ALMOST a beginner

L

Landon Moore

Guest
I draw, paint some with brushes, wood burn, create art on photoshop, create pieces using mixed mediums, do some sculpting and carving, and am generally creative. I most often work with bones, skulls, and wood for painting and wanted to expand to air brushing. I imagine I could find a number of mediums to paint on, canvas included. I am looking for general information towards helping me buy what I need to get started. I would love a variety of recommendations, more parts and pieces centric, but I also welcome learning related tips, links, and so on.

Thanks in advance for any who might take a moment to recommend a rig and accessories. BTW, I want something I can grow into, so I do not want anything designated fro beginners that I would quickly feel limited with.
 
Welcome to the forum! I think I know the questions you're gonna be asked here. I'm a newb myself so not sure what to recommend, personally I use a Harder & Steenbeck Infinity and I love it. Many here seem to prefer Iwata ABs.
 
1st, welcome aboard! I too have a background doing many of the things you list, as well as several other creative adventures :).

The airbrush I probably recommend more than any other for people starting out is an Iwata Eclipse. There are several configurations, and I say take your pick, and have at it. They are robust enough of a build that they can generally take all the abuse a beginner can dish out, yet a good enough brush to allow you to really grow into learning with it. They can be a brush that literally last a lifetime.

There are several Badger airbrushes that I think are great starter brushes as well. The Patriot 105 comes to mind here. Quite robust build, and adaptable. There are also brushes like the Krome, and Renegade series, but I find them to be a bit more fussy than the Patriot.

You're gonna need a compressor, and anything that will deliver air reliably is gonna work. I have a California Air Tools compressor I have been using for several years, and really like it.

Paint is something you will have to experiment with. I do recommend sticking with name brand airbrush specific paints to start out - as this will help cut down on some of the learning you will need to do. To begin, you may try just one or two colors of a couple different brands, to get a feel for how they work for you, without blowing a ton of money.
 
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Welcome from Australia Landon,

where do you call home ?
I agree with what has been said above...... Iwata Eclipse is a good beginner brush, but it will come down to what you can source locally / like the feel of if you can physically hold them.
 
Welcome from New Zealand. What Dave and JackEB said! What is your budget? You will need to allow 1/2 to 2/3 of you budget for other stuff beyond the AB. I love my eclipse!
 
Man, what a great community! I had to pinch myself to make sure I am really awake and on the internet. No sarcasm, friendly people, and helpful information. You guys rule! Damn I am jaded. Lol. I call home Austin Texas. Been here since 1995. I am actually from the part of Texas that matches all of your likely stereotypes. That would be the Texas Panhandle, Amarillo. 100 degree summers, blizzards in the winter, tornadoes all spring, and the fall is football. I have always been fond on New Zealand and Australia folks. You guys have always seemed like you are cut from the same cloth as us Texans.

The budget is not so much of a concern. I mean, it is not limitless but I figured I would be spending at least several hundred dollars.

I am taking this advice. Thanks to each of you for responding. I am really excited to get started.
 
Hi from the UK. I always recommend the Iwata eclipse too. My preference is for the hp-cs. They are awesome brushes, great to learn on, but you wont grow out of it, the better your control gets, the more you'll get out of it. I've had mine around 4 1/2 years maybe, and although I now also have a Micron, I use it in conjunction with, not instead of. IMO its the perfect combo.

Pretty soon everything I going to start looking like a canvas, and if you hope to paint on different mediums/surfaces, then look at multi surface paints such as E'tac Private Stock, or Createx Wicked. If you want to do mainly fine art or illustration type work then E'tac efc, createx illustration, or com-art are popular, though there are of course others, and every one has faves for different reasons. You might try asking companies if they could send you a sample so you can try them and see what suits - just be aware some may need specific additives, which sounds a pain but has many benefits, others are good with water.

To get you started, at the top of the homepage is a link to the airbrush tutors site. You will need a separate log in, but there is a bunch of free tutorials, including exercises with printable sheets, and first projects to try. Most people start with 'the eye'. The exercises are the foundation for all you need to know.

You already made a great start, you found us lol. No trolls here as you can see, so don't be shy about posting pics of your practise. Only positive advice here that could save weeks of trial and error, or a pat on the back to let you know you're going the right way is always good :)

If you're like the Aussies and kiwi we have around here you'll fit in just fine. They're a bad influence on me, I am a perfectly normal, sensible, polite individual, that gets lead astray by them all lol lol lol.
 
Landon Moore said:
Man, what a great community! I had to pinch myself to make sure I am really awake and on the internet. No sarcasm, friendly people, and helpful information. You guys rule! Damn I am jaded. Lol.
Click to expand...

No Sarcasm ?? well you haven't looked hard enough because this forum runs on sarcasm, of the nice variety. Its what Aussies are known for and our 'go to' humour.
Yes we are friendly, helpful and we definitely rule !!
The forum motto has always been, and will always be, 'spread the love' (of airbrushing) so we try and keep our end of the deal for Mitch :D
If you are willing to learn, then we are here to help when and where we can, threads may get hijacked once you've received an answer but that's part of the fun ! we don't take ourselves to seriously, but we do take our art seriously. If you are willing to learn then we are happy to help you on your journey.
 
I love some sarcasm. It is the official language of the Texas Panhandle ;) I guess I just meant you usually have a few people that have to chime in on everything with a lil bit of a condescending and sarcastic flavor to it. Everybody here was immediately helpful and friendly.

Alright, so now that I have been schooled on the community (particularly on the thread hijacking somewhere after a few comments), I believe I will hijack my own thread. I have to for knowing there are some Aussies on the thread, and I was recently told you are experts in what I want to attempt.
The local butcher told me that what I want to "invent" is probably already been done a thousand times over in Australia. I guess you guys like the pork belly? My idea was to make a bacon steak. I LOVE me some bacon! Everybody does, but I take it up a few notches. I digress.

