AB-Mag Volume 6 by Learn Artistry

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AB•Mag - Issue #6 Cover Art: NUB Publisher: Editor: Art Director:

Steve Angers Diana Learn Diana Learn

Contributing Writers:

Jonathan Bailey Lee & Lisa Berczel Rod Fuchs Annie Lavoie Steven Leahy Mike Learn Scott MacKay NUB Curtis Patchin Mike Royall

Advertising Director:

Steve Angers

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651 Michael Wylie Dr. Charlotte, NC 28217-1546 800-831-1122 www.sem.ws

SEM Products, Inc.

“If you can’t find

inspiration, appreciation or a bit of rejuvenation

reading about the processes of others, you are limiting your own potential.”

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NEXT ISSUE:

Jelly Fish with Dennis Mathewson

One of the comments I hear about AB-MAG, over and over, is that our content and articles are extremely diverse. While some may feel that is the wrong thing to do. That we should focus on the applications of the majority, especially when putting out a product for a market as small as the airbrush industry, I can’t help but say, “no, I think we will continue to do something different.” I think that exposing people to a variety of techniques, applications and experience from a variety of people with different backgrounds, strengths and business applications can be nothing short of inspirational and interesting to an even broader audience. As many of you know, I used to own/operate an advertising firm that specialized in the custom motorcycle industry. It did not take long to find that working within such a small market was very suffocating, and at times, stagnating. In order to stand out and create unique campaigns, products and fresh ideas for my clients, I kept a constant stream of publications from other industries all over my office. We kept up with the skateboarding, surfing and music trends and took ideas from those and other markets and applied them to ours. By looking at wide array of business niches, we were always able to stay on the cutting edge of our own. The same thing applies here, in the airbrush world. If you cannot read an article about an art application that is not necessarily what you do, and find a bit of inspiration or appreciation for that process, then you are limiting your own potential. Adopt an attitude of open-mindedness, look at each of the articles with a respect for the process, and see if you can come away with a little something that you could tweak and apply to your art or your life. It is this sort of working “outside the box” that can help break plateaus and push you to the next level of whatever it is you do.

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PRECISIONAIRE PRICING ROLL BACK CREATING FROM WITHIN New DVDs by Mike Learn With the release of the new “Creating From Within” DVD series, Mike Learn sets out to break down and explain the fundamentals of art, drawing and painting and then show you exactly how to apply these strategies to get an idea “out of your head” and on to your medium, without relying on reference material.

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While other airbrush companies are busy raising prices, we thank PrecisionAire for resisting the temptation and going against conventional wisdom.

CFW Volume One will take you through a project inspired by the person you know best, YOU. Mike will walk you through the process of turning characteristics into identifiable objects and creating a dynamic composition that will satisfy your creative appetite. Philosophical discussions, chalkboard break-out sets and sketch/concept to final piece methodologies are covered in detail. This DVD also spends a good deal of time discussing lighting effects, perspective and has an emphasis on shadow/lighting and working with core shadow.

We continue to work tirelessly with our vendor partners to bring you value pricing and innovation in an attempt to expand your creativity without shrinking your pocketbook. The new pricing and line up can be seen at BearAir.com.

CFW Volume Two explores a real life scenario with a challenge to incorporate a group of elements and seemingly abstract ideas into one cohesive composition that will satisfy not only your commission or client, but yourself as an artist. Inside you will find even more chalkboard drawing lessons, discussion on utilizing a computer and drawing pad to work out ideas, and exploration of the creative thought process. Mike will thoroughly explain how understanding the way light plays on different surfaces (hard, soft, shiny, reflective, irregular, etc.) will help you create what you “see” in your mind. You will learn how contrast and the use of soft vs. hard lines can put your whole composition in place. No matter what you do as an artist, the “Creating From Within” series will arm you with more creative weapons to attack your next project or your next goal.

SEM’s NEW SCRATCH PATCH for Quick Repairs!

