Books for Beginners to Advanced on Airbrush Art

When looking to learn on your own about airbrush art then reading is one area where you can gain a wealth of information to help you learn more. There a lot of great books out there that will help you from the beginner level of experience all the way through to the expert level. Books designed to teach airbrush art can be used alone or along with magazines and videos. To get you started are the following books covering beginner and advance information on airbrushing.

If you are just now looking into learning airbrush art then Airbrush by Parramon's Team is your best bet to start with. The book explains all about airbrushes and the uses of airbrushes. Instructions are also included in the book on how to use each airbrush. So someone who has no real prior knowledge this book will help you understand the airbrushes that you will be using when creating airbrushed artwork.

Getting Started in Airbrush by David Miller is also a great beginner's book on airbrushing. The book will give step-by-step instructions on the basic level of airbrushing techniques and how to create different effects with your airbrush art. By reading this book you will learn about the equipment and other materials that you will be using. The effects that you will learn about include freehand, edge effects, highlights, lettering and several others.

How to Airbrush T-shirts and Other Clothing by Diana Martin is good for beginners or can be used by the more experience airbrush artist who wants to learn the techniques used for airbrushing textiles. This book contains information on all the equipment, materials and techniques needed to create airbrush art on textiles. With 18 step-by-step guides you will be fast on your way to showing off your work on clothing.

Professional Airbrush Techniques by Vince Goodeve will teach you some pretty intricate designs. This book will help you learn how to prepare metal surfaces so that you can begin to learn or advance with airbrush art on motorcycles and cars. While the book will teach you some intricate designs do not worry though cause the book, also has some simple projects that you can start with when working with airbrushing motorcycles and cars.

If you are at an intermediate level with airbrush art then The Ultimate Airbrush Handbook by Pamela Shanteau is for you. This book will show you all about airbrushing everything from t-shirts to home interiors. Almost all surfaces for airbrush art are covered at the intermediate level in this book. Airbrushing nails to airbrushing cars is explained in great detail to help you advance further no matter what surface you like to put your airbrush art on.

Airbrush2: Concepts for the Advanced Artist by Radu Vero will help to teach the experienced artist more advanced techniques. By learning these advanced techniques the artist can start to create even more complex airbrush art. After all in the world of art there is always room to learn more and advance one's way of doing something to create a whole new aspect for the current art.

Airbrush Art-Your Airbrush Parts

All beginner airbrush artists should understand the parts of their airbrushes and what these parts do. After all how can your create great airbrush art if you do not truly understand your airbrush equipment? Take the time to gain knowledge of all the parts of your airbrush will help you to learn how to properly work your airbrush and also how to take care of it.

If your airbrush is internal mix then it will have a needle. The purpose of the needle is to control the paint flow. Any damage to your needle can cause very bad paint spray patterns. It is important to keep your needle from getting bend and either straightening the needle or replacing the needle.

The air cap and head assembly are on the front of your airbrush and they cover the tip of the needle. The purpose of these parts is to control atomization of the paint spray. Should these parts become dented or damaged in anyway you should replace them immediately. Damage to the air cap and head assembly will effect the performance of your airbrush. Thus like the needle you will be unable to create desirable airbrush art. Both the needle, air cap and head assembly can be purchased at almost any craft or hobby shop that sells airbrushes and airbrush parts.

The airbrush trigger is what allows you to actually operate the airbrush. In a single action airbrush the trigger controls the air flow. In a dual action airbrush the trigger controls both the air flow and the paint flow. Beginners should really take the time to practice on how the trigger works so that they can perfect their ability to airbrush. Your airbrush will have a back lever as well that acts to shut off the air flow and paint flow when the trigger is released. If this should be come damaged then you could have serious problems with your airbrush. Don't worry though it is not hard to replace these parts should there be any damage.

Your airbrush will have a handle on which you can hold onto the airbrush with. Airbrush models come with either a solid handle or a handle with an opening. The purpose of this opening is so that you can adjust the needle without removing the handle in a single action airbrush. Most experienced airbrush artists will actually take their handle off so that they can deal with clogging issues without delay. So the choice is yours as to whether or not you want the handle on or off of your airbrush while you are creating airbrush art.

Pay special attention to the threads on your airbrush. The threads are located on the head assembly and where the air hose connects to your airbrush. If these threads should ever become cross-threaded then you could end up with an air leak. An air leak will effect the function of your airbrush so make sure to take care not to cause any cross-threading in these areas.

