My video tuition experience...

markjthomson

AKA QuickDraw and very happy #nobrushleftbehind
Staff member
Admin
So, the other month when I realized i couldn't get the dollars together for a 2 week course I decided to buy a watch... which I enjoy and with the change I got the @airbrushtutor video tutorial with the Cameron Diaz portrait. This is the third of Mitch's tutorials I've purchased with the others being two reading formats, the eye and the cat.

I found the video format very clear and easy to follow. This included the demonstrations for the practice and the various techniques, giving a good foundation for painting.

Now there is no way a video can replace a day to weeks intensive course where you can ask questions but this goes a long way to learning. I found part way through the tutorial that I was working out better ways to map out the work as I began to understand the detail that needed to be communicated.

All in all the video tutorial is great value for money (and of course I have Mitch at my place whenever I want just so long as I don't mind him saying the same thing every time... :) ). If you can't get to a course go spread some love Mitch's way and get the video!!

Cheers Mark
 
I totally agree ,we should support him the way he has supported us .
 
He has a cat video? Maybe I'll check that out to support him and this forum. I've gotten so far in airbrushing with this forum and Mitch's YouTube videos I should be able to put out some cash for it lol
 
Thanks for taking the time to review this Mark. I've procrastinated about buying instructional videos for awhile, I thinks this has helped guide me in my decision.
I do like that Mitch has made sure their is a "fur" piece as well as a "face" piece.
 
Ah, to be sure... the fur is a book format (along with the eye and the German) the video is the Cameron Diaz one.
 
Mark, I'm just getting started and have been reading, watching Utubes and practicing the basic strokes. I've made and played with a few universal type stencils etc, and am getting to the point where I'm starting to understand composition and layering enough to have a ton of questions.

I'm looking at the Cat package, in your opinion is it suitable for a green as grass beginner, or should I look to something simpler?

I just started getting ready to have a try at the "Space Scene" in the free tutorials. As I start to mentally step through the process, I realize how far I'm reaching, jumping into it so early but also feel that I can't help but to learn from the experience, regardless of the outcome of the final product.
I seem to learn the best when it's "sink or swim".....
I'm hoping that once I get through that, I would be able to get a significant amount of understanding from the Cat book with the print and shoot package.

I'm used to videos as of late, as there are so many freebies on youtube, but I think the book format would be good for a paint, stop, read, paint approach to the learning process. I, like you, will probably NOT be going to a course, as much as I'd like to, it's not in the budget, and I live out of the circuit, such as it is, (I'm 5hrs fromNYC and don't really want to go there...) - I didn't get a Watch, I got nearly a full set of Wicked paints, and economy Airbrush and support gear, now it's up to me to NOT waste it...

I'd rather spend my book money here and support the group than send it to Amazon.

Thanks, Scott
 
Hi Scott, the "book" format is electronic, it's a PDF but the explanation is good and with the other youtube info you should be fine. I use it on my tablet. What that measn is if you want to start at 2 in the morning you can. If you are working through the exercises I wouldn't class you as a "green" beginner... :) I started with the eye first then did the cat. I think the cat is the easier of the two but both of them are within your reach I suspect if you are comfortable with the exercises. There are a couple of good tutorials Mitch does on the eye and they lend themselves nicely to what gets done in both. Most of the detail with the cat is created with erasing. Both of them involve colour matching - an interesting exercise in frustration but worth working through! Nice thing about the video tutorial is there is no colour matching as it is B&W! See what you can find on fur textures. There are a few around. Dru Blair has one, I think Squishy has a youtube on it as well. In short, either would work well!! I'm trying the German for Christmas - that looks like a solid challenge... gulp! I have a piece of clayboard for that one... I'm also going to re do the cat on clayboard... Let me know what you decide... I'm waiting with baited breath :)

Cheer Mark
 
Mark,
Thanks for the useful information. I think I'll give it a try, but I'm going to work through the Space scene 1st.

Today I cut some large circles stencils and shot Wicked black basecoat on a 22 x 28" sheet of (already black)Elmers foamboard and a sheet of 9 x 12 sketchpad paper (as a trial/warmup/color testing sheet), so that's cured out well by now. I just reduced an ounce or so of Wicked white so I'm ready to go.

The wicked line/W500 seems to change as it sets the 1st 15 minutes to an hour, must be starting to cure as they say there's a pot life around 6 hours or so. I have learned to premix black and white ahead, that way you don't have to re-reduce on the fly. I'm a late nighter as it seems you guessed and I may have at the white layer tonight when it strikes me, at least on my test sheet. Gotta now, paint is mixed. Layout time...

I too am drawn to Dru's hair package - the Wolf, the hair thing seems to be difficult, (although maybe not as bad as it seems?) but feels in reach some how, as a step toward works like the German, There's a lot going on there, close up faces are merciless, and I need to work up to that.
I read about using an electric drafting eraser for fur - is that how it's done in the cat book?
the Cat book seems to me to be challenging enough that I'll have to reach, but in reach enough I won't become totally discouraged.

I plan on printing it into a 3-ring binder, I just can't get used to reading pdfs onscreen, and that will allow me to use it as a reference as I work.

Good luck with the German, and thanks for your advice, based on it, I think I'll try the cat, then move to the eye.
If I get good at those 2, We'll see have a try at The German (by then you'll have been through that, and can tell me how easy it is)

Thanks, Scott
 
Very cool. Erasing is done with scalpels, eraser pencils and electric eraser... Look forward to seeing how you go!
 
Mark,
Thanks for the useful information. I think I'll give it a try, but I'm going to work through the Space scene 1st.

Today I cut some large circles stencils and shot Wicked black basecoat on a 22 x 28" sheet of (already black)Elmers foamboard and a sheet of 9 x 12 sketchpad paper (as a trial/warmup/color testing sheet), so that's cured out well by now. I just reduced an ounce or so of Wicked white so I'm ready to go.

The wicked line/W500 seems to change as it sets the 1st 15 minutes to an hour, must be starting to cure as they say there's a pot life around 6 hours or so. I have learned to premix black and white ahead, that way you don't have to re-reduce on the fly. I'm a late nighter as it seems you guessed and I may have at the white layer tonight when it strikes me, at least on my test sheet. Gotta now, paint is mixed. Layout time...

I too am drawn to Dru's hair package - the Wolf, the hair thing seems to be difficult, (although maybe not as bad as it seems?) but feels in reach some how, as a step toward works like the German, There's a lot going on there, close up faces are merciless, and I need to work up to that.
I read about using an electric drafting eraser for fur - is that how it's done in the cat book?
the Cat book seems to me to be challenging enough that I'll have to reach, but in reach enough I won't become totally discouraged.

I plan on printing it into a 3-ring binder, I just can't get used to reading pdfs onscreen, and that will allow me to use it as a reference as I work.

Good luck with the German, and thanks for your advice, based on it, I think I'll try the cat, then move to the eye.
If I get good at those 2, We'll see have a try at The German (by then you'll have been through that, and can tell me how easy it is)

Thanks, Scott
How is that Spirit air 180 working out? I saw it on Ebay for like $25.00. It looks like an Iwata, does it spray like one?
 
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