Airbrush, Propellent

Among the many alter egos under my artist's beret, I used to do custom airbrushed tee shirts at craft fairs, art festivals and holiday boutiques. It was just another way for a struggling freelancer to make some money. I'd seen others do it, and, although I had never tried wielding an airbrush I thought to myself that, being the master at all things visual, how hard could it be to spraypaint?

It turned out to be a bit more difficult than I imagined, but, through perserverence, I managed.

But that's not the point of today's blog. My intent is to answer the oft repeated questions of "What kind of airbrush should I get?" And "What materials should I buy?" and other "How do I ... ?" queries on the subject. I'm far from being an expert in the medium, but I WILL share my experience with all who are curious. I particulary wish to address those who have never done this or are rank beginners, wondering what the next step might be.

First, I wouldn't recommend someone purchase any high end, top of the line airbrush. They CAN be expensive and, if the interest fails, then that initial investment is wasted. Most art supply and craft stores, hobby shops and the like should offer some nice beginner's kits for a fairly reasonable price. There are many for under $100. One might be able to find some of these kits, online for much cheaper, but I can't advise on any reliable sites. These kits should include a brush, hose, adapter regulator for propellent cans, one or two of these cans, a jar or two of paint and a couple of empty paint jars with caps. It should also include an instruction booklet and some advice on airbrush techniques.

The beginner should have everything needed to get started and get the feel of what airbrushing is about. Like any skill, and particularly with any new medium, it will take a LOT of practice before even an experienced artist produces any work that looks decent. It takes practice to get a uniform spray pattern across a line. It takes practice to control the amount of ink/paint flowing onto the surface. It takes practice to make a nice, smooth blend or gradation. It takes patience and time. The artist that wants to succeed in this medium must be willing to put in that time to get there.

Use the materials in the box. What additional inks and colors you get will depend on your specific uses. For a while, you'll be resupplying what you use up, long before you need to consider any upgrades. Some of your first suggested purchases:

Airbrush inks/paints need to be of an even consistancy. It's been described as the thickness of heavy cream. It should flow like melted ice cream, but not dribble like water. These inks, particularly the acrylics and enamels need to be filtered EVERY DAY. Any solid particles suspended in the ink will tend to clog up the spray tip, resulting in "spitting," which REALLY messes up the spray pattern, or worse, a complete stoppage of ink flow. Acrylics, particularly, once they solidify, cannot be thinned down and dissolved back into the ink. These need to be taken out before the day's spraying begins. I suggest one picks up a square foot to a square yard of silk screen material from the art supply store. One can cut out a couple of square inches of this material and roll it into a small funnel through which the inks can be filtered. Once used, this piece of filter material can be tossed out. For each day's use, the expense is pennies but can be worth hours of heartache later.

Next issue will be the propellant. Those cans that come with the kits are relatively expensive and have some inherent problems. They don't last long and replacement costs will add up over time. The other issue is related to the pressure the propellant is under. Within a few minutes of use, as the pressure in the can drops, the outside of the can will condense the moisture in the air and form a crust of frosty ice. It's the same principle by which air conditioning units work. As the crust of ice forms outside the can, it cools off the propellent inside the can. The colder the can, the faster the pressure drops. When the pressure drops low enough, it effects the spray pattern and evenutally stops spraying. And, at first, it's not that the propellent can is empty. It's just that the cold keeps the pressure down. If the can is left alone, the outside air thaws the icy crust, the can warms up and pressure rises again for further use. But this waiting time could be inconvenient. When I first started, I got into the habit of keeping two or three spare cans handy, so that when one can froze over, I'd switch cans so I could keep working while the cold ones warmed up.

But even this got to be pretty bothersome. I needed a better solution. I considered compressors. They make compressors, specifically for airbrush use, but, they were relatively expensive, and not at all useful in festival sites where there was no electricity available. I knew a few artists who utilized a used tire, filled with compressed air. But, for my booth, the look of a dirty tire in my workspace didn't sit well with me. Plus, the air contained limited the working time of any one fill up. Still, for a beginner, practicing his craft, this may be a good suggestion as a step up and improvement over the canned propellent from the art supply stores.

In my next post, I will cover what I learned about compressors of various kinds and other propellent sources, including the solution that I found best for my purposes. But for now, I want to mention a couple of other upgrades and supplies a beginner might need as he outgrows his first, basic airbrush kit.

For example, the hose. This is what connects the propellant source to the brush. Many of the basic kits will include a length of cheap vinyl tube. It certainly works but it does have issues. One is that it might not be flexible enough, has a tendancy to kink, and, in the sun, may weaken and literally expand like a balloon and pop. The solution is to get a nice, rubber hose that is wrapped in a woven, fabric sleeve. Much more flexible, resists kinking and the fabric sleeve gives it the strength to work under the most severe conditions that outdoor arts and crafts festivals might offer.

Other supplies: Extra ink bottles, caps and the special caps with the feeder tubes. I found it handy to keep some of the most commonly used colors already filtered and mixed for quick changes while working. Either a running water source or a tub, vat or jug of water for rinsing out the brush while changing colors or for easy clean up after a session. Lots of rags and or paper towels and other cleaning supplies. Exacto blades, pens, pencils, markers for cutting stencils. (a great time saver for those designs the proved to be most popular. I can't even TELL you how many '57 Chevy Bel Aire tees I created any single season) Plain old Manilla folders turned out to be a pretty good stencil material. They were flexible and durable. Plus, I had LOTS of old ones stacked up on a studio shelf because I was too cheap to throw them away. I found pipe cleaners pretty handy for picking out bits of acrylic clogging up the brush's innards. A handy toolbox for storing and organizing these supplies. I got a nice, heavy duty plastic one at a hardware store, about eighteen inches across, eight inches deep and twelve inches tall. It had three drawers with dividers and a nice well open from the top. It was perfect for working in the field or in my studio.

So, notice that I didn't mention specific brands or kits. My preference may not meet everyone else's needs. I hope, however, that in general terms, I've offered some help to beginners who just want to try out a new medium. As promised, in my next post, I will go into a deeper discussion about propellant sources.

Until then, cheers.

luv,

vince