Wake in delight

[sky_drifter]

Recently I experienced an enlightenment of sorts. In previous years, the need for original reference material lead to another of my passions; black and white photography. I was seduced and lost for years in a dark world of isolation, chemical fumes, and odd names like Linhof and Schneider.

I was truly lost, but a turn of fortune has me rediscovering the joy of drawing, and so enlightenment strikes and the world opens up with a vivid vibrancy long masked.

Joking aside, 12 months ago, I discovered that the seemingly immortal Paasche Turbo was out of production after a 100 year run. I went into a heightened state of absolute panic, and purchased numerous packs of needles, new bearings, a new power wheel, as well as walking arm, I gained an unused but seized Turbo from ebay. I was prepared...

It soon became obvious that the Turbos were a resource to be preserved, savoured like a fine tea. My stable of a Turbo and a VJR (0.23 and 0.5) were suddenly inadequate, so I leapt into the world of conventional airbrushes, previously exclusively used for blocking-in colour. The idea of detail airbrushing without a Turbo had never entered my mind. It's a whole different skill set.

I started my journey with an Iwata HP-BH followed by two H&S infinitys. I learned about, and in my search for a micron, I encountered Toshiya Takeshima and his Olympos online outlet. This lead to my purchasing some dozen and a half airbrushes over the months, direct from Japan. I understand a lot more about airbrush design now, and have enjoyed customising the rest of my star Olympos airbrushes (previously Toshi customised some for me).

All this revolutionised my visual process with new methods of texturing and layering. It has me tingling with excitement sometimes as the images form.

Currently I reside in Perth Western Australia. I am exploring the potential of fluid graphite by Kuretake (Japan).

In the distant past I designed and illustrated bookcovers for a small publisher, but these days my images are entirely for my own sense of achievement.

 

[SiRoxx]

Welcome! Those are some pretty looking brushes. I’m looking forward to seeing some of your work.

 

[Kingpin]

Welcome sky, I didnt know a lot about the turbo brushes so went to the tube to watch a video and I think I now need one in My life so thanks for that

Look forward to seeing what You produce with that fluid graphite, again not heard of it before so should be interesting

 

[sky_drifter]

Welcome! Those are some pretty looking brushes. I’m looking forward to seeing some of your work.

Thank you for your welcome, and particularly your appreciation of my favourite Olympos brushes. I have removed the needle limiters and installed low profile valves and triggers on the Microns (Toshi customised the Special). They sit very comfortably in my hand, like a favourite pen. It's worked out rather nicely. There's something indescribably beautiful about airbrushes I believe.

 

[tatocorvette]

There's something indescribably beautiful about airbrushes I believe.

Hello,

Welcome!
I am a photographer, and love B/W. I collect, restore and use vintage cameras but that's another story. The same passion I have for vintage cameras has spilled to airbrushes now and I fully agree with this statement. And that may be the reason why I have a dozen but use only 1

My use of airbrush is a different application than most folks here but I absolutely love seeing the wonderful work of all the forum members.
Looking forward to see your work.

Thanks,
Ismael

 

[sky_drifter]

Welcome sky, I didnt know a lot about the turbo brushes so went to the tube to watch a video and I think I now need one in My life so thanks for that

Look forward to seeing what You produce with that fluid graphite, again not heard of it before so should be interesting

Thank you Kingpin, sorry about the Turbo bug... seems folk don't know how much they cost when in production. I paid AUD 750 for mine in the early nineties.
The one I picked up on ebay was an interesting purchase, I had to completely dismantle it to free it up, but it was clear that it had never been used. The needles supplied were 3 mm too long! So the unfortunate first owner didn't figure this out and lost enthusiasm it would seem. It's running really well, but it is not finely tuned yet. There are various tweeks to be made such as sharpening the needle and optimising its arc as it feeds into the needle bearing.

Hello,

Welcome!
I am a photographer, and love B/W. I collect, restore and use vintage cameras but that's another story. The same passion I have for vintage cameras has spilled to airbrushes now and I fully agree with this statement. And that may be the reason why I have a dozen but use only 1

My use of airbrush is a different application than most folks here but I absolutely love seeing the wonderful work of all the forum members.
Looking forward to see your work.

