Hello everyone, i'm new here and to the airbrush scene!

[Truelydeep]

Hiya everyone,

My names Mark and i'm from the UK, in a little place called Bristol. I've been in love with everything airbrush for a very long time! But, to be completely honest i've been a 'back seat' watcher, just checking out what everyone else has done and just let my jaw drop with some of the fantastic peices!

Now, i want to have a go myself..

For a living i am a bike mechanic (push kind, not motor kind), and i've always fancied the idea of being able to get frames, spray them and then airbrush different things on them!

Now alot of people say 'its in the heart' well, i really want to do this, however my artistic skills are far from 'good'. So, before i go and spend all my hard earned pennies on a compressor, spray gun, airbrush gun and paints and sanding blocks etc etc, should there be 'first steps?'

Like, should i make my drawing good before i try and get into airbrushing? I know i'll start out with stencils on airbrushing which seem to me like easier then drawing! Then learn to make things 3d and add details and go freehand as i go along..

Now i know it wont be a week and then i'm a pro, but get the basics right first huh! Mother used to always tell me 'walk before you can run son'

So yea, thanks for having me here and i hope to hear from you soon!


ttfn, Mark.

[don johnson]

welcome to airbrush technique.com

"i really want to do this" than there is no reason you shouldn't be able to, it's just paint go for it

[PaulDaniel]

Hey TD- welcome to the forum! Like I just got done telling someone else, this is the place to be. There are a lot of wonderfu airtist's on this site and they will give you the encouragement and the know-how to get good at airbrushing. I do warn you though...airbrushing is as addictive as crack!! LOL. good luck and have fun

[Truelydeep]

"airbrushing is as addictive as crack"

Good, cause i really need to lay off that stuff! Haha.. sorry, it was just there for the taking.

So with this then, basically, buy the stuff in and just jump in at the deep end as it were?

Being a begginer, do i need to buy good quality, branded gear? Like apart from the paints..

Dare i say it, i noticed a 'spraymaster' kit on e-bay which seemed like a good place to start? Please take a look

Dual Action Airbrush Kit W/2 Airbrushes & Compressor on eBay, also Airbrushes, Painting Supplies, Painting, Drawing Art, Crafts (end time 31-Oct-08 11:41:13 GMT)

If you could let me know what you think of that?

Or, wether its really worth spending loads more?

Basically, i want to get up and started for under £200 with paint if i can.. Just so i don't lay 'too much' on the line in the beginning, but, as with all my hobbies, once i get into it i will start spending way to many pennies!

ttfn, Mark.

[yardartnut]

hey MArk...welcome!

[PaulDaniel]

Hey True, As far as the money....I'm not up on European currancy so I'm not sure what the exchange rate on that kit would be. To be honest...I'm really not up on Spray Master either, but I can give you my advice anyway. Make sure that you look around and get the best prices for the best equipment that you need. It would suck for you to go ahead and spend any type of money on something that just doesn't work right. Google your area and see if you can find anyone around there that will be able to get you on the right track for what you would be looking for..ie....t-shirts, vehicles, illustrations, etc. In other words...research it a bit. I would also say that I've always been partial to compressors with a tank. I realize some compressors without a tank may be able to keep up with you but most of the time they seem to give a "sputter" type of spray pattern when you use it, especially once you start getting faster. I was able to get a cheap 4 gallon compressor here for "in-home" use (I live in an apartment so less noise is better) that was pretty cheap (just over $100.) That would be ideal for you, I would think. My first compressor was much like the one that your looking at and it didn't take long before I was wanting a better one. Might as well get the right one in the beginning.
The "bottom feed" (which is a single action) airbrush that comes with the set would pretty much be useless to you. Some artist are able to use them as well as a double action (the other one) but most people would only use the single action for things like painting a single color or maybe stenciled graphics on items like models and stuff. I think once you get your hands on the double action brush you would be asking yourself why you wasted the money on the single. As far as buying good quality....I would just check into what else is out there before you grab up that equipment that your looking at. Sometimes....you get what you pay for. You have to remember too. An airbrush is a tool of the trade, and if your like a lot of us, usually in the first few months to a year it will pay for itself just from the people that you'll get to paint for. I was airbrushing in a shop at a local mall after only 4 months of getting my first airbrush and I know I'm not the only one out there that has had that type of experience after getting into it. You sound like me when I started. I wouldn't sleep, all I could do was think of airbrushing. IT"S LIKE CRACK!!!! LOL especially when you first get ur' hands on one. It sounds to me like you really want to get into it, just make sure you've got the time to spare to practice and I'll bet my right.....errrr....well I'll bet A LOT that you'll do great at it!! sorry but the other thing I would have bet is reserved for my woman! LOL True..if you have anymore questions just let me know. Good luck bud

[Truelydeep]

Thanks for the reply!!

Basically, £1 here is $2USD, so for example your compressor would cost me £50.

I saw this compressor when i was looking,

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/NEW-24-LITRE-1...d=p3286.c0.m14

its adjustable pressure, and will go to 100psi so i'll be able to use a proper gun on it for spraying panels. However, it looks a bit big.. a bit sorta 'garage' for me, so i'm probablly going to guess that this thing will be really noisey?

Yea, the single action one just comes with that kit, but i'd probably just pop the in the cupboard and not bother using it, unless i get into big colour coats with kandy paints then i guess that gun would come in handy for just throwing over a coat.

As for what i want to paint, it'll be metalwork and fibreglass stuff.. I don't want to get into doing t-shirts or nails or cakes or anything like that.

From what i've been reading, its best if i start out on water based paints, will i get really cheesed off with these as it wont give me a good finish? Or, do you still use them?

Cheers again for your reply.

ttfn, Mark.

[Neder/Brit]

OK Truely firstly welcome from one Brit to another even though I am now resident in Holland. It seems to me that you are asking all the right questions. And practice is the main key to everything. I myself have been at it for about 8 months now and I,m still F@#king useless no matter how hard I try but I persevere. As far as equipment it is hard to say what is good and what not, whats one mans meat is another mans poison. If I remember rightly I have come across a few AB artists on the net that are around your way. It might help to get onto a course, that way you can get the feel of things and some good advice before you go and lay out any cash. But hey that,s only my opinion, what ever you choose I wish you luck in your ABing adventure.

[Truelydeep]

Thanks buddy!

I was looking at the courses and maybe i'll take one up sometime, but they don't come cheap.

I've got many different DVD's that i've been watching, and these guys just bang out these jobs off the top of there head, truely outstanding to watch! Bores the crap out of my mrs though!

Myself, i have a very unique style with whatever i do, artistic or mechanical, and i hope i can bring that across when i start airbrushing.

Been studying the postitive and neutral spaces and looking at many things to say 'thats positive' to try and get my mindset right. Wether its highly important or not i don't know, just one of the guys said it on the DVD so i want to give myself a proper chance!

I hope one day i can become good enough that people would like to buy some of the things i paint, not so much that i can become rich beyond my wildest dreams or anything like that, just purely for the satisfaction that i've got good enough for someone else to say "yea, i really like that!"

I'm a bit of a photo freak (with a crappy camera), so anything i paint i will take plenty of photo's along the way so you guys can see it and give me help on how to make things better.

After all, without a slap on the wrists, how are you supposed to learn?

So basically, i need a place where i can buy my gun, compressor and paints and i'll get started.

So anymore help in that area will be greatly appreciated.

ttfn, Mark.