How to Do Custom Airbrush Work
Airbrushing is a useful craft to learn. It can be used for many reasons, including accessorizing jeans, walls or cars. You can also use it to touch up or repaint automobile scratches or to apply makeup for a photo shoot. Whatever the reason, knowing how to do custom airbrush work can be beneficial. It is also an easy skill to pick up--it just requires a certain degree of practice and a certain understanding of the tools.
Things You'll Need
- Air compressor
- Airbrush gun
- Airbrush paint
- Sheets of paper or plastic
- Masking tape
- Sandpaper
- Primer
- Microfiber rag
- Design stencils
- Clear coat paint
Instructions
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Practice with your airbrush. The best way to get better with your airbrushing is the same as any other skill: practice, practice, practice. Learn all about your airbrush before trying to master it. The way to get started and use an airbrush is simple--hook your air compressor's hose up to the back of your airbrush gun. Put airbrush-grade paint into the reservoir on the gun. Turn the pump on and hold the gun in your right hand. Place your thumb or forefinger over the air release trigger and use your other free hand to help steady your gun. Hold the airbrush about 4 to 6 inches from the subject, and press the button to release air and paint. Spray your canvas with light, quick strokes. Many light layers are more visually appealing than a single thick stroke. Do this practicing on scrap paper or scrap materials before moving onto your actual canvas.
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Place your canvas upright if possible. If airbrushing paper, try to tape it to an easel. If you are applying make-up, have the actress sit upright. Only do this if you can--obviously unless you remove the hood of a car, for instance, you won't be able to make it upright.
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Tape off any parts of the canvas that you don't want paint to cover. Although you may not mean to paint something, you may accidentally spray onto that area--even a few drops or splatters could ruin your subject. Tape over anything that you don't want ruined by paint. If you can't tape over it, place a plastic bag over it and tape the bag around the surface. On a car, for instance, you always want to mask (tape up) the windows, wheels, mirrors and chrome.
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Wash and sand down the previous coating on your canvas. If you are repainting a car, sand it down a little so that you have a rough texture to adhere your primer to. If you are painting on paper or skin, this won't be necessary. Don't sand everything off--just make it so that the primer can stick evenly to every part you want painted.
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Fill your airbrush reservoir up with airbrush primer and spray it evenly over the whole of the canvas. Use short, quick, light strokes of your airbrush to accomplish this. After the first layer of primer is applied, put a second layer on as well. Allow both layers of primer to dry before moving on.
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Sand down the primer with wet sanding--that is, dampen your sandpaper (800 grit works well), and gently sand the top of your primer layer. This will, again, add texture to the layer and allow the paint to adhere easier. Wipe the dust off of the primer with a microfiber rag.
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Place your custom decal stencil on top of your canvas. This will be where you want the paint to go, so position it properly. If you are going to paint free-hand, without the aide of stencils, ignore this step. Otherwise, tape the stencil into place.
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Spray your color layers onto the canvas. Start with the basic background color, and work up to the topmost colors, or the detail colors (such as highlights or lowlights). Reposition the stencil, or add a new one between layers, if necessary. After all the paint has dried, remove the stencil and move on.
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Use the wet sanding technique to sand down the topmost layer of paint on your custom artwork. This will, again, add texture and allow the clear coat to bond to it easier. Wipe off the painting with a new rag.
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Apply a layer of clear coat onto the finished artwork. You get the clear coat in either aerosol form (like a spray can) or in airbrush style. Place the clear coat in the airbrush reservoir and spray it lightly onto the top of the painting. Use light, quick strokes again and allow the coat to dry. Remove all the tape and/or stencils that you previously may not have removed at this point. Your custom airbrush work is done.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit graffiti image by Gudellaphoto from Fotolia.com
