Starting to Airbrush

[Mr.Chris]

Hi all. I have never airbrushed before and to be honest not a very good drawer. ive been watching videos on youtube and looking at airbrush artwork on the internet and would like to give it a go. My only worry is how hard it actually is, as videos on youtube make it look very easy. I dont want to go and spend money on all the equipment to find out its frustrating. Obviously like evrything its all about practice.

If some of you dont mind anwsering these questions then i would be very greatfull.

What made you start Airbrushing ?
How long did it take to get the hang of it ?
Did you have any teaching or just buy an Airbrush and start doodling with it ?
How long did it take to confidently say, I can airbrush ?
Would you recommend someone with not alot of artistic skills to start airbrushing ?

 

[airbrushtutor]

Hi Chris - welcome mate!
i have to say that i was extremely motivated to begin airbrushing in the beginning and didn't feel i had to decide if i should start or not? i had to.
you're exactly right - it is all about practise, practise, practise.

I started after seeing it at a car show and they were airbrushing amazingly realistic artworks and cool custom designs. I couldn't believe humans were capable of this.
it took me around 80 hours of practise before i began to do my own artworks.. they were basic artworks but i took my time and still have them today - one of them i couldn't do better to this day. I started learning with an airbrush school and ended up working for them, i'd come home and airbrush for the rest of the day.
120hrs before i was confident to say i could airbrush.
I can't draw to save my life - the advantage of airbrushing is that the majority of pictures are traced out before doing the design. If you can draw then you can certainly implement this into your artworks but you don't need it. I can't draw a line straight.

It takes alot of practise and reasonable commitment and i'd say 3 full weeks of practise before someone would confidently say they can airbrush. have seen this before. Some people are naturals though and do pick it up easier than others.. just depends on your determination. hope this helps mate..

 

[Vanir]

Hi Chris!
Well is not that hard as you may think it is. But it's also not a piece of cake Main thing to learn in airbrushing is not how to airbrush, or how to control an airbrush nor reducing a paint. Main thing to do is learn how to think, like an artist Best tutorials on YT I've ever found were made by Ryan (I think) from BerserkCustomPaint. He really explains everything in simple way. And then AibrushTutor have appeard and he made some good stuff too.

And about your questions...
1. I'm an artist for years and this was another step in making an art.
2. Well... 18 months for now. But I was able to airbrush quite well within one or two months.
3. Nope. My only teachers were guys from YT- BerserkCustomPaint, PureJaime, Cory Saint Clair, and some other guys. And AirbrushTutor now But I have good basics with drawing and traditional painting so it was a bit easier to me.
4. If you're stubborn and you can use good advices given by better guys it's about a month to airbrush good. But to be a pro you need to practice for years.
5. Of course yes everybody have artistic skills, you need to reveal them.

Try with some simple stuff. Very very simple. And with sketching. If you get the basics, you'll do everything just with patience, time and practice.
Best regards,
Vanir

 

[Darren]

I would say that it does not matter if you can draw or not, anyone with practice can produce decent artwork with an airbrush. If you practice something for long enough you will get the hang of it. With airbrushing there are many aids like stencils, masking etc.

The best thing to do is to purchase the kit, set it up and just start doodling with it as you suggest, getting stuck in will give you confidence and is the best way to get started.

The time will vary greatly from person to person to how long it takes for you to start producing decent results, some people will pick it up quick and others will take much longer.

 

[Pauly]

I had to give my response to your questions some serious thought so as not to first off offend anyone and secondly not to make myself sound like an art-snob. It took me a long time to accept the fact that there are some people that are amazing painters that can't draw a lick. I was friends with someone when I did my undergrad degree that was a very good painter. He did 95% abstracts, but even his realistic stuff was really awesome. There a a lot of airbrush artists out there that do amazing things with stencils, shields and masks. And when push comes to shove, it's the end result that matters.

Now my artistic voyage started out in drawing from the womb practically. My medium of choice (in drawing) is colored pencil and graphite. But I have dabbled in charcoal and pen and ink. I also draw caricature using markers (Kopek) and prisma color sticks. I do them at amusement parks, yes I'm a carney. But I have tried to paint in pretty much every medium known to man. Oil, acrylic, watercolor, tempra, guach... I hated pretty much every minute of it.

