Hello from Bristol, UK

T

Trampy

Guest
Well hello everybody! Complete and utter newbie here! But you can call me Trampy! So to my back story!! When i was about 10 years old my grandparents bought me a really neat little airbrush kit, it had a set of inks, an airbrush that looked like it was made from a single injection mold and instead of a compressor it used an aerosol can! yes... i know! neat! Anyway i had a lot of fun with that! and i was the coolest guy around people would even come over and ask me to paint tattoos on them, or with a little help from mixing up some old model paint doing some questionable designs on schoolbooks, bicycles and even my friends computer!

Anyway after years of outing my creativity through photography and clay sculpting i suddenly remembered that little aerosol sourced spray of joy! so i looked up airbrushing! and now after watching pretty much every video on youtube and browsing every gallery on the internet i am here!... this is a slight exaggeration

My intention as an artist is to work on different mediums, i have to admit my dream would be to get good enough to sell portraits, and to let loose on motorbikes (a big passion of mine). Im not sure airbrushing tattoos is for me, although if i had the chance to lay some paint down on Jennifer Aniston i would probably oblige. Id like to give t-shirts a try perhaps one day.

and to the point (or points) at hand gentlefolks!...

I'm fairly unsure as to a good, fairly cheap (£200-£300) set up to start with, id like to be able to work on different sized projects which is one of the many reasons I'm stumped! I will be working at an inside workspace, with neighbors who are old and grumpy!

Is there any courses anyone could recommend around my neck of the woods?

I did have another question but I'm tired and I've forgotten it! so I'll leave this fairly lengthy introduction to myself here, and i hope to hear from you splendid people soon!

Peace out!
 
welcome from Australia Trampy,
This is not the most lengthy intro we have ever had so don't be concerned, we're a nosey bunch so we like to know who we are welcoming and you've done well :)

now on to your questions...... first and foremost, DO NOT get a 'kit' set up, they are rarely any good for any length of time, and they have a place for teenagers who just want to mess around and are likely to lose interest as soon as they wake up next morning.
given your current artistic passions I doubt you'll be in that category so start out right.
The Iwata Eclipse CS is a great workhorse of a brush. many seasoned airbrushers still use it on a regular basis even when they have multiple other brushes. There are heaps of little 'studio' types of compressors around, just make sure you get one with a tank. Other than that you then need to decide on a paint. Createx wicked is a good all rounder (cars/art/sculptures etc) but can have a bit of a learning curve to it. if you can source some inks (airbrush capable) it will lessen the pain.
this may not all fit into your initial budget, but I'm not sure of the prices over there. we have a few UK members who may be able to guide you to a reputable outlet.... @Squishy is in the UK and will likely pop in shortly
 
Thanks for the quick reply Jack! i did think that the kits looked a bit puny, I have actually been looking at the Eclipse CS lol, here its around £120-£150 which i really don't mind paying if it will last! The compressor is the part I'm really most confused about as like i said i need something fairly silent but i know I'm the sort of person who if i start a project i'll end up doing it for hours on end. Thanks for the paint advice too! i was kind of worried about which to go for, I was expecting a steep learning curve anyway so think i might pop in straight for the Createx if its what you recommend!
 
That's the great thing about the forum, there's generally someone around, we've a good mix of northern and southern hemisphere members so while one lot is sleeping/winding down the other is just waking up.
If you wind up regretting the eclipse cs you would be the first !! you may wind up with a dozen other brushes but you wont regret the eclipse. and by buying a 'proper' brush you cant blame the tool (unless of course you play floor darts with it)
if you look for a studio type compressor it will be quiet enough for you, but if you plan on throwing a lot of air it may be struggling to keep up and refill often / overheat. BUT there are a lot of people that use one daily without issue, Sparmax / iwata would be the top choice.
as for paint, I started with the create wicked (good all round paint from textiles to vehicles) BUT it made me frustrated because I was trying to learn the airbrush, learn how to reduce the paint, regulate the air etc etc, factor in that I cant draw a stick man and my frustration level rose rapidly but I'm determined (some say stubborn) so I bought some E'tac efx paint and the learning curve lessened dramatically, truly useable straight from the bottle or reduce with water. Com-art is very similar and easier to get hold of.
what ever paint you choose just make sure it is suitable for airbrush, don't buy into the 'buy cheap hobby paint and reduce it' spiel that some outlets may give you, it will give you pain.
 
Welcome from somerset uk , you are reasonably close to me so if you are ever driving down the M5 feel free to pop round and have an airbrush chat/demo :)

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Hey beanpoleuk cheers for the invite I'll have to take you up on that I think! Cheers again for the advice Jack! I'll have a look into some studio compressors when I get in from work.
 