Thanks,
Ismael

Thank you Ismael,

we could have quite a chat about old cameras, I have a few hanging around here. There's quite a similarity between us there, the two technologies are in some ways symbiotic I suddenly realise... a little like a comfortable pair of odd gloves perhaps.

I'd be interested to hear more about your application of airbrush - it's a unique experience for each of us no doubt.

My avatar is the greater part of my logo designed decades ago, and that tight discipline is no longer a feature of my images, which are now fairly self-centric and created with little or no masking. It's not for everyone I suspect, but time will tell.

 

[Kingpin]

I had a bit of a read up on them earlier and the consensus was that they need to tuned but once they are there they produce some amazing detail.
Might have to wait till I win the lottery till I can afford one

 

[sky_drifter]

I had a bit of a read up on them earlier and the consensus was that they need to tuned but once they are there they produce some amazing detail.
Might have to wait till I win the lottery till I can afford one

Yes Turbos are pretty much in the same price bracket as the Iwata Micron ( Olympos Micron still at a good price). I've suddenly become aware of it sitting new and unused in a box. What a waste. There's food for thought there.

 

[sky_drifter]

I had a bit of a read up on them earlier and the consensus was that they need to tuned but once they are there they produce some amazing detail.
Might have to wait till I win the lottery till I can afford one

I don't often look,, but they are fewer now than a decade ago, it is possible to pick them up at more reasonable prices.

 

[Kingpin]

I will keep a look out for one

 

[sky_drifter]

I had a bit of a read up on them earlier and the consensus was that they need to tuned but once they are there they produce some amazing detail.
Might have to wait till I win the lottery till I can afford one

It's an interesting task tuning a Turbo, especially if you have replaced the power wheel bearings. It's all pretty much common sense though, if you are mechanically minded at all.

 

[tatocorvette]

Hello,

The Turbo is a mechanical jewel that can be traced back to Peeler's original design of 1879. But it is a specialized tool. I wonder how many were purchased for the wrong application only to be forgotten and have been decaying in a dark box or drawer for decades. Those are the ones we, The Rescue Squad are after.

Thanks,
Ismael

 

[sky_drifter]

Hello,

The Turbo is a mechanical jewel that can be traced back to Peeler's original design of 1879. But it is a specialized tool. I wonder how many were purchased for the wrong application only to be forgotten and have been decaying in a dark box or drawer for decades. Those are the ones we, The Rescue Squad are after.

Thanks,
Ismael

Quite so... I find the same with typewriters, but that's another story and obsession.

Not really sure how to use this forum yet, but I'm glad you opened the opportunity to reflect on the Turbo and how it has influenced my image making. The Turbo provides the most exquisite delicate tones, truly magical. The sensory experience of watching an image form whilst balancing the whine of the brush is immersive and enveloping. For myself though (I realise now) the Turbo was limiting.

Back when there was no world wide web, and compressors weren't cheap, there was an airbrush manual by Peter Owen and Jane Rollason, a Turbo, a VJR, and myself. Come to think of it, until I joined this forum, I had not compared notes with anyone knowledgeable, so I pretty much made it up as I went along.
My current avatar was drawn for my business card, and is a good example of my unforgiving technique of the day.
Skip forward a few decades, and I find myself having recovered from injury (which had made it impossible to draw). My world just opened up, and images were forming as if by themselves. As well, I find a world of internet information and inspiration, knowledgeable people abounding, particularly here, and this brings me to my point.

Working with only a Turbo and a 0.23 conventional brush, I was locked in to the conventional techniques of masking and the goal of a super smooth image. Detail became a quite limiting obsession.

Having invested in a range of conventional airbrushes (and one paint gun), and in welcoming new ideas and techniques from tutorials kindly provided, my creative world has opened up, and I draw freehand with conventional airbrushes, limiting masking to creating textures.

Ahhh,,, textures... my new obsession - free of the constraints (which I had created) with the super detailing Turbo, and a host of new techniques previously unknown to me

Thank you for reading.

 

[Franc Kaiser]

Welcome to the forum from China!