Techniques in Airbrush Painting
“Necessity is the mother of invention”, is a common saying that can be applied to art of painting Airbrush Shirts. Today, the increasing need for high quality finished illustrations in every area of graphic design has brought an awareness of airbrush painting to a wider audience, though each illustrator has his or her own indispensable technique for all their future works. Airbrush Painting techniques are not so much definitive as they are derived by much experimentation by individual illustrators based on both the advantages and limitations of the airbrush. The Airbrush Painting techniques that are being detailed below are those which have a wider and more general application, be it creative or technically based.
The few general techniques of Airbrush Painting are:
Acetate Masking:
Acetate is a completely transparent, plastic material available in sheet or roll form and in a number of different thicknesses. It is useful in Airbrush Painting as a substitute for and complement to self adhesive masking film. The acetate mask can be used to cover the whole image or the cut or broken edge of the mask can be used as a loose mask. Since acetate is thin, like masking film, much care should be taken to place the sheet firmly against the painted surface to avoid any color from getting on the previously painted surface.
Angled Spraying:
This technique of painting Airbrush Shirts involves the blending of two colors without actually creating a hard or clearly defined edge between them. This is achieved by the distance of the airbrush held away from the surface of the artwork and the angle at which the airbrush is held in relation to the artwork surface.
Cardboard Masking:
The technique of the above Airbrush Painting is on the same lines of angled spraying. The advantage of cardboard is that it is readily available and inexpensive. Left over pieces from other studio projects can be used to cut out quite particular shapes accurately and create various edge effects. It is less versatile than acetate or film masking due to the fact that cardboard surfaces are opaque.
Film Masking:
The use of transparent self adhesive masking film in Airbrush Painting is the most popular method of artwork for protecting area that are currently not being worked on. Due to the transparency of the film it allows the covered area to remain visible which is extremely useful in judging the strength of the color and shading against those areas which are already sprayed. Excess or residual paint can be wiped off the surface using a damp cloth provided the paints used are water soluble after drying.
Lettering Technique:
The use of Airbrush Painting when flat or gradated color is required as a backdrop, or when a character or words are to be treated as objects and sprayed to give form. The typical example in which this Airbrush Painting technique is made use of is frequently is in the field of advertising. The rendering of words and letters used to create an impression that they are made of chrome, or some other highly reflective material.
Airbrush Painting is an acquired skill that requires practice, patience, careful planning and experiment. To produce successful work in Airbrush Painting, an understanding and awareness of color, light, tone, contrast and an ability to draw is essential.