How to Airbrush Clothes
Painting your designs on clothing with airbrushes can be a rewarding and creative outlet. Surprisingly, it takes very little effort to get started. The first thing you will need is the idea. This starts with a piece of clothing, such as a plain t- shirt, a jacket, jeans, or canvas shoes. Next you will need the design. Whether this is your own design, or one you bought or borrowed, lay it out on the article of clothing to visualize how this may look finished. You can draw or transfer the design to a hard piece of card board and cut a stencil for use with an airbrush gun.
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Things You'll Need
- Design
- Article of clothing ( t-shirt, jeans, jackets, etc.)
- Airbrush unit (compressor, hose, canisters for colors, nozzles)
- Airbrush paints
- Stencil of design
Instructions
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Picking out an airbrush may seem like an overwhelming task, but you have several options at your disposal. The most recommended airbrush equipment is a single action gun which has one flow of paint, or a double action gun, which allows you to control the amount of paint being expressed with a trigger. A small electric air compressor is usually used. You could use canned air but this eventually freeze up and creates problems with your paint. Some supply and hobby stores carry airbrush kits including everything you will need except the design and the stencil. Aside from the action of the brush, there is also the feed system. It seems most draw paint from a bottle or tank below the gun but some have a little 'hopper' on the top. The drawback of the gravity feed type using the 'hopper' on top is that the paint can spill out if you tip the brush and this system can't hold as much paint but it is easier to clean and change paint. than other types. The preferred unit is the vacuum feed using the original paint bottles which are situated below the brush.
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Getting a good source for your air supply is important. This is commonly an air compressor but you can also buy cans of compressed air that look like spray paint that attach to an airbrush. The canned propellant is only good for short bursts because the decompression will cause the gas to cool and will eventually freeze as it enters the gun and can ruin the spray job.
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Painting is when the fun begins. You are doing clothes so you need to get a high quality water based fabric paint. Regular paint, such as enamels and, to a lesser extent, acrylic will eventually wash out of clothing. Regular paint forms a hard surface that does not soak into the fibers of the fabric while fabric paint is much more of a liquid and "stains" the fibers.
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Using stencils is the way to go. Keep in mind, you can use whichever design you want. A thick sheet of paper or scrap cardboard will work. You need to break down the image you want into different colors and apply them in layers using different stencils. For example, you might have brown for the stump of a palm tree in one stencil and green for leaves and bushes in another stencil, or just freehand everything. The most useful stencil is a straight edge to give a clean line instead of a fuzzy line.
BAD 2503 Basic Airbrush Set by Badger
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Using this product will give you everything you need except paint and stencils. If you have an air compressor, with a pressure regulator, spend a little more money on the brush and skip the air in a can.
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Test your airbrush on scrap material before starting your project. It's best to get familiar with the equipment before trying to create your masterpiece. Lay your article of clothing out on a flat surface. Be aware of the over spray from your airbrush. You may want to do this project in a place where you don't have to worry about painting the surroundings. Place the stencil on the clothing and begin to spray using short bursts while moving your hand across the design. Continue this process until you've completed your design.
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Allow ample drying time as recommended on the labels of the paint you've used. Once your creation has dried you are ready to show it off. Be sure to follow the paint manufacturer's laundry instructions. And always clean your air brush so it will be ready to use in your next project.
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