A
ALBERTO
Guest
Ciao guys ,I hope that by including my work system, I can help someone improve his way of airbrushing .
Set Up
I position the projector and align it with the work surface. This is the position it stays in until the work is finished. This application is used for Flat surfaces, for round surfaces, ie. Crash helmets the set up is more complicated.
First of all I paint the first step using the right colours but with a lot of white added. This is my base colour . My technique involves me working from the right to the left.
If for example you have to paint an eclipse and you started working from left to right, your brain is confused because you can see only a few mm of the line you are painting, but if you work from right to left you have a perfect visual of the line that you have to draw.
Also the hand is more steady and doesn’t shake so much. Another important thing to remember is when you paint the dark colour on the base colour, you have to slowly build up the colour to reach the target colour. This allows me to familiarise my self with the many depths of colour. When I work under the projector and have to airbrush very detailed work, I work with the studio lights off and rely on the little luminous point generated from the reflection of the impact of paint on the surface, not unlike a mini laser. It is a difficult technique to master but the precision I am able to get from using this technique is incredible. All the writing on the Schumacher helmet, I did, was done using this technique.
When doing very detailed work it is better if the support is aluminium or similar as opposed to absorbing materials like paper. The reason for this is by spraying onto non absorbing materials I can see the wet reflection of paint as it hits the surface, with absorbent materials this doesn’t happen.
Using my style I spray a small dot of colour onto the surface, I switch on the light to check the target area, I continue this until I have it perfect, then with the light switched on, I rest my arms on the table and calmly pass over the target area to reach the final colour.
To become good at spraying with the light off and just the projector on you have to practice a lot, you can spray water onto plastic or aluminium for practice purposes, you will have only the reflection of the wet dot of the water or of the paint as reference for where you are painting on.
Projector + Paper
I use 15 cm x15 cm of white paper. I take the paper between thumb and index of my left hand. The paper is important because it allows me to check my work against the original. When I paint my line I move the paper over it quickly which reveals the true projected image. This allows me to make a comparison between the two, as i continuously flick the paper to and fro.
As you continue to build up the detail and colour the difference between the reference image and your image is reduced as you move your white paper from left to right. Finally there is no difference, that’s when you know you have reached your target.
I paint in small sections at a time. at one stage blocking the projector view with my body, as the shadow from my body blocks out the projected image. I use what I call my ‘Photographic memory.’ Because I have familiarised myself so much with the reference image I can continue my work without having to resort to other means. Every now and then I will move my head from the sight of the projector to check my work. It’s a long laborious process but it’s has given me spectacular results and it works for me.
Set Up
I position the projector and align it with the work surface. This is the position it stays in until the work is finished. This application is used for Flat surfaces, for round surfaces, ie. Crash helmets the set up is more complicated.
First of all I paint the first step using the right colours but with a lot of white added. This is my base colour . My technique involves me working from the right to the left.
If for example you have to paint an eclipse and you started working from left to right, your brain is confused because you can see only a few mm of the line you are painting, but if you work from right to left you have a perfect visual of the line that you have to draw.
Also the hand is more steady and doesn’t shake so much. Another important thing to remember is when you paint the dark colour on the base colour, you have to slowly build up the colour to reach the target colour. This allows me to familiarise my self with the many depths of colour. When I work under the projector and have to airbrush very detailed work, I work with the studio lights off and rely on the little luminous point generated from the reflection of the impact of paint on the surface, not unlike a mini laser. It is a difficult technique to master but the precision I am able to get from using this technique is incredible. All the writing on the Schumacher helmet, I did, was done using this technique.
When doing very detailed work it is better if the support is aluminium or similar as opposed to absorbing materials like paper. The reason for this is by spraying onto non absorbing materials I can see the wet reflection of paint as it hits the surface, with absorbent materials this doesn’t happen.
Using my style I spray a small dot of colour onto the surface, I switch on the light to check the target area, I continue this until I have it perfect, then with the light switched on, I rest my arms on the table and calmly pass over the target area to reach the final colour.
To become good at spraying with the light off and just the projector on you have to practice a lot, you can spray water onto plastic or aluminium for practice purposes, you will have only the reflection of the wet dot of the water or of the paint as reference for where you are painting on.
Projector + Paper
I use 15 cm x15 cm of white paper. I take the paper between thumb and index of my left hand. The paper is important because it allows me to check my work against the original. When I paint my line I move the paper over it quickly which reveals the true projected image. This allows me to make a comparison between the two, as i continuously flick the paper to and fro.
As you continue to build up the detail and colour the difference between the reference image and your image is reduced as you move your white paper from left to right. Finally there is no difference, that’s when you know you have reached your target.
I paint in small sections at a time. at one stage blocking the projector view with my body, as the shadow from my body blocks out the projected image. I use what I call my ‘Photographic memory.’ Because I have familiarised myself so much with the reference image I can continue my work without having to resort to other means. Every now and then I will move my head from the sight of the projector to check my work. It’s a long laborious process but it’s has given me spectacular results and it works for me.