T-SHIRT MASTER STENCILS: MAKING AIRBRUSHING SHIRTS A BREEZE

Formulated with anti-rust agents, 36012 helps quickly fill and seal damaged finishes and may be polished to enhance the repair. Don’t let small scratches get in your way of having a great looking car or truck. Grab a stick of 36012 SCRATCH PATCH today!

Anyone can create professional looking airbrushed shirts with the T-Shirt Master Stencil System!

BearAir is pleased to announce a price rollback on the entire line of PrecisionAire Airbrushes. BearAir has purchased a large quantity of these airbrushes and in doing so lowered the acquisition price. BearAir is passing these savings on to you, the airbrush artist.

Each package includes a complete set of stencils and paint guide so that you can complete a flawless t-shirt design in just minutes. Get yours today!

Are you looking for a quick repair tool for those nasty scratches on your bumper or trim pieces? What about those scuffs or scratches in your sprayed on truckbed liner? Look no further than 36012 SCRATCH PATCH, new from SEM! 36012 is a solid, black paint stick that enables you to correct minor defects easily with little downtime. For automotive, marine and industrial type finishes, 36012 has a non-drip applicator for easy use and dries quickly though air activation!

Log onto our website at www.sem.ws or call 1-800831-1122 for more information on this product and more. We look forward to showing you why SEM is “The Right Choice.”

DeVilbiss DeWipe-Outs™ Pre-saturated Prep Wipe The Final Step before Painting Dirt is a “four-letter” word in the paint booth! DeWipe-Outs’ “Static Killer” formula dramatically reduces static charge and static-related dirt, reducing buffing time. The advanced technology fabric is lint free and provides fast, consistent drying. OEM assembly plants prefer these wipes over other methods for reducing defects related to dirt and therefore increasing through put. Available in three blends: 85/15 for most climates, 50/50 for warmer climates and heated spray booths, and a VOC compliant blend for use in California. A convenient storage case is also available to help protect the wipes from drying. For more information about the DeWipe-Outs by DeVilbiss, visit AutoRefinishDevilbiss.com.

NEW: AUTO AIR USER GUIDE DVD Cross-Eyed, Vandemon and Simon Murray bring to you the latest techniques and tips on how to use Auto Air custom water-based paints for professional results. This DVD is a must have for anyone interested in getting superb detail, ultra deep pearl-candy finishes and killer professional results with Auto Air. The new User Guide DVD features product descriptions, marbleizing, stenciling, complete automotive refinishing, special effects and more. If you’re interested in custom painting with the paints of tomorrow, this is the DVD to own. Retail price $19.95. For more information, contact Auto Air Colors at 1.800.509.6563, AutoAircolors.com.

DISPOSABLE AIRBRUSHES FROM FENGDA Ever had a project where you needed a detail brush but didn’t have $315? Or, you were asked to do a one-time uro job instead of a shirt? Need to blast a base of paint before you start the artwork?

When you choose to join the PEAK Airbrush Family, BearAir will repair or replace it, no matter what the reason, for a quarter of a century. Drop it. Snap off the nozzle. Throw it against the wall. . . it doesn’t matter, we will repair it. If we can’t repair it, we will replace it with a current model of equal or greater value. Your investment in the PEAK Airbrush is assured for a nominal shipping and handling charge. Call 1-800-BearAir for details. This guarantee begins with all PEAK Airbrushes purchased in 2008 and applies to the original purchaser.

Available in gravity feed, siphon feed, or detail. Coming to airbrush shops soon!

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25 Year PEAK Airbrush Guarantee

New to the Airbrush industry are disposable airbrushes from the minds at Fengda Manufacturing. These brushes are designed to perform at a price that makes them practically disposable.!

