Getting Into Airbrushing

[cleverpig]

Hey maskmakers!

I've always painted my masks with an old-school brush, but I'm finding that as my designs get more elaborate, I'm spending days painting the darn things and agonizing over brush strokes and perfect blending, etc. etc. I figure this is the group on leatherworker.net most likely to have airbrush expertise, so I was hoping I could ask a couple of quick questions of the experts:

Can you use both leather dyes and acrylics in an airbrush, interchange them easily, etc?

Is it hard? Did it take you a long time to get good control, learn how to blend and layer, etc. I'm a little intimidated by the whole thing!

Any recommendations for a good starter kit? Amazon is a jungle of options.

Thanks for any advice! I'm attaching a couple of examples of the masks I make, because it's fun to share

Sarah

Firebird & Barn Owl

[Southtexas]

Hey maskmakers!

I've always painted my masks with an old-school brush, but I'm finding that as my designs get more elaborate, I'm spending days painting the darn things and agonizing over brush strokes and perfect blending, etc. etc. I figure this is the group on leatherworker.net most likely to have airbrush expertise, so I was hoping I could ask a couple of quick questions of the experts:

Can you use both leather dyes and acrylics in an airbrush, interchange them easily, etc?

Is it hard? Did it take you a long time to get good control, learn how to blend and layer, etc. I'm a little intimidated by the whole thing!

Any recommendations for a good starter kit? Amazon is a jungle of options.

Thanks for any advice! I'm attaching a couple of examples of the masks I make, because it's fun to share

Sarah

Firebird & Barn Owl

For work like this you will want to learn about stencils/friskets. They block of the portions you don't want colored while you spray the others.

Dyes and acrylics can be shot from the same airbrush. Dye tend to be much thinner so a lot of in between adjustments and of course cleaning.

Strongly suggest you check your library or Amazon for some books on the subject first. You won't be disappointed.

[TwinOaks]

YES, you can shoot pretty much any medium from a brush, but you cannot go straight from dyes to acrylics or vice versa. You'll need to thoroughly clean the brush between mediums. Unless perhaps you're using Eco- dyes, but even then I'd have to wonder. What I've suggested (and had other members echo) is to have one airbrush per type of medium, or application. You probably won't be doing any photo retouching with them, but you can get a good inexpensive airbrush from harbor freight. I've got Paasche, a Badger, and a Badger knock-off double action AB, and the paasche will do itty bitty lines. I've also got a $10 harbor freight single action, external mix AB, and I've found myself using El Cheapo for the majority of my projects. Spirit dye, and especially acrylic sealers need some pretty intensive cleaning between uses. I've found that having only 3 parts to remove/clean makes life EASY.

The slightly more expensive badger knock off from HF is a double action and will do some pretty fine lines...certainly in the 5mm range- with practice, of course. That's another thing you need to consider: Skill set to use one well. Anyone with a good touch can use an AB, it just takes a lot of practice with the medium you're going to use. For belts, holsters, etc., I just shoot the whole thing at once, or feather in an edge- no need for fine control. That's where the single action excels. Fine detail on a mask....might want the badger knock-off.

OR....

If money isn't an issue, you can go straight to the higher end ABs. They require a bit more care and cleaning, but they DO perform better, have smoother controls, etc.

[cleverpig]

Thanks for the great advice! It sounds like simple is the way to go, especially if there is lots of cleaning involved. Now I get to start looking at toys...