AIRBRUSH INFO FOR BEGINNERS

There are a good books out there for beginners to advanced users. One of the BEST books for beginners is “The Ultimate Airbrush Handbook” by Pam Shanteau. It not only covers equipment and mediums, she offers learning exercises and covers how to paint on a variety of surfaces.

Another great book is “Advanced Airbrush Art - How to Secrets from the Masters” by Timothy Remus, again about motorcycles, but there are techniques you can use on any project in there.

I suggest that people start with a dual action brush, not single action, as you’ll have much more control over your paint and air ratios, which means less frustration. I use a Badger 155 Anthem, as I do not have to change needles to get finer or wider sprays. My old Badger 150 had 3 different needles and tips, which was a pain to have to switch needles all the time. Its bad enough I am constantly switching between color jars! You can find some great airbrushing supplies on ebay, just be sure to read the seller’s feedback and do some research on what you are buying.

In the books I mentioned, the artists tell you which brushes they use, but I guess it all just boils down to personal preference for the weight, how it draws paint (side, siphon, gravity feed, etc), and other factors.

Water-based paints for airbrushing have come a long way, but I do not recommend them for a beginner unless you make a pact with yourself to keep the paint flowing! If you set the gun down for a minute, the acrylics WILL clog the brush. I use Createx acrylics occasionally, but just love the way the automotive paints flow much better. I use House of Kolor products, and there are kits available with 1 or 2 ounce bottles, ready to spray. If I do any t-shirts, then I go back to the Createx, but I use a separate gun strictly for the acrylics so I don’t contaminate my automotive paints by getting any acrylic gunk stuck in the gun.

Hope that helps a bit, and until next time, Peaceful Journeys. :)
Eclectic Dawn