By Jonathan Bailey • Jan 15th, 2008 • Category: Articles, DMCA, Legal Issues, News, Prevention PlagiarismToday.com

PhotoBucket, the Web’s largest image sharing service, has been drawing criticism from a growing number of artists over its practices regarding copyrighted material. At issue specifically are two elements of PhotoBucket’s services. First, their image printing service, which is powered by Qoop, and second, their takedown system, which often leaves the work available on other parts of the site. Some of the artists have banded together by creating a petition directed at PhotoBucket, which I helped author, asking them to change some of their policies to help better protect artists and photographers whose works are being posted, and even sold, on the service.

Few, I doubt, would be comfortable with a stranger printing a calendar based upon their family photos and this raises many unsettling possibilities. Artists, however, also have to contend with Qoop’s printing service. Qoop does not make any attempt to filter out infringing material from their service, other than providing a standard terms of service and presenting warnings to the user. One artist, Sandi Baker of Wolf Song Studio tested this by logging into visiting a strangers account (she did not log into PB in any regard), one who had uploaded some of her images without permission, and printed several stickers of her own work, seen right.

What makes this case unique is that the artists have not just specific concerns, but also specific solutions to the problem and have requested that PhotoBucket take a series of steps to help ensure that their rights are protected.

Buying Prints The first complaint deals with PhotoBucket’s relationship with print-on-demand service Qoop.

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Qoop works with other image sharing sites, including Flickr and Webshots, but at those sites the relationship is a bit different. Elsewhere, users can only request prints of their own photographs. however, with PhotoBucket, strangers can access users accounts, including those not logged in to the site, and request prints. All that they need is the “Share” URL, which is available in most search results.

This feature of PhotoBucket is not mentioned clearly in any of the marketing materials. Nowhere on the front page of the site or the registration page does PhotoBucket mention that, by default, prints of your work will be available to anyone finds your account. Furthermore, PhotoBucket does not mention in any clear location that the way to prevent this from happening is to set your account to private or not display the “Share” URL under your images. This creates a very worrisome situation where not only are artists likely having their works printed after being uploaded without permission, but also photos being uploaded in the intended manner can be printed by complete strangers.

All of this without her explicit permission or the permission of the person who created the account. However, if an effective take down regime were in place at PhotoBucket, this problem might be significantly lessened. Unfortunately, as many artists have discovered, the take down system at PhotoBucket does little to actually stop distribution of their work.

Take Down Problems Though all of the artists who have filed takedown notices with PhotoBucket agree that the staff is friendly and efficient, the problem is that takedowns rarely remove the work from the site. Several artists have reported that their images are reuploaded, often within minutes. This often takes place through a series of spam-like accounts owned by usernames that contain a large amount of numbers and don’t seem likely to have been created by a human being.

all or even most copies of their image. Many artists feel that, between the other copies of the work and the reuploading of removed images, that filing takedown notices with PhotoBucket is almost completely. It is impossible to remove an image, especially one that is popular with PhotoBucket’s users, from the service. However, the answer to this problem might actually rest with PhotoBucket’s parent company Myspace as they have already cracked this problem, at least as it applies to video.

Solutions According to the artists, the issue of photo printing can be greatly mitigated by limiting access to the service. The default setting for the printing feature should be set to “off”. This can be achieved initially by ensuring that all PhotoBucket accounts are initially set to private and are only turned to public with the express understanding that it enables printing. A more permanent solution, however, would be to turn off the printing service itself, unless specifically requested, and limiting it to the user’s own account. Exceptions might be available in cases where well-known artists use PhotoBucket, such as with director accounts on YouTube, but those accounts would carry special rules and require more effort to create. Though such a system would still enable users to grab an image they wanted to print, upload it to their own account and print the image, limiting the access to the feature greatly reduces the number of people who can produce prints and ensures that the person who requested the image is also the original infringer. This eliminates much of the “innocent infringer” argument and prevents people from accidentally making works available for commercial printing. Regarding the takedown system, PhotoBucket’s parent company Myspace introduced a “Take Down Stay Down” system for their video offerings in May of last year. The system works by taking a fingerprint of any video that a takdown is requested for and comparing it against all future uploