November 2nd, 2008
Once you have learned the basics with airbrush art, you can start to learn more advanced techniques. These advanced techniques will help you to render more imaginative art. Videos can help you learn this advanced airbrush art techniques. You can also get videos that will help you learn how to render a specific design that will fit with the airbrush art you are trying to create.
One such specific design video is Creating Killer Dragons, produced by AirBrush Action Magazine with master airbrush artist Crossed Eyed. Crossed Eyed will teach you how to create airbrushed dragons by showing you all the essential techniques involved in rendering all aspects of the dragon.
Killer Klown with Javier Soto will show you how to create airbrushed clowns. This video will go into how to create the popular psycho demented style of clowns. These style of clowns seem to very popular with custom paint jobs. so if you are wanting to get in on how to create these clowns, then this video is for you. Javier Soto will deal with the use of bright colors, textures, highlighting and the use of kandies in creating a brilliant looking psycho clown.
Kustom Pinstriping Techniques featuring airbrush artist Craig Fraser will show you all the aspects of pin striping. This video will show you everything you need to comprehend about pin striping so that you can reach professional level pin striping. With this video you can learn about the design and application process, the different types of airbrushes for pin stripping and which brush is right for which job. Learn about choosing paints and other material that you will need. Practice exercises will have you practicing what you see on the video so that you can master your skills.
Biker Skull featuring renowned airbrush artist Robert Benedict will show you step-by-step how to create a professional looking skull in a leather cap. This video is a very advanced detail orientated video that is a one of a kind as the methods and such have never been put on tape before. With this video you will learn what you need to have an edge over a lot of other airbrush artists.
Caricatures are seen in a lot of art and airbrush art makes for creating some really interesting caricatures. Kent Lind will show you how to create cool caricatures in this approximately 70 minute video titled, How to Airbrush Caricatures. This video will go into all the details that you will need to know to create your own airbrush art caricatures. These designs are great on t-shirts, canvas and if you really want you can put then on your car.
After all art is all about imagination and showing off your creative imagination. advancing your techniques and learning new design methods can help you to advance your airbrush art. Once you have learned the advance techniques and design styles offered in these advanced articles, you can then customize what you learned to create airbrush art that is truly your own.
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October 2nd, 2008
All beginner airbrush artists should understand the parts of their airbrushes and what these parts do. After all how can your create great airbrush art if you do not truly understand your airbrush equipment? Take the time to gain knowledge of all the parts of your airbrush will help you to learn how to properly work your airbrush and also how to take care of it.
If your airbrush is internal mix then it will have a needle. The purpose of the needle is to control the paint flow. Any damage to your needle can cause very bad paint spray patterns. It is important to keep your needle from getting bend and either straightening the needle or replacing the needle.
The air cap and head assembly are on the front of your airbrush and they cover the tip of the needle. The purpose of these parts is to control atomization of the paint spray. Should these parts become dented or damaged in anyway you should replace them immediately. Damage to the air cap and head assembly will effect the performance of your airbrush. Thus like the needle you will be unable to create desirable airbrush art. Both the needle, air cap and head assembly can be purchased at almost any craft or hobby shop that sells airbrushes and airbrush parts.
The airbrush trigger is what allows you to actually operate the airbrush. In a single action airbrush the trigger controls the air flow. In a dual action airbrush the trigger controls both the air flow and the paint flow. Beginners should really take the time to practice on how the trigger works so that they can perfect their ability to airbrush. Your airbrush will have a back lever as well that acts to shut off the air flow and paint flow when the trigger is released. If this should be come damaged then you could have serious problems with your airbrush. Don't worry though it is not hard to replace these parts should there be any damage.
Your airbrush will have a handle on which you can hold onto the airbrush with. Airbrush models come with either a solid handle or a handle with an opening. The purpose of this opening is so that you can adjust the needle without removing the handle in a single action airbrush. Most experienced airbrush artists will actually take their handle off so that they can deal with clogging issues without delay. So the choice is yours as to whether or not you want the handle on or off of your airbrush while you are creating airbrush art.
Pay special attention to the threads on your airbrush. The threads are located on the head assembly and where the air hose connects to your airbrush. If these threads should ever become cross-threaded then you could end up with an air leak. An air leak will effect the function of your airbrush so make sure to take care not to cause any cross-threading in these areas.
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September 2nd, 2008
Almost everyone loves some for of art or another. A lot of women love to get their nails manicured. So why not combine the two together? Well that is exactly what has happened. Airbrush art has combined with the manicure to give women great opportunities to use their nails to show off great artwork. Airbrush art applied to the fingernails gives a great flare to a manicure. The designs are only limited to the stencils in which the artist can get their hands on and the artists imagination.
This form of airbrush art has become very popular and a lot of salons around the world are offering this to their clients. Airbrush art is also available on fake nails and are sold at almost every store that carries fake nails. You two can get in on this craze and start you own fun and exciting business offering airbrush art on nails.
Airbrush art on the nails is not for the beginner just getting started in airbrushing. The work area is very small and the artist has to have mastered the techniques involved with airbrushing. One main problem that beginners face is over spraying. Over spraying is when the artist sprays outside of the area in which they are trying to spray. When working with nails you do not want to end up airbrushing the person's fingers. So before attempting to do airbrush art on nails gain some experience with airbrushing on larger surfaces.
Depending on the type of airbrush art you are doing will determine the type of airbrush that you need. When doing airbrush art on nails go with either the Iwata HP-A or the Iwata HP-B. These are great for airbrushing nails. Even if you do not go with the Iwata though remember to always go with named brand and never use any knockoff airbrushes.
You will need a air compressor that is designed for airbrushing on nails. The best air compressor to use is the Iwata Studios Series Silver Jet Air Compressor. While this one is the best one you can go with any small compressor that has an 18 psi. Preferably get an air compressor that will adjust between 10-18 psi if you do not go with the Iwata Silver Jet.
To do airbrush art on nails you will need nail art stencils or nail art masks. The nail art masks are reusable masks that have an adhesive that does not leave any residue on the nails. Of course if you are really creative and very good you can freehand the airbrush art right onto the nails.
If not then take the time and invest in nail art stencils and masks. The paint that you will use when doing airbrush art on nails is water based. A bottom coat and a top coat are what protects the water based paint from being damaged. You will also need to spray a light coat of what is called varnish between the artwork and the top coat. Varnish is just a water based clear coat that will protect the paint from getting brush strokes when you apply the top coat.
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August 2nd, 2008
A fascinating form of airbrush art is the airbrush tattoos. These tattoos can be applied to any part of the body and last longer than most temporary tattoos. An airbrushed tattoo will last for 7 days unlike other temporary tattoo that start to come off when you are bathing. It takes time or baby oil to remove an airbrushed tattoo. Tattoos that are done with airbrush art look realistic compared to other temporary tattoos.
Henna as temporary body art does last for awhile requiring time and lots of exposure to water to fade and disappear. Henna though takes a long time to hand paint onto the body. The bigger the artwork the longer it will take the artist to pain the henna design on. Airbrush art goes on quickly thus saving lots of time compared to henna as well as airbrush art is waterproof. Unlike henna lots of exposure to water still will not fade your tattoo. Where it would take an artist 6 hours to pain on a large henna design the same artist could airbrush the design on in around 30 minutes. This is a major amount of time saved for the artist as well as the recipient that must stay still during this process.
Another great thing with using airbrush art to create tattoos over real tattoos, is that there is no risk of infection due to piercing of the skin with a needle. There is no healing time needed with airbrushed tattoos. The great part is there is no pain involved. Real tattoos come with pain and is one of the reason that some people do not get them. So using airbrush art to create a tattoo gives people the chance to have realistic tattoos without the pain.
Real tattoos are permanent and you are stuck with what ever you get. The only way to remove a tattoo that you do not like is to either do a cover up tattoo or go and have laser surgery to remove the tattoo. With airbrushed tattoos you can get rid of it with baby oil or just wait about 7 days and then it is gone. No need to go and get an even bigger tattoo to cover up the offending one or go through the hassle of laser surgery.
To do airbrush art in the form of tattoos you will need certain products. First off you will need an airbrush gun, 10' Hoses braded hose, stencils, glass airbrush bottles and an air manifold. Then off course you will need airbrush paints that are designed for the human skin. This is usually referred to as airbrush tattoo ink. To finish up the process you will need talc powder and 70 percent alcohol.
The stencils are available in a wide variety of designs thus giving you almost limitless creativity when using airbrush art to create tattoos. The talc powder is to be applied to the tattoo after it has dried. The powder helps to keep the tattoo from fading. The 70 percent alcohol is to clean the airbrush gun and glass bottles with after you are done.
