Stay With It

The airbrush can be a great tool but in the same sense it can also be the most stressful thing you have ever put your hands on. The worst part about the hole thing is that everyone on the Internet teaching and on YouTube are all pros so they make it look very easy, and at the same time stressing you out because you cant do the same thing. My advise to you is to just stay with it, don't go into it thinking you will be amazing just do it for fun and the rest will come naturally.

Transparent vs Opaque Colors

When you get started in airbrushing the first thing behind an airbrush you need is paint. When you go to get your paint you will see that there is opaque colors meaning that they will cover the surface with out any prior preparation. Then you will see that there are transparent colors meaning that if you were to spray over a surface you would be able to see right threw it. To make the transparent color have some depth and to make it more brilliant you need to apply a white Cote on the surface and then spray on the transparent color. There are many many kinds of paint and different ways to use them but for the beginner you should just focus on getting the two basics down. The reason behind it is that the pigments are allot thinner in the transparent colors making them allot thinner or transparent.

Trimming your brush!

Most people when they get started they always get scared by other pin strippers because they will tell them their brushes will suck if you don't trim them properly. The worst part about it is that they will not show you how. But don't worry its nothing like they make it sound like all you have to do is trim some longer hairs off the tip so when you lift your brush you don't have any unwanted hair lines. I am not like most strippers that will NOT tell you anything anything i learn i share with everyone because it is better for everyone.

Dont Be Intimidated

 The biggest thing about people not wanting to pinstripe is that they think it has to be perfect. What may look perfect actually isn't the picture above is a very nice peace done by a professional and it looks good but allot of the lines are not the same at all. I was told by a pro that if any one gives you problems tell them your not a robot and wipe it off and tell them to go get a sticker. Hand done things are loved all over because of the fact that they are done by hand and every inperfection just adds a little character to that peace.

Instructional DVDs

The thing that allot of airbrush artists make most of their money on is actually demonstration DVDs and teaching lessons. Most artists wont tell you how to do things on like YouTube because they want you to buy the information form them. It sounds a little harsh but if you are telling all of your secrets on YouTube then you in fact are loosing allot of money. If you want to perform like the pros you will have to pay for it.

Paint

Water based paints are becoming more and more popular the Maine reason is that it is in fact water Born meaning that it is safe to use in your house. Along with it being safe it creates little to no over spray and if there is some you just use water to clean it up making it ideal for the average house hold painter. These colors are both bright and with the option of transparent colors. All of these painting options leave you lacking nothing compared to the most commonly used lacquer based.

Stencils

Most people when they get into airbrushing they go out and buy a bunch of stencils and just blow paint threw them this is OK but it doesn't look good and there is no skills being used. Most artists will take a stencil spray out the design and then go in with other colors making it 3D. Or there is another kind of stencil called a free hand stencil which means you have to do most of the work free hand but the stencil will give you some sharp edges. The free hand stencils are made up of many different curves to help you if u want a perfect line. these are most popular in doing true fire.

the cost of doing business

As you may already know by now that i have my one custom painting business. Now the part that some people don't understand is that just because you have your one business doesn't mean that you are making allot of money if any at all. The hardest part about it is that you don't make much money in the beginning because of the fact that most if not all of the money you make has to go right back into more supplies. After you have been at what ever your doing for a while you start to build up materials so that one you use a product you don't have to go spend money on more. Which leads to my favorite saying you have to spend money to make money.

One Shot vs House Of Kolor

Paint is something that allot of people will always argue about there are many different kinds and many different uses for them. The two most popular arguments are about pin striping paints, there is One Shot which is a urethane paint which means that you have to stripe on top of the clear coat (a clear coat that goes over paint to protect and give it a nice shine). The other kind of paint is House Of Kolor which is a lacquer based paint that you can paint on and then clear over it which is nice but that means that it will be on there for ever. One Shot has been use for many many years and is 100% proven. I personally like one shot because it flows way smoother than any other i have ever used. When you put it over the clear it is going to be on there for a long time but you can also take it off if you want to it is not a fun or easy task but people do it all the time. At the end of the day both of these products are both very good and can be used to get the job done.

my favorite brush

During my pin striping experiences i have been trying many different kind of brushes just to see the different kinds and if some are better than others for my stile. Like many people i started out with a mack brush and it has been and still is a very nice trusty brush. I later tried out a Kafka scroll brush and i have to say i wasn't very impressed with i couldn't for the life of me get it to leave a nice sharp tip. So after much frustration i went to the Syracuse nationals car show and they had some really nice deals. The brushes that i ended up with are the kustom shop size 0 and 00. These are easily my favorite brushes so far they are soft and turn corners very well. With minimum trimming i was striping everything i could get my hands on. Don't get me wrong the macks are great proven brushes used by many so aether way you will have a great brush.

The worst part of custom painting

I have currently received a helmet that one of my friends wants me to airbrush. The main idea of the helmet is going to be red bull which is cool because i haven't had the chance to do one yet. The worst part about painting is the masking off part and the fact that it is a helmet is even worse because it is round. In case you don't know flat things don't go around round things smoothly. It would be like putting a peace of paper around a basket ball without any bends in it. So I'm thinking that i will try a product called liquid mask that is a product that you spread on with a brush and when it drys all you have to do is cut out tour design. It works much like Elmer's glue it goes on white and drys clear. I will try this product and then do a review obout if it is good or not.

how i got started

I am a student in high school that is interested in almost any kind of art. I come from a family of many generations of body men. my grandpa is one of the greatest body men and old school custom painter around. And my dad also manages a body shop so I guess you could say its in my blood. I am currently in a auto body class at my local bosses so I can learn the new ways of the trade. I have Ben custom painting for a little over a year now and am learning new things every day. The first month after I got my airbrush I was already being asked to paint different things for people. I later found that if your airbrushing and pin striping that you can charge way more for any job. So i went to my grandpa and got right in to pin striping. Pin striping is one of my favorite art forms that requires allot of skill like a steady hand, a good eye, and time. The biggest down fall of this art is that people pick up a brush and try to be in business and that is almost imposable. So people end up getting mad at it and soon just quit. i have been doing it for six months and am just at the pint where I can start charging for my service. Any custom painting is hard and takes allot of time to perfect so take your time and have fun with it.