Using Airbrush in paintings

[Andrew Kitson]

The airbrush is a great tool for creating the illusion of graduated and continuous tone. As most paintings of scenes or objects are an illusion, to make the viewer believe they are seeing a 3D scene, the airbrush can help a great deal with shadows, reflections and the like. Some motorsport artists, such as Gavin Macleod, use it quite extensively with their work. I tend to use an airbrush very rarely, I find it helps when oversraying white paint on a windscreen for example, to create the illusion of glass or spray from the tyres in a wet rainy scene. Another use is for headlights to create the beams of light, such as in this Le Mans 1988 scene I painted of the Leyton House Porsche 962C on the Mulsanne.
Some say it is cheating. I don't hold that view, an airbrush is just another tool an artist can use along with the more traditional brushes, sponges and the like.

[KC]

I use my airbrush to paint RC car bodies. Nothing quite so artistic as your work however. Most of mine is straight forward masking and painting with occasional fades. The Leyton House painting above is excellent, well done.

[Dwain]

I have to agree with you Mr. Kinston, the airbrush is just another tool. I mainly use an airbrush for my paintings because of the results the airbrush can give me. The fine detail and the letters are about the only thing that I use a regular paint brush on. The image I posted below is one of my paintings of the JMB Ferrari at Sebring 2002, the size is approximately 20 x 28.

[Dwain]

Mabye this one will work

[Andrew Kitson]

Dwain, very nice indeed!
Welcome to the forum.
Your painting illustrates how airbrush can be used to
create perfect photo realism - nice the way you have blurred the tyre walls too. You are right about the small detail though, only a fine brush can be used for this. What medium do you use -
gouache, acrylics?

[Dwain]

Thanks Andrew, I am glad that i found this site. I have mainly been using Createx acrylic on canvas, partly because when i began a few years back it was the most accessible paint. A store really close by carried it and i did not have to wait for it to come by mail. Again, glad to be here!

[Andrew Kitson]

Dwain - I use 'Liquitex' acrylics. These work best for me having tried many brands. If I use oils, Winsor & Newton.
I paint on many different surfaces though. That is the beauty of acrylics. So long as the surface is properly prepared and primed - acrylics work on anything.
Fibreboard is the preferred surface at present.

[Dwain]

Andrew-how do you go about diluting the 'Liquitex' enough to apply it with the airbrush. Do they make an airbrush medium to add to it, i know that Golden paints makes a medium that helps to modify their acrylics. Also when you do use an airbrush what type of masking do you use, to prevent overspray and create good sharp lines. I normally just use a painters masking tape(when working on canvas) and once in while a product called 'frisk'(but it does not stick well to canvas). Just curious what is Fibreboard, do we call it something different here in the U.S.

[Andrew Kitson]

Hi Dwain
I just dilute Liquitex with water. However, you must clean out the airbrush every couple of minutes by spraying lots of water through it to prevent clogging.
I mask with painters masking tape like you say, with plastic draughtsmans curves, either taped down or hand held, or pieces of card, paper, whatever is to hand. And you are correct, frisk only works on a flat surface.
Fibreboard is known over here as Medium Density Fibreboard or 'MDF'. It is great as it is as strong as hardboard, comes in thicknesses of 2.5mm, 6mm, 9mm, 12mm or 18mm. It best quality though is that is has an even surface. I prefer it to canvas, especially for smaller works as I can get the very fine detail I need as the surface is not textured, as canvas is. I prime it with two or three coats of white acrylic primer, which are sanded after each coat with a fine sandpaper.
I would have thought though, that using airbrush extensively as you do, a surface like 'CS10' art board would be better? Frisk works very well on this.
What airbrush do you have by the way?
I've got an old DeVilbiss Aero 63 - had it for 20 years now and still going strong!

[andy_b]

I've used air brush in the past, but now use a quicker method

I mainly work in markers, so a quick airbrush effect using that medium is to chisel some pastel into a powder and apply with a soft tissue. You then fix it.

This is particuarly effective for glass and windows and I also use it for highlighted surfaces.

This image uses pastel for much of the bodywork and the glass



Where as these two image uses less pastel for the bodywork.




Its a really effective trick and very quick to do. I have used a mask before, but to be honest you dont need it as you can rub the pastel out.

[Dwain]

The airbrush that i have been using is the Iwata HP-C. I have had it for a couple of years and really enjoy it, no problems. I mainly use canvas for two reasons 1. I have been working on larger scale, such as the one i posted below is 24" x 48". And second i have worked on illustration board and had problems(lack of experience). When i would lay down the frisk on areas that were already painted, the painted areas woukd peel up with the frisk. Ahhh it would drive me crazy. Just curious on how you were able to get a much clear and vibrant scan of your work. By time i scan it in and get it below 102,000 bytes it is below 400 pixels?