Hey Trampy welcome from a fellow Brit. First of all, jump on Beans kind offer, he is awesome!!!!! An amazing artist and all round good egg.
As for the Iwata hp-cs, I always recommend it. Its the perfect all round brush, great to learn on, but you wont outgrow it, and it sounds like you want to use it on a bunch of surfaces like me, which it is ideal for. Including motorbikes. Its what I wanted to learn ABing for, and if you have the time and patience, you could be doing it much sooner than you think.
JackEb is spot on with Wicked. It is a great multisurface paint, but it takes some getting to know. However its what I use and I love it. It is heavily pigmented which gives its colour great pop, (especially the detail (trans) for auto work when cleared)but that heavy pigment is also what makes the reduction harder to nail. But once you have it, its awesome. I have used it on shirts, leather, glass, wood, cars/bikes paper and boards. If you are only wanting to do fine art or portrait work then E'tac fx, createx illustration or com-art is a better choice as that is what they are more specifically suited to. E'tac PS is another all rounder you might consider..
Grumpy neighbours mean you will either have to get any old regular compressor which is the cheap option and try and shut it up a bit. Either by making some sort of sound deadening box that doesn't starve it of air, or as some have done replace the motor with one or two from an old fridge. Or get a nice but expensive 'silent' (which is really about fridge noisy anyway) jobby. Or, if you can, and still keep it ventilated, sound proof your room. Your ear drums will love you if you get the silent type, but your wallet won't, as well as those mentioned you might look at Bambi or jun-air, and a used (but well maintained) could be an option. Post whatever grabs your fancy here, and peeps can advise before you buy.

Good suppliers I've used - SMDesigns (NI based but very helpful), airbrushandpaint, graphicair, Airbrushes.com. - had good service from all of these.

Lionart, and Foxystudios also great, but overseas.
 
Thanks squishy, I have been looking at the bambi's but im currently just scouring the internet for others aswell! you can be sure i will be getting all your advice on something before i buy it thanks! I have decided to definitely go for the eclipse, as all you guys recommending it cant be wrong! and id rather invest in something that will last, and is multipurpose. My next question regarding compressors is what psi and cfm are needed to run the eclipse to its full potential?
 
I currently use a home brew silent compressor made up from a couple of fridge compressors and a 25l tank, i set the output to 20 psi , but then use a mac valve on my gun to further reduce the psi depending on the substrate or paint reduction. For t- shirts I bump the psi up to 60. For a long while I used a badger krome ( and still do for t-shirts), but my custom micron for everything else. As for paint I use etac efx for the fine art stuff and etac private stock for automotive , (bike stuff), leather and t-shirts. Being into classic car restoration I also have a couple of 2-3 hp compressors which are noisy enough to wake the dead, but I have very understanding neighbours and a detached house :) whatever comp you get make sure it has a tank ..

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psi is a tricky one. There is no optimum psi. That depends entirely on the paint you are using, how it is reduced - which can vary depending on colour and conditions such as humidity etc, and what and how you are painting. You could be doing some super fine work very reduced at 10 psi, or heavy t shirt based work with zero reduction at 60psi to push it into the fibres. Finding your air/paint/reduction ratio sweetspot will be the first thing you will want to learn. Not hard to do, once you have chosen your paint, it is just a case of being methodical, and trying drop by drop, remembering more reduction = less pressure. The guys here will help when you get to that point.

Cant help with cfm rates etc, my compressor is huge, 250 litres, so not something I've worried about, but I figure its the motor that's got to be able to keep the tank full enough to keep up, so bigger motor = better IMO, but hopefully some one much more cleverer than what I am can help you with that one :)
 
I have an Iwata Studio Series Smart Jet Pro compressor and I absolutely love it. Its nice and quiet and perfect for in home use. It has withstood a massive amount of airbrush work without fail. I also have another compressor for high capacity work, but haven't had too much need for it as my little compressor works perfectly fine. I have experienced no pulsing with my unit and I'm currently thinking about getting another one as a backup.

As far as paints go, like Squishy, I learned with the Wicked. So, its my go to paint for everything. But, as she said, there is a learning curve to it.

I would recommend that you buy a nice brush that will work for you from now and always. I would suggest that you buy an Iwata Eclipse CP-CS. It is well worth the money and, as I have said many times, its a workhorse of a brush. You can do large work as well as, with practice, very fine line work.

From my experience, those are my recommendations. Hope this helps. :)
 
Welcome to the site I'm sure you will love it here as most do!Don't be afraid to ask questions or jump in to help answer one we all start somewhere, have fun
 
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