First ever practice Sheets

[maddjohnny]

Hi everyone. I signed up on this forum a little over a month ago, but have not had the chance to get started until now. My life schedule is insane!
I have been wanting to try airbrushing for over a year now, but can never find the time to make a serious attempt. I don't have much time now either, but I'm tired of putting it off! I can't put the time in like you guys do and like I know i should, but I'll do the best i can.
Here are my very first practice sheets.
Please give me some constructive crits.
Thanks. You guys are the best!

[Az air nutt]

madjohnny

your off to a good start
as a newbie myself
i can only say that the more you pratice the better you get
you need to work on your dagger strokes but still for the 1st sheets they look promising
just keep @ it & you will get better

if you have any questions here is the place to get the answers
& the people here are so nice when giving the help you need

where do you want your ab ing to go
do you want to do auto, bike painting
what kind of airbrush do you have & what compressor

just remember it's only paint & have fun with it
thats what i do ( just have fun )

your doing just fine for a newbie
keep up the good work

[maddjohnny]

Thanks AZ.
I have an Iwata Eclipse, HP-BCS.
My compressor is a very old 1 HP Sears garage type compressor.
I don't have an area in my house for spraying. Really wish i did. I hear its not advisable with the overspray? So for now i spray in a very tiny shed in my very hot Florida backyard. The heat may get to me soon. I wish I could do this inside.

As far as where I want ABing to take me . . . my original goals were to AB cars, bikes, car parts, etc... It still is my goal i guess, but its a very ambitious goal. More immediate goals would be to just keep practicing and get very comfortable with the AB. I figure once I'm comfortable I can take it in any direction.

[spiderman]

Hi Madd,

Welcome to the board. Your practice sheets look good. You have the right idea, now you just need to do a few thousand more and your good to go

Seriously though, try the dots some more first. Clean them up and it will give you better control. You should be able to shoot a dot anywhere any size with consistancy. Once you have this, spray a bunch of dots and then connect them with lines of the same thickness, sort of like connect the dots that kids do. Once you have control of these, then try the daggers. For now though, start with dots and lines. Remember air should be on between the dots, lines, daggers ect.

keep painting!

maddjohnny, you've turned in some decent practice here..What I like most is the strong, bold, dense strokes you've made..Although an airbrush can produce airy, mists of color & you use this a lot for shading & softness, the 3 fundamentals are intended to be aggressive brush strokes, & you show that you're up for the task..
Fundamental stroke #1= the dot.. You dots are fine, they look just like dots & anyone given an airbrush can make one..the important part of the dot is not it's size or even it's shape, but instead it teaches trigger control..You must be able to make 12-15 dots in a row, without turning your air flow off--that means AIR ON, PAINT OFF...you then clean the tip of your brush & continue with another set of dots, until your trigger finger can move back & forth like a hummingbird without any thought..AIR is always ON while making dots & this must be learned prior to making a dagger stroke..By the appearance of your dagger strokes you are NOT leaving your AIR ON..if you can balance a clutch on a car, it's much like working the trigger of an airbrush..
Fundamental stroke #2= the dagger stroke..Your dagger strokes are failing you because of the info above..A dagger stroke is nothing more that a dot, drag that dot in any direction, turning your PAINT OFF, while leaving your AIR ON, & while your body is still in motion, there is no other option but your paint stopping to a fine point..dagger strokes are generally not over 2-3 inches long..anything longer puts the stroke right into:
Fundamental stroke #3= linework.. Because your work is dense & that's a positive for pretty linework, I believe if you step into your work just a bit closer, (I work about 1 to one & 1/2 inches from my article) you'll gain this without too much difficulty..it wouldn't take you long to achieve this fundamental..
Running "c's" are a very important start to good lettering & you've done them suprisingly well..I consider top row #'s 1-2-3-, & botom row #5?? the best here..You suprise me because it's clear that you worked with your body while painting your running "c's" but you were using way to much arm, hand, & wrist action to make a decent dagger stroke or a circle..when you make a circle of any size (except extra small) make it with your belly button..In fact in many cases you're much better off spraying paint in any direction your belly button points or moves..the airbrush is truly only a helper, because you end up painting with your head first, followed by your body..tuck your elbows lightly to your side & keep them there..move your upper torso & you'll achieve much straighter linework & prettier fundamental strokes....
You have a quality airbrush & although it's sometimes very difficult to find time & space, if you have a true desire to airbrush you certainly show the potential.. & you're absolutely right about being able to take the airbrush anywhere you would like..

[maddjohnny]

First of all, thanks Spiderman. You're right. A few thousand more of these practice sheets should do it. Hopefully!

