How to Airbrush Pirate Murals

Pirate themes can make interesting murals.

Airbrushing can take some time to perfect, so stencils make a good starting point for beginners. Pirates are fun subject matter and there's plenty of images of them to choose from. Your mural will be more interesting if you add other pirate-themed imagery such as ships and skull and crossbones. You can either create your own stencils or buy ready made ones. Black and red are the colors most associated with pirates, but this can be adapted to suit the color scheme of the room where the mural will appear.

Things You'll Need

• Pirate stencils
• Pirate pictures (optional)
• Thin card (optional)
• Craft glue (optional)
• Masking tape
• Double action airbrush with air hose and air source
• Airbrush ready paints

Instructions

Airbrushing a pirate mural

1. Stick pirate images on to a thin piece of card with craft glue and cut out the desired shapes using a craft knife. (This step is only necessary if not using bought stencils.)

2. Attach stencils to wall using masking tape.

3. Attach airbrush to hose, air-source and paint according to manufacturer's instructions.

4. Hold airbrush in your hand as if it were a pencil. Your index finger should be on the trigger on the top.

5. Apply the paint to the cut out areas of your stencil by pressing down and pulling back on the airbrush trigger then lightly moving the airbrush across the area you wish to cover. The denser you wish the color to be, the further back you must pull the trigger. For larger areas hold the airbrush further from the wall, for smaller areas hold it closer. (See reference 1)

6. Leave paint to dry according to manufacturer's instructions and remove stencil.

7. Hold the airbrush just half an inch from the wall and use a darker color to add in fine lines and extra details if desired.

References

• "How To Airbrush.Com" : Airbrush Lesson one