
- nozzle tips
All three reasons have to do with the needle seating. The needle of the airbrush is tapered so that it fits snug inside the nozzle tip. When the More >