I bought a pork belly and planned to cut it in extra thick pieces. I figured I would do a lil online research towards figuring out if I need to just brine it up, if I need to cure it, if I just cut it and go? And then I was also trying to determine the best way to cook it. I love to grill, but I could see how that might not be the best approach. Anyway, any of you guys down under versed in pork belly?
 
Squishy said:
Hi from the UK. I always recommend the Iwata eclipse too. My preference is for the hp-cs. They are awesome brushes, great to learn on, but you wont grow out of it, the better your control gets, the more you'll get out of it. I've had mine around 4 1/2 years maybe, and although I now also have a Micron, I use it in conjunction with, not instead of. IMO its the perfect combo.

Pretty soon everything I going to start looking like a canvas, and if you hope to paint on different mediums/surfaces, then look at multi surface paints such as E'tac Private Stock, or Createx Wicked. If you want to do mainly fine art or illustration type work then E'tac efc, createx illustration, or com-art are popular, though there are of course others, and every one has faves for different reasons. You might try asking companies if they could send you a sample so you can try them and see what suits - just be aware some may need specific additives, which sounds a pain but has many benefits, others are good with water.

To get you started, at the top of the homepage is a link to the airbrush tutors site. You will need a separate log in, but there is a bunch of free tutorials, including exercises with printable sheets, and first projects to try. Most people start with 'the eye'. The exercises are the foundation for all you need to know.

You already made a great start, you found us lol. No trolls here as you can see, so don't be shy about posting pics of your practise. Only positive advice here that could save weeks of trial and error, or a pat on the back to let you know you're going the right way is always good :)

If you're like the Aussies and kiwi we have around here you'll fit in just fine. They're a bad influence on me, I am a perfectly normal, sensible, polite individual, that gets lead astray by them all lol lol lol.
Click to expand...


Thanks so much for all of this information. Awesome community. I will eventually post, but I am so critical of my own work it might be a minute :)
 
Anybody in the US? Curious if any of the local art and craft supply places carry acceptable quality paint. I know there are specialty shops around town, but I have a couple of the chains (Hobby Lobby and Michaels) just down the block. I won't utilize them except in a pinch. But
DaveG said:
1st, welcome aboard! I too have a background doing many of the things you list, as well as several other creative adventures :).

The airbrush I probably recommend more than any other for people starting out is an Iwata Eclipse. There are several configurations, and I say take your pick, and have at it. They are robust enough of a build that they can generally take all the abuse a beginner can dish out, yet a good enough brush to allow you to really grow into learning with it. They can be a brush that literally last a lifetime.

There are several Badger airbrushes that I think are great starter brushes as well. The Patriot 105 comes to mind here. Quite robust build, and adaptable. There are also brushes like the Krome, and Renegade series, but I find them to be a bit more fussy than the Patriot.

You're gonna need a compressor, and anything that will deliver air reliably is gonna work. I have a California Air Tools compressor I have been using for several years, and really like it.

Paint is something you will have to experiment with. I do recommend sticking with name brand airbrush specific paints to start out - as this will help cut down on some of the learning you will need to do. To begin, you may try just one or two colors of a couple different brands, to get a feel for how they work for you, without blowing a ton of money.
Click to expand...

Think this would be adequate, vs getting something more robust? If more robust, any recommendations?
 

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I have just 1 more question. I read back through the thread, so if I missed anything I apologize. I will probably order online, so I will not have a store rep guiding me through the purchase. I know I need the air brush. I need a compressor. I will need paint. Is there anything else or just a link or the links to a very basic checklist of everything involved?
ase I am not easily finding what I am looking for.

Thanks again everybody. I am hopeful I will be making this purchase by this evening. I am stoked!
 
Landon Moore said:
Anybody in the US? Curious if any of the local art and craft supply places carry acceptable quality paint. I know there are specialty shops around town, but I have a couple of the chains (Hobby Lobby and Michaels) just down the block. I won't utilize them except in a pinch. But


Think this would be adequate, vs getting something more robust? If more robust, any recommendations?
Click to expand...

I do not think that those little compressors produce the kind of air you need, and are quite loud. There are some small compressors marketed by most of the airbrush brands, like small diaphragm compressors. I have used them, and they do work, but they really are not my first recommendation. For the same kind of money, you can buy a big shop compressor, and run a long air line from the outdoors, or garage if need be, to keep the noise down. I personally like the California Air Tools (can be had at Home Depot, I think) because they are quiet in comparison. Mine sits right next to my desk, and the noise is never an issue...

I have seen people grabbing bottles of Createx from hobby lobby every once in awhile - the problem is that not all the Createx paint is created equal. The regular createx is made for t-shirt art, and is supposed to be used through large nozzles at high pressure (.5mm at 60+ psi) . It can be difficult to reduce properly to use through smaller brushes, and will add to the learning curve exponentially. You should look for something like Createx Illustration Colors, Com-Art paints, Badger Airtex, or Golden Hi Flow acrylics. I feel the Golden, and and Com-art may be the very easiest to work with for a beginner - could possibly add Etac paint to that, but it is not very common, here in the US.
 
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Did someone say pork bellies????? Slice a slab and chuck it in the oven. Nom nom nom.

Ok so apart from airbrush, compressor (which should come with a regulator) and paint,(and any additives it may need) you need airhose, adapter, water trap. Airbrush holder is handy, paper towels. That should get you going. (I may have left something out, I have been drinking quite a lot).

Hobby lobby I believe has printable 40% off vouchers, and sell Iwata eclipse. Boom!
 
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