So I started to dabble in airbrush. I have a pretty big family and we try to make our gifts for christmas (and I love that), so I decided to airbrush some simple designs on shirts. That really was about it, I didn't do much more than lets say Elmo wearing a santa hat. I have always admired people that showed skill and mastery with an airbrush. So one day I was at my local art store (and this is in my bio too) and i was admiring a video on airbrushing and the manager said that he was surprised that I didn't do more because I draw so well. So I decided to take it a step further and take it seriously. Keep in mind there wasn't Youtube when I first started, so it was just trial and error. But living in the information age, I youtubed and found some amazing videos (and some not so amazing ones too). But my two favorites were (of course) Airbrush Tutor and Beserkcustomepaint. And now I'm hooked.

Do I consider myself an airbrush artist... NO. But I am an artist. The airbrush will just add to my repertoire. I can't give you a time-stamp on when you will feel like an airbrush artist. That will be felt in your heart, but as long as you keep at it, it will come.

There's an old saying, How do you get to Carnegy Hall from here? Practice, Practice, Practice.

Good luck my friend.

 

[Mr.Chris]

Thanks to all replys.
After reading them all a few times i think im going to give it ago. One comment that really stood out from airbrushtutor Saying it didn't feel i had to decide if i should start or not? i had to. for the past few days sat in work its all ive thought about. I keep thinking of things i want to paint and what diffrent thing id like to paint on when i feel im good enough (few years yet ). People are walkiing past me with objects and all i think is i would like to airbrush a skull on that . Ive still been watching youtube videos and looking at pictures and some of the things ive seen i cant belive are done with an airbrush.

Hopfully this weekend im going to find my local art and crafts shop and see if they sell anything airbrush as i dont want to just order any off the internet. If not i think i saw another thread on the forum suggesting what airbrushes other people are using so ill order a starter kit from somewhere.

Thanks again people.

 

[autoart]

Hi Chris,
Good to here you're gona give it a go. Just remember if your having a bad day, don't give up, just take a break and think it through then go back to it with a fresh approch (and don't forget this forum) lots of help here!!!
I started with the basics (dots, lines and dagger strokes etc.) using food colouring on news print then only after mastering that I tackled paint (new set of problems) keeping your airbrush clean is very important now, get to know your airbrush well (strip it right down at the end of each day and clean it well) next thing is get creative and have fun!!!
Cheers Lou

 

[airbrushtutor]

Good to hear it Chris! make sure you do your research and ask any questions you have - you really only need one airbrush to do you for life but you'll likely want to add others to your collection - it's often worth it to spend a bit more initially on the right set up! Will see you around the forum bud!

 

[Zippy]

I studied art & design at school & always loved drawing as a kid. When i left school i become a printer but had to attend college & did more stuff there to do with freehand drawing etc

I also got into graffiti which is when i first found out about airbrushing but never actually gave it a go. That was all 20 odd years ago & until last year hadn't done any sort of art since then.

Since i started driving at 18 ive been into cars, bikes & the custom world & i still show at UK events which is why my interest in airbrushing never died.

Last year i thought instead of just thinking about it i'd get off my backside & give it a go. I booked a 1 day lesson with an experienced airbrusher just to see how i felt & if i could do anything. My first attempts are on here somewhere.

You asked Would you recommend someone with not alot of artistic skills to start airbrushing ?

My answer to that is YES, no doubt what so ever if you take your time, be patient & dont set your expectations to high when you first start.
The wife of the guy who i did the course with had no artistic skills to start with but she kept at it with his help & now she works alongside him doing airbrushing for a living & doing some great work.

Follow Tutors basic video doing the dots, lines etc & you will soon pick it up (gets very boring but will worth it)

 

[Phoenix]

Hi in answer to your Questions.
What made you start Airbrushing ? I had always liked the photo realism people got from airbrushing
How long did it take to get the hang of it ? about 2 months spending a lot of time at it
Did you have any teaching or just buy an Airbrush and start doodling with it ? No teacher just you tube and a book
How long did it take to confidently say, I can airbrush ? About 8 months but we still learn as we go
Would you recommend someone with not alot of artistic skills to start airbrushing ? Yes as I have seen really great work from people who use stencils to start their work

 

[swampig]

I cant draw for nothing but ive started using stencils and you can get excellent results. try and get multi layered ones if possible. you can then free hand highlites etc to remove the "stenciled look" this is where the dagger stroke and blends come in so make sure you practice these techniques.