Airbrush Art-Taking Care of Your Airbrush

One of the main things that you need to know how to do with airbrush art is how to take care of your equipment. Keeping your equipment in proper working order and clean will save you a lot of money and hassles. Equipment that is not kept clean and properly cared for will break down more often. Also equipment in is not taken care of and cleaned will not produce quality airbrush art.

First let's look at how to clean your airbrush. One rule of thumb to remember is the type of cleaner you use will depend on the type of paint you use. Solvent based paints should be cleaned with a solvent based cleaner. All water based paints can be cleaned with water or a commercial cleaner designed for airbrushes. Windex is useful when cleaner your airbrush between color changes while using your airbrush. Never soak or leave your airbrush exposed to Windex for any real length of time. You should not have to take your airbrush apart every night to clean it, it is alright to only do a complete break down and cleaning once a month. Just make sure you do not go any longer than that. When you take it apart to clean soak it in a commercial grade cleaner overnight. The next morning take an airbrush cleaning brush to it. Make sure to oil your airbrush up before putting it back together.

Most artists find the using their airbrush without the needle cap gives them more control. Removing the needle cap is fine but should you hit your airbrush against something or drop it you could end up damaging the needle itself. So to take care of your airbrush make sure that when you are not using your airbrush that you replace the needle cap back onto it. This will give a little protection to the needle itself should the airbrush happen to fall. A damages needle can be disastrous to your ability to create high quality art, because if you are unable to straighten a bent needle back out or the needle should break completely you will not be able to finish your airbrush art until you can get a replacement.

If you do end up bending your needle you can try and straighten it with either pliers. Place the tip within the pliers and gently try and straighten it back out. Remember to do this gently so that you do not break your needle.

The better care that you take of your airbrush the longer it will last. So keep your airbrush clean with the right cleaners and once a month do a full break down and cleaning. With needles most artist find that the airbrushes coming out of China bend easier than any of the other airbrushes. So look for one that is made elsewhere so that you do not have to keep trying to straighten a bend airbrush. The best airbrushes to use that are the easiest to take care of are name brand airbrushes. The knockoffs are harder to take care of because are made from cheaper parts that break easier than the name brands.

Airbrush Art Tips For Beginners

When you are first learning something new, things can sometimes get a little tricky. You are trying to create a new form of art and are finding that some things may be a little difficult to get to happen. The experts showing you how to do something on a video make it look so easy. You will believe it is easy until you get out there and try to do it yourself. It is at this moment that you realize that you are not able to do what they did. To start with you need to practice with simple techniques until you get the hang of how to do them. Simple techniques will give you a better understanding of the process and allow for you to have a foundation in which to build on.

When you first try using an airbrush you need to use a cheap surface that you can just practice with. A simple black paint with work for this. No need to buy additional colors. The only thing you need to be doing is experimenting with the airbrush. Get used to how it works and feels in your hand. Practice spraying the airbrush at your cheap surface while you learn just what pressure is needed where. If you are using a double action airbrush you should be experimenting to see how far back gives you how much paint spray.

Once you are comfortable using the airbrush then you should work on creating shapes with your airbrush. Using a cheap surfaces airbrush circles, triangles, squares and rectangles. While this may seem stupid it will help you to learn how to create designs using your airbrush. Continue to practice with shapes until you are able to perfectly render airbrushed shapes. Once you have the ability to render the shapes, you can move on to rendering shapes in different textures. This means that you should work on creating shapes with thin lines and shapes with thick lines. This will help you to learn more how to use the airbrush to render broad designs as well as fine detail.

Now that you can render the shapes you should move on to using stencils. This will give you a feel for stencils as most beginning airbrush artists will use stencils to create their airbrush art. Practice using stencils on a cheap surface and still using your black paint. You will also gain knowledge from trial and error on how to remove stencils without disturbing the paint.

The type of paint that is best for a beginner just learning is Golden Airbrush Colors. These paints are ready to use and will save you from having to deal with thinners and such. Save those types of paints for when you have gained yourself some experience with airbrush art. Stick to ready to use black paint from Golden Airbrush Colors because it really does not matter how the paint looks at this point. The only thing that matters is that you learn the basic techniques so that you have a good solid foundation of skills in which to advance you forward with.