[Andrew Kitson]

Dwain,
Have you tried using gouache paint on artboard?
If you ask a good art store that you need a board that will accept frisk without peeling, they should be able to recommend something. When I was training in airbrush, we always used CS10 ( try surfing the web for it?) and gouache paint. Make sure though that you buy 'low tack' frisk. However, remember that gouache is a water based paint and like watercolour, is not waterproof when dry, unlike acrylics.
I take photos of my work and scan these at 400dpi - usually regular 6x4in photos. Then I adjust colour balance, light/dark etc, if necessary, in photoshop.
Then I make a smaller copy at 400 Pixels width for posting.

[andy_b]

very impressed dwain

[Andrew Kitson]

Yes, they are good as are your renderings Andy. I have worked in the German car industry, in various graphics departments and have seen many of these type of styling renderings in the past, done with markers and pastels as you suggest.

[andy_b]

wow, thanks for the compliment Andrew.

[andy_b]

i've used gouache paint before, but I'm a bit lacking with the painting skills (alright, very!), so I always go back to Markers.

Now I'm using computer quite a bit more using Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop (mainly for livery work), but that doesnt really work so well in a traditional style composition.

[Dwain]

Hey, thanks guys, much appreciated! Andy do you work for a automotive company doing design work, good stuff. I enjoy looking at concept drawings such as yours, but am not that good at it. I like to have reference photos to look at and work from them. I try to work from my own photos but I cannot be at all different forms of motorsports (boy do i wish i could)to take photos. Andrew, do you always work from your own photos or do you work from others and contact the photographer and get approval. Also when you finish with gouache what kind of protective coat do you put over it. I might have to give gouache a try. Thanks for all the input!

[andy_b]

i use to. Worked for McLaren for a few years, then got into computer games and now sort of "relaunching" my livery and design work, hoping to go it alone at some point.

[Andrew Kitson]

Dwain - I use a lot of my own photos and having been doing this for a number of years now, am fortunate enough to be accredited with a photographers pass for most UK events and some Grand Prix. However, I know a lot of the professional photographers, Jeff Bloxham is a good mate as are some of the guys at Sutton's so can always get the reference I need if I get stuck. However, I never copy a photo exactly. For example, if I paint an F1 car, I might find a photo I like, use the angle of the car as reference but change the wings, logos etc to suit the circuit I am painting it on, as most race cars are different in a number of areas from race to race if you look closely enough. I work from maybe 20 or 30 photos for each painting, some of them circuit background shots. I don't need a shot of the car at the corner I am painting it on - more often than not, the shots I have of the cars are taken at a different track or in the paddock. Artistic licence then comes into play and the attitude of the car, body roll etc while cornering has to be sketched accurately, espacially with older historic cars. It is also handy, on a nice warm sunny race day to take time out to roughly sketch the scene infront of you. It is amazing how much the brain remembers things you have seen, such as advertising banners, marshals posts etc if you have sketched it. This is bacause you have had to study the scene hard to have drawn it, yet with a camera you point and click and small details might not be entirely clear what they are when you eventually get the photos printed.
With gouache paint, I always frame behind glass, therefore there is no need for fixative or varnish.
andy_b, did you know a tech illustrator at McLaren called Kevin Richards? He was there for years, working on the road car side. I worked with him many years ago doing aerospace illustrations.

[andy_b]

certainly did, although I did some bits for the roadcar side most of my work was on the F1 side of Ron's empire. I think he is still there. Very talented.

Personally I try and do something similar to Andrew, I find little enjoyment just copying a photo when I'm doing an illustration, although I have had a couple of comissions years ago.

The Shuppan 962 car for example was drawn from reference of a 956 I'd taken at Brands. F1 cars are good to tackle as you can have a good pic of say a Ferrari and create a Williams with it as the overall proportions etc are the same. Unless an F1 car, I always like to give the car more roll and tilt the angle of the whole compostion. Tilting the angle can give a great effect of speed. Often used in car advertising

[andy_b]

forgot to mention, saw a print of your Sato F3 picture at lunchtime at a sticker company who does Carlin's work. Very nice. Looks like Oulton with an orange car (matt davies?) next. Very nice composition. how was that created, I sometimes find it hard to get a group of cars all pointing the right direction and angle if I'm making something myself using seperate pieces of reference.

[Andrew Kitson]

Andy, thanks. This is the Taku/Carlin print you saw.
I did it for Taku who gave it to his father for Christmas 2001. Taku signed a print run of it.
24 x 18ins in acrylics.
Yes, that is Matt Davies alongside.
It can be difficult to get the angles of all of the cars right in a scene like this, but as they are all Dallara's, plenty of reference photos around to get the angle you need for each car. Just a matter then of applying the correct colour scheme and small differences each team has.

[andy_b]

oh yes, of course, all being the same chassis helps