 

[Pauly]

As far as artistic skill goes, you have to start somewhere. The more you do, the more comfortable you will become and the better you will be. Someday you will even be comfortable enough to call yourself an artist. As well as being an artist, I am also a magician. However I didn't call myself a magician as soon as I picked up my first deck of cards. I use to say that I am not a magician, I "do tricks". Well that changed one day when I was driving to the magic shop. I was working on a trick that I created but it just wasn't working out. Well then it hit me, what would happen if I had moved my hand over to the right. I pulled over my car, took out my equipment and did the trick and by golly it worked every time since then. From that moment on, I considered myself a magician.

My point is, that you don't hit the ground running. I've been drawing all my life, but have only been using an airbrush for a brief period of time. Do I consider myself an artist? Absolutley! Do I consider myself an "airbrush artist"? No, not yet. But I know that I will have that same "A-ha moment" with my airbrushing that I had with my magic trick and it will be a game changing moment. And I have faith that you will also.

 

[Fire Brush]

Hi all. I have never airbrushed before and to be honest not a very good drawer. ive been watching videos on youtube and looking at airbrush artwork on the internet and would like to give it a go. My only worry is how hard it actually is, as videos on youtube make it look very easy. I dont want to go and spend money on all the equipment to find out its frustrating. Obviously like evrything its all about practice.

If some of you dont mind anwsering these questions then i would be very greatfull.

What made you start Airbrushing ?
How long did it take to get the hang of it ?
Did you have any teaching or just buy an Airbrush and start doodling with it ?
How long did it take to confidently say, I can airbrush ?
Would you recommend someone with not alot of artistic skills to start airbrushing ?

Hi Mr. Chris! I've been a professional mixed media artist and sculptor for 36+ years, but I stink when it comes to 2D drawing. Drawing is only one of the things you can do with an airbrush, so don't let that keep you from the fun!

I purchased my first airbrush about 7 years ago, a Badger 360, because I wanted to experiment with a new (at that time) process to use in the studio. I purchased my second airbrush last year: An Iwata Kustom Micron CM, because I needed a tool that would do super fine detail and stand up to the daily use of solvents. The Iwata is a dream to use! It will be my brand choice from here out.

I didn't have any formal instruction (never have in any of the mediums I've worked in), just picked up the tool and started to play.

As far as the rest goes....it's all about practice and play. An artist is never done learning. Experimentation in your medium is a life long journey! Enjoy!

 

[Mr.Chris]

HI all,
Thanks for replys and giving me the confidance to start airbrushing. i got myself a little kit of the internet a couple of weeks ago but not managed to reply on here to all of you. ive finally gone and got myself some printer ink so i can print of the tutor tutorials. ive still be practicing the main training techniques. i also got abit carried away one night, made a stencil and thought i could detail it. how wrong was i . ended up getting abit annoyed, putting the airbrush down and walked away. apart from than then i am enjoying it. struggeling abit with the blending lines as the end up looking like steaming dog mess but they are getting better as time goes by. i do outlines of stencils sometimes so it makes it look like i can airbrush just to make myself feel better about just doing lines and dots all the time.

 

[eenasha]

I have been airbrushing off and on for about a year. I can't say that I am an airbrush artist yet but someday I will. Car shows and murals at a campus near me is what made me want to airbrush. I love doing potraits of people and airbrushing can give you the most realistic look ( well not with my airbrushing skills ) I consider myself very artistic so for me it was easy to choose airbrushing. My 16 year old brother just started airbrushing as well. He is not very artistic but by using stencils and different effects he is able to create some amazing work. It's not cheap hobbie to get into but it could be worth it.

 

[Anjali Mishra]

There are many airbrushing skills that you can learn with spray paint because you can do the same spray painting effects with an airbrush. You need to look into airbrushes that allow you to change colors quickly, like the harbor freight quick change airbrush, to be able to really transfer those spray paint art effects. There is actually a website entirely devoted to this. It's www.airbrushpaintingsecrets.com They specifically tell you how to use spray paint art effects with an airbrush. It's very cool.