My shirts keep looking muddy

[BUGSYMONTANA]

what can i do to make my shirts not look so muddy.... I spray at about 40 psi i try to go fast but i usually mess up... Should i spray at a higher psi or what im confused i usually iron the shirts before and after to try to make it somewhat crispy but i kinda feel like its no point maybe stretch the shirt wider?? Suggestions please im started to get frustrated

 

[ranhalen]

look good, only thing i can see causing in not to be super crisp is the overspray..

 

[Seamonkey]

if you iron it then spray your shirt with transparent base and then iron it again while its still wet(ish) then it will give you a semi harder, like canvas, surface to spray on and it will be extremely flat. it will also keep the paint from soaking in so far that you lose the color and it will pop more. this will help ya, it helped me!! your psi should be fine.

 

[bod2306]

If that is the board you are using to spray, you could use some clamps on the side to pull it tighter.

Brent

 

[JTairbrush]

Your shirt should be snug on the board, but not stretched. To minimize overspray, your airbrush should be a maximum of about 1/4" to 1/2" away from the shirt.

 

[ignis]

t-shirt cloth is among the most forgiving surfaces to spray on in the sense that paint does not slip as easily as it does on paper and board or metal. But if you use high air pressure you basically pump so much paint in each spot that the cloth is no longer able to absorb the paint and it starts to spread (inside the cloth) by way of the capillary principle. If you lower your air pressure and use more diluted paint you will be able to spray crisper lines and areas like in this t-shirt painting. The process will be slower, since you need to spray in more layers, but you will be able to spray sharper images.

 

[afterdark]

Try washing them inside out first, then remove the excess lint with a lint roller and iron. I found this stops the loose threads from collecting paint and sitting on top of the actual t-shirt giving you that dirty, muddy appearance. I use masking tape to secure the shirt when pulled tight over my board, gives a clean hem at the bottom and round the collar.