Ever wondered how to airbrush on rubber? Well we came across this interesting video on how to airbrush on silicone and rubber. My guess is this would be best used when airbrushing a latex mask for special effects use. Anyhow the video seems a little bit dated but hey still useful nonetheless AND wait until the end, you get to see a pretty cool latex Mask and how it looks with an airbrushed skin texture.



Here's another video showing airbrushing on rubber masks. This mask was made by the dude himself. We've done some Airbrushing on masks for the Special Effects Group MIG who did work on the Matrix - So maybe if we can we'll try to post some of our own videos on how we went about airbrushing super realistic special effects masks.

Permalink

Twisted Arts was recently asked to paint a bike for a customer in Perth. Because the customer lived so far from Sydney he had never seen any of our work up close in person nor met Ryan or I. He had however seen pictures of an airbrushed grim reaper themed bike Ryan had completed a year earlier, which he admired. So when he contacted me his only design requirement was that he wanted a grim reaper themed bike that looked different from any other grim reaper bike we had done, cause lets face it, when it comes to airbrushed bikes the grim reaper has been done to death.

Ryan sent the customer some sketch designs of the main images to go on the bike, however what was going to make this bike different from other reaper bikes we had done in the past was the graphic. We decided on a graphic style we call ‘organic graphics’ which basically means a graphic like design that’s made up of freehand murals such as vines, chains horns, wood, stone or in this case bones.

Below are the steps we took to achieve both the mural image as well as the organic graphic which boarders the murals and ties the bike together.

Step 1.

With the bike already based black and prepared the tank, oil tank and guards of the bike were wiped down with wax and grease remover before application tape was placed over the surface of the pieces. Then using some fine line tape and a measuring tape the centerline of the parts was marked. We are then ready for drawing the graphic. The graphic works as a boarder for the main mural images that are to go inside. Rather than drawing the complete graphic at this point only one side of the graphic is drawn.

Step 2.

Once we are happy with the look of this side of our graphic it is cut out using a sharp blade knife and the inside of the graphic is removed. After our drawn up side has been cut and removed we then lay a second piece of application tape over the top of our cut out graphic. The graphic is then traced over using a pencil. (You can do this step before you cut out the graphic if you prefer however we find it easier to trace over the cut out graphic as it is easier to see through the app tape.)

Step 3.

 Carefully lift the top layer of application tape off without lifting any of the cut out graphic. This is why application tape is ideal for this type of work as it has very low adhesion and is less likely to stick to and lift your already masked areas.

Step 4.

Flip the traced out layer of app tape so that the sticky side is facing up. Once the graphic lines up to mirror the already cut out side hold the app tape in place with some masking tape. You can then trace over your lines pouncing your design on your first layer of app tape.

Step 5.

Once the graphic has been completely pounced and drawn up to mirror your cut side you are then ready to cut out the remainder of your graphic.

Step 6.

Finally we can pick up our airbrush or spray gun and base the inside of our graphic using white.

Step 7.

Once the graphic has been based, all the masking is removed leaving you with a black tank and a plain white graphic. We need to then back-mask our graphic so we can airbrush our mural in the center. You can use application tape, masking tape, sign mask or any other type of masking as long as you can see your graphic through it so you can cut around it. This time the entire graphic doesn’t need to be cut, just the centerpiece where the mural will go. The rest of the tank should be back-masked to protect it from overspray. White is then dusted down as a base so you can draw up your mural design.

Step 8.

After drawing up the image of the grim reaper on the tank we again laid down some app tape cut out and removed the background behind the reaper and sprayed it black before then applying a light coat of ALSA Mystic burning ice to ad some subtle colour. The mural masking was then removed and the base layers of the skull and bones were then airbrushed in with a light cream colour.

Step 9.

Once the base layer was completed more of the detail was airbrushed in using a red-shade gold, and then finer detail was airbrushed in using a mix of red-shade gold and black to give more depth and contrast.

Step 10.

With all the bone work complete the cloak was then airbrushed using ALSA tropical purple.

Step 11.

Black was then used over the darker shades of purple to give depth and contrast and the sickle was airbrushed in using a light grey followed by a charcoal colour.

Step 12.

With the grim reaper finished some white highlights were added to the sickle. Some light tones were added behind the reaper to give it some movement and a layer of smoke/fire was airbrushed in front of the reaper to give some depth to the image.

Step 13.

Finally some blue candy was dusted with the airbrush over the smoke/fire to match the colour scheme and a drop shadow was airbrushed around the graphic to push the whole mural back behind the graphic. All the graphic masking can now be removed.

Step 14.

With the graphic masking removed the graphic was then airbrushed using a black candy. Black candy works really well as it allows you to get very light tones using black but also allows you to build up the colour to get darker tones.

Step 15.

Once all touch ups had been made. The pieces are then both clear-coated and flow-coated. The final result.

Permalink

“I’m just not artistic!”
 I have been airbrushing for almost ten years now and it often happens that I hear things like this from friends who are just getting started in airbrushing. They go on by saying, “I’m not an artist, I can’t learn to airbrush. I can’t even draw a line.” If I had confined myself with these types of thinking years ago, I might not be here enjoying what I love to do everyday - AIRBRUSHING. So if you’re one of these people who think airbrushing is not for them, I hope that by the end of this article you will stop saying those types of excuses and instead, pick up an airbrush and give it a try.  

Being artistic is not a requirement

Let me start this by telling one thing you should know: No one was born knowing how to airbrush, not even the great artists that you know today. And while it is a form of art, it doesn’t mean that airbrushing is only for artistic people. Anyone, artistic or not, can airbrush because it’s just a matter of learning the basics and constant practicing.

Airbrushing is a continuous learning process and it will definitely take time before anyone can get good at it. So don’t pressure yourself learning the different techniques or doing complex artworks all at once. Just paint, relax and have fun! If you made a mistake…just go on! It’s just paint and what you will surely learn is how to turn a mistake into a positive element in the painting.

Basic tools for beginners

Airbrush stencils or templates are some of the basic tools which beginners can use to learn airbrushing. Even the best artists in the industry still use these tools occasionally so there’s no reason why you should not. Airbrush stencils are perfect for beginners because these control overspray and help you create sharp or complex shapes without requiring too much of drawing skills.  

Learning the basics soon enough

An average student can learn the basics of airbrushing in just one month of regular practice.  In such a short time, one can control the airbrush correctly, do simple designs like a skull and play with more color schemes and graphics. Learning advanced techniques and complex designs will follow as you take on more airbrushing exercises. And the longer you’ve been practicing, the more you become good at airbrushing.  

It’s just a matter of learning and practicing the basic skills until such time that you become more confident to do artworks requiring higher airbrushing skills. The trick or the magic here is not being creative outright but by gradually developing that sense of creativity through learning new and advanced airbrushing exercises. And hey, if you need some more proof, you can ask our students in our beginner’s airbrush course. Many of them were once one of the people who used to say “I’m just not artistic!”  

Want to learn the ABCs of airbrushing? Enroll now in our airbrush course for beginners. Call us at 0414 753 977 for more enquiries!

Permalink