Originally Posted by darladidit

Fundamental stroke #2= the dagger stroke..Your dagger strokes are failing you because of the info above..A dagger stroke is nothing more that a dot, drag that dot in any direction, turning your PAINT OFF, while leaving your AIR ON, & while your body is still in motion, there is no other option but your paint stopping to a fine point..dagger strokes are generally not over 2-3 inches long..anything longer puts the stroke right into:
Fundamental stroke #3= linework.. Because your work is dense & that's a positive for pretty linework, I believe if you step into your work just a bit closer, (I work about 1 to one & 1/2 inches from my article) you'll gain this without too much difficulty..it wouldn't take you long to achieve this fundamental..

Hi Darla! Thanks for your advice. It all sounds correct. As far as the dagger strokes go, I did not have the air on constantly through all of them. Usually, I let off the air between strokes, but try to remember to turn it back on before I hit the paint for the next one. Sometimes I remember, sometimes I don't.
I did not know the dagger strokes should only be a few inches long. I'll correct that.
Its the mechanics of the dagger stroke that had me puzzled. I thought you started off wide to narrow. Of course you can go either way, but for this discussion, lets say we are going thick to thin.
OK, with air on, and tip about 1-1/2 to 2 inches away from paper, open the paint up most of the way. In a fairly quick motion, move in one direction and get closer to the paper, thus creating a thinner line, but keep the paint still fairly opened up.
NOW, I'm not saying thats correct. I'm saying thats what i thought was correct.
I figured if I only eased off of the paint, and did not move in closer through the stroke, it would keep the same thick pattern, but fade it out.
I'm confused about these daggers. I know now what they should look like. Its just the mechanics that confuse me.
I'll try some more maybe tomorrow and post them. Hopefully they will look better. I'll work on the lines and dots too!
Thanks for your help and I would always appreciate any more you have to offer in the future.

[AirTodd]

Welcome to the board.

Hello again maddjohnny--daggers are never made from the thin point to thick..I don't know what that would be called?? You'll do much better now that you've got that sraightened out..When making daggers I really never move in & out, (that would confuse anyone!!) & it's not neccessary to make them too quickly--but you must realize that everyone has their own style & whatever works best for you & you get good results, then go with it..
Stand up tall & straight..Keep your elbows tucked lightly at your waist.. Make a dot & when it gets to the size you want, simply move your torso (not your hands or arms!!) any direction you want..while still keeping the trigger in the depressed position (AIR ON), push the trigger forward (turning the PAINT flow OFF), & your stream of paint has no other option but to end in a fine point..I don't see any purpose of moving your body or the brush in & out, closer or further from your article while making dagger strokes.. The size of your dagger stroke is determined by the size of your dot..If you make a tiny, little dot your dagger can be short & very fine--if you make a big, plump dot you can carry it a long ways drawing it to a point..

[spiderman]

Hi Darla,

Don posted a video about dagger strokes on the home page here. It talks about moving the AB closer to the page as you finish off the stroke. Have a look and I think this is what madd is talking about. This is how I also do the stroke.

Dom also talks about doing daggers from thick to thin and thin to thick.
http://www.airbrushtechnique.com/for...ead.php?t=9778

Not sure how you do them thin to thick......

[maddjohnny]

Hey Spiderman. I think see what you are saying.
I thought the dagger stroke was supposed to be as sharp and crisp at the point as it is at the beginning. From what i can tell, that is not possible unless you move closer to the paper as it gets thinner. If you never got closer, yes, the paint thins out (actually it fades out) as you let off the paint source, but it also gives a fuzzy, non-crisp edge to your stroke.
I guess it all depends on what type of line you need.
It just seems to make sense. If you want to paint a small crisp dot, you get closer to the paper, not use less paint at a further distance.

Anyway, like Darla said, everyone has their own way of doing it. Whatever works for you. Right?

As far as doing a dagger stroke from thin to thick, I don't see a problem. Its the same difficulty. Just reverse it. I have seen a number of posts on here where people practice both ways. I wouldn't want to limit my skills to one direction. I think it would only help to be versatile.

I'll do some more practice sheets and get them posted.

Thanks guys for your help!

[xzotic ink]

RRRRGGGG,,,who likes to practice,,i hate those words,,MADJOHN they look good,,and yep here it comes PRACTICE , PRACTICE, PRACTICE,,after a while these strokes will become second nature too you, you may ALSO JUST FOOL AROUND WITH THE BRUSH AS WELL,,GO HAVE FUN,,YAAA HOOO,,OKAY I disrupted the class,,everyone stroke together,,and one, two, three, dot dot dot,,WELCOME MAD JOHN!! LOL,,lots of good help here,,you came to the right spot!! they will work ya here so be prepared to learn! and the front seat in the class is mine,,YEP I CALLED DIPS ALL READY! okay ill slide bac for the newbie,,,WELCOME AND PULL UP YOUR SEAT TO THE FRONT! LOVE YOU NEWBIES,,plenty of fun here!

[airbrushazazin]

good stuff looks like ur getting that hang of this

[maddjohnny]

xzotic . . . you are so funny! Looking forward to all the help.
Thanks again everyone!