How to Airbrush a Skateboard
You can add your own style to anything nowadays. With the simple use of an airbrush and a little practice, you can place permanent, personalized designs on anything from motorcycle helmets to skateboards. Adding flair to your skateboard is a great way to stand out and show off your artistic skills. The style and difficulty of your painting, or whether it is freehand or stenciled, will determine how long the final product will take you.
Things You'll Need
- Skateboard
- Airbrush and airbrush paint
- Masking tape
- Protective goggles and masks
- Airbrush stencils
- Clear varnish
- Water
- 400-grit sandpaper
- Sheets of paper
Instructions
-
-
1
Set up your airbrushing space in a well-ventilated area. Place protective goggles over your eyes, and place your face mask over your mouth and nose. When airbrushing, always take the proper safety measures.
-
2
Practice honing your airbrushing skills. This project can be done easily with minimal practice, but to make it truly stand out and look professional, practice beforehand, and become familiar with your tools and airbrush gun. When holding the airbrush, always hold it in your dominant hand, with your thumb or forefinger over the button or lever that opens the air valve (usually located to the top or right side of the gun). Insert paint into the gun's reservoir, place your free hand on the gun to steady your stroke, and press the button. While spraying paint, hold the gun 6 inches away from the canvas, and use short, even, level strokes to apply the paint. Once you become proficient, move on to your project.
-
-
3
Unscrew the trucks and wheels from the bottom of your board. Also remove any rubber guards you may have. All that should be showing is the wood. If you don't feel comfortable unscrewing or removing the pieces, use masking tape and plastic to cover everything that you don't want covered in paint.
-
4
Take your sandpaper and dip it into water. Use the damp sandpaper to rub off any varnish or lacquer on the underside of the skateboard. Depending on the type of skateboard, or the paint job that was done to it before this project, you may have little or no varnish, or you may have a lot. Take your time when removing the coating, making sure to remove all of it. Once it's removed, however, be careful not to gouge or scratch the skateboard, as this may affect the paint application. Once the lacquer is completely removed, wipe a clean cloth over the surface to remove any dirt or debris left there by the varnish removal.
-
5
Tape multiple sheets of newspaper to a vertical easel or wall--this will be your work area. Once the paper is up, place the skateboard on the wall. If you can lean it in place, or tape it to the wall with masking tape (make sure the masking tape adheres only to spots on the skateboard that you won't need to paint.
-
6
Fill your airbrush reservoir with paint and press the button, using even, smooth strokes to cover your skateboard. Use light paints for your initial base coat if you wish to build on it. It will be covered eventually anyway, so a light color will interfere less with any overlapping colors you put on later. Allow this coat to dry.
-
7
Tape your stencil to the back of the skateboard if you want to use a stencil--place it where you want the design to go. If you are not using a stencil, mark with a pencil where and how you want the design to look. If using a stencil, make sure it is firmly in place with tape, and won't move when you start to spray it.
-
8
Spray the second coat of your design onto the skateboard. If you are using a stencil, be sure to press down on the stencil all around the edges, so paint won't find its way into areas you don't want it to go. Allow this layer of paint to dry before moving on to the next layer. Apply your next coat of paint and allow it to dry as well. Do this until you have added all the coats you need to finish your design.
-
9
Clean your airbrush reservoir and pour clear varnish into it. Spray the clear varnish over the skateboard, wherever you previously sanded the back of the skateboard removing any prior varnish. Cover the skateboard evenly in the same manner that you applied your initial coat of paint. This will give your skateboard a cleaner, clearer, more professional look. Once it's dry, remove it from the wall and admire your work.
-
1
References
Resources
- Photo Credit skateboard image by Angela Köhler from Fotolia.com