Airbrushed art used to create tattoos will last for 7 days on the norm. Now if you have extremely oily skin it could start to fade in a couple of days. If you have dry skin it could last past the 7 days. To help keep your airbrushed art tattoo for as long as possible keep applying talc powder to it every so often. If you are ready to get rid of it then just rub it down with baby oil and it will come off.
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July 6th, 2008
Sometimes when trying to come up with designs your mind can go blank. You find yourself unable to come up with a design for a certain project. While airbrush art can give you endless possibilities it can also leave you stumped on a design project. Finding inspiration though for your airbrush art can come from many forms. The different places that you can look for inspiration can help you when you are stumped on what to do with a project.
When you are feeling the creative block coming on then start looking around you. Anything can be a basis for inspiration, especially if you change your scenery and look around your new surroundings with open eyes. Cooped up in a studio too long, then go out to the park and open your eyes to everything that you see. Derive inspiration from various sights around you and incorporate them into one great piece of art. See two kids on a seesaw at the park? Turn those two kids into angels on a seesaw cloud in the sky. See a couple of kids playing ball? Then turn them into angels and the ball into a cloud. Now put all of this into one art design. See where I am going with this? You just took two things you seen incorporated them both together turned them into something else and now you have a unique floating cloud playground.
Inspiration can also come from books as well. Go to the library and check out some art books to help you get some inspiration to get you going again with your creative design. Sometimes by looking at other people's works you can get past your creative block and start creating your own airbrush art again. Any form of art will work to give you inspiration since after all you can airbrush any design you see. Take the time to look at the art in the books and see them as your own. Think of how you would have created that picture had it been yours. Then go from there and start drawing out how you would have made it look. Once you are happy with it then airbrush it on to your project to create your own unique airbrush art design.
If you don't want to get outdoors to look at new scenery and you don't want to go to the library then you can just surf the web. The internet if full of inspiration for your airbrush art. Start looking at various images and keep surfing until you find the one that gets your creative juices flowing again. Print the picture that help you so that you can keep it around as your muse for as long as you need it. It may take awhile but with the limitless supply of images and artwork on the internet it is sure to keep you supplied with some inspiration.
Sometimes you just need to step back and take a breather to get your inspiration back. If you find that you are not getting inspiration no matter where you are looking then it is definitely time you stepped away from the airbrush art for awhile. Take a few hours to do something other than airbrushing and let your mind go for awhile. You will be surprised how quickly your inspiration comes back and creative juices start flowing when you just take a breather.
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July 2nd, 2008
When you begin an airbrush art project, you will first need to prep the surface. The prep work that you do will be determined by what type of surface you will be airbrushing. The prep work to the surface will ensure that the paint sticks to the surface and that nothing is interfering with the airbrushed design.
For airbrushing t-shirts, sweatshirts, denim and other natural fibers you first need to wash the material. By washing the material you will remove any loose fibers. Also washing the material will take care of any shrinking prior to placing your airbrush art design on to the material. So make sure that you have washed and fully dried your material before you begin.
Leather needs to be wiped down with rubbing alcohol prior to doing any airbrushing. This will remove the oil that is on the leather. The oil will prevent the paint from sticking to the surface. Make sure that all the leather has been wiped down and that the alcohol has dried before beginning. When you begin you need to place a base coat of Opaque White first before you begin your actual airbrush design.
Wood surfaces should be sanded prior to doing any airbrush art. Take the time to use sand paper and lightly sand the wood down by hand. If you are doing a mural on a wood floor then use a hand floor sander. You don't want to mar the wood only remove any rough areas. If the wood has been waxed or has a gloss coat then sanding this will remove this and allow for the paint to stick to the surface.
Skin should be cleaned with rubbing alcohol to remove any oils from the skin. The skin's own natural oils will prevent the airbrush paint from successfully sticking to the skin. This will cause the airbrush art tattoo to come off to soon. The use of talc powder after the design has dried will help to keep oil from building back up and thus still ruining the airbrushed tattoo.
Nails should be clean and buffed prior to beginning. Buffing the nails will give for a rougher surface for the paint to cling onto. Prior to actually airbrushing the nails, a base coat should be applied. There are actually two reasons for the base coat. This base coat will help protect the nail from the paint and help the paint to adhere to the nail better.
Metal should be wet sanded to give a rough grainy effect. This rough grainy effect will help the paint to adhere to the metal. With metal actually being smooth the paint will have a hard time sticking to the smooth surface. This is why it is important to wet sand the metal first. A base coat should be applied to the metal before any airbrush art design is started.
Take your time and make sure that the surface you are working on is prepared thoroughly so that the paint will stick. You don't want to get to work on a great airbrush design only to realize that the paint is either not sticking or looks messed up.
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June 29th, 2008
When doing airbrush art there are different types of airbrushes that you can choose from. Depending on what you are actually creating will also determine what airbrush you need. Once you understand the different options that are available and the benefits of each option you will be better able to determine which airbrush you need for which projects. For the paint you have an internal mix or an external mix.
The internal mix is when the air and the paint both mix inside of the airbrush. This will create a atomized fine dot spray pattern. This makes the internal mix a good choice for fine detailed work in your airbrush art. The point at which they come together is in the head assembly. The external mix is where the air and paint come together outside of the head assembly or the fluid assembly. These airbrushes create a large dot pattern. Larger airbrushed areas are better done with the external mix. Since with the larger dot pattern you are able to spray more areas in less time.
Airbrushes also come in single and dual action. This refers to how the airbrush functions. With single action only the air is controlled with the trigger. The trigger will control the air and the amount of paint that comes out is determined by the needle adjustment on the back of the airbrush handle. Dual action is when the trigger on the airbrush controls both the air and paint. The trigger is pressed down for the air and back for the paint.
Now when it comes to the feed on the airbrush there are three types of feeds that you can choose from. The type of feed you choose will also depend on what you are doing as well as what you are comfortable working with. The gravity feed is a top mount cup that uses gravity to pull the paint down into the airbrush. This feed is great for airbrush art designs that call for fine detail as the gravity feed uses less air pressure. The less air pressure means that you can use slower movements when airbrushing. The bottom feed is where the cup is mounted to the bottom of the airbrush and the paint is brought up via a siphon tube. It is for this reason that the bottom feed is also referred to as a siphon feed. Since the artist can attach the cup to the bottom of the airbrush the colors can be changed quickly by using different cups prefilled with the colors needed.
Airbrush art also uses airbrushes with a side feed. The side feed has a cup that mounts on the side. Since the side feed can be rotated the artist can airbrush either horizontal or vertical. Fine detail can be obtained with the side feed the same as the gravity feed. The advantage of the side feed is that unlike the gravity feed you do not have a cup mounted to where your vision is being obscured while you are creating airbrush art.
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June 28th, 2008
Airbrushing can be done on almost anything that you can imaging. Airbrush art is one way to take something and turn it into a master piece. Over hand painted art, airbrush art can be done in less time but with the same great effects if not better. There is more that you can do with airbrushing that you can not do with hand painting. You can take airbrushing and create a beautiful mural on a concrete wall to turn that once bland wall into a work of art worthy of some attention. While you can do this by hand the time factor makes airbrushing a better choice.
Airbrush art can also be applied to the body to create temporary tattoos and thus uses the human body as a canvas for an artist's imagination. Cigarette lighters are also being used as a way for artist to show of their airbrush art. The once simple looking lighter is now a display item with awesome art on it.
So with everything being available for artist to use as a canvas for their airbrush art and with art being the taking of
something and then turning it into a masterpiece, there is now a question posed. Is airbrush makeup just another form of airbrush art? Can the application of makeup with the use of an airbrush be art? Or is it still just the application of makeup that just happens to use an airbrush?
When looking at what airbrushing does when used to apply makeup, a lot of people do believe that this is a form of airbrush art. When make up is airbrushed on the effects of what it does to the subject can be really drastic. Take a woman who has flawed skin and airbrush a light foundation onto her face and you now have a woman with perfect skin. The great thing is that the foundation is light weight and barely noticeable. Airbrush makeup has been able to take a woman that is plain and turn her into an exotic beauty with the right application of certain makeup. The effects of airbrushed makeup are more natural but at the same time more dramatic than the use of regular make up.
The application of makeup takes time and a lot of practice to be able to do perfectly. The human face is one canvas where an artist does not want to mess up. One must be sure of their abilities with not only the application of the right makeup but also with use of an airbrush to apply those makeups.
Those that apply make up are considered artists and airbrushing on makeup is just another great way that they have found to show off their artistic median. The make up goes on water and has to dry. As it dries those watching can see the transformation of the subject from what she was to what she is now becoming. This is why a lot of people do believe that airbrush makeup is another form of airbrush art.
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June 25th, 2008
Micro Airbrushing is a valuable skill for all airbrush artists. Being able to do micro airbrushing will allow for the artist to create a more realistic and more in depth detail on all small areas of their airbrush design. It is in these small areas that a lot of artist miss the chance to really define the details because they are unable to fully create the detailed area. Micro airbrushing is needed to really capture the details of these small areas. Micro airbrushing is also a valuable skill for an airbrush artist if they airbrush small model cars. By acquiring the skills needed to do micro airbrushing the artist can capture more detail in their airbrush art on the model car.
Imagine being able to create realistic eyes on a dragon you just airbrushed onto the hood of a small model car? When a person looks strongly at your artwork on the hood of the model car they can really see the capacity of the skills that you have as an airbrush artist. Or imagine that no matter what size your project is, even the fine details are brought out to the point that they demand to be noticed. All this can be done if an artist takes the time to learn micro airbrushing. There are couple of ways that an artist can learn how to do micro airbrush art.
One way that an artist can learn how to do micro airbrush art is to obtain a video created just to teach micro airbrushing. AirBrush Action has a video titled Micro Airbrushing that features airbrush artist Robert Benedict. With this video you will be shown how to airbrush 23 skulls onto an area the size of a dime. This video will show you every thing that you would every need to know about working with micro airbrushing. A couple of great features of the video is that you will learn how to truly work with House of Kolors paints and how to work with low air pressures. Learn more about how to do freehand is also a great asset of this video. These are advanced techniques and will take you as an artist to the next level of airbrush art.
Another way an artist can learn micro airbrushing is to work directly with an expert. Take on a workshop that teaches micro airbrushing and you can learn with some hands on projects under the supervision of an expert. Working with an expert can also mean signing up for some private one on one lessons that will give you more direct attention from the instructor. This could give you a little bit more of an edge over taking a work shop where the instructor has many people to teach at one time.
Once you have mastered your skills in micro airbrush art you will be amazed at the amount of detail that you can place in any airbrushing project. This ability will help set you apart from the rest of the competition and allow you to reach the top of the airbrush art industry. Becoming a truly renowned artist in your trade is dependent upon just how much detail you can capture in your work compared to other artists.
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June 23rd, 2008
The thing with airbrush art is that it can be done for just about anything imaginable. Artists have been airbrushing a variety of surfaces for years now. The images they create are just a vast as the surfaces that they are airbrushing them on. This is why airbrush art fits for just about everyone around.
Classic paintings can be airbrushed onto canvas to give for great wall art. With airbrushing the paint goes on to the canvas more evenly than if it had been hand painted. Also the time frames are shortened when the paintings are airbrushed versus hand painted. Family portraits can be airbrushed over hand painted as well to give for a more realistic painting.
The interior of your home is also a place for airbrush art. You can go with a nice mural on your wall to give a room in your home an artsy feeling. Or you can scale it down and just airbrush a border at the tops of the walls. Airbrushed borders look more decorative than glued on paper borders on your walls. Thus the interior of your home can be your canvas for your airbrush art. Whether you want bold or subtle the choice is yours when you airbrush. You do not have to be limited with just your walls inside your home. Everything in your home can prove to be an area to show off your creative side. Airbrush art can go on your cabinets, doors, toilet seats and so much more. Remember though that this does not have to be anything bold.
It can just be some simple flowers or ivy trim but the choice is yours. Clothing is open to airbrush art as a way to create unique one of a kind clothing and accessories. Airbrush art can just be wording that you have added to your shirts or other clothing or it can be creative pictures of things that interest you. Either way you are guaranteed to have clothing no one else does if you add your own airbrush art to them.
Automobiles and motorcycles are another areas where airbrush artists can get creative and create masterpieces. Many artist are making a name for themselves with custom airbrushing art onto automobiles and motorcycles. The cost for this art is expensive and you can cut your costs down by learning how to do it yourself. Also by doing it yourself you have more of a say in how it will turn out.
As you can see airbrush art can fit for anyone's tastes and needs. With airbrush art you can go extreme with fantasy art or murals of realistic scenery. You can go with bold colors schemes or subtle colors. The possibilities with airbrush art are unlimited and only limited to the artist imagination. Any scene, any surface and everything in between can be airbrushed. Airbrushing looks realistic and saves time over hand painting. If you want airbrush done on any surface or for any reason and do not want to learn then there are many airbrush artists out there that you can hire for any of your airbrush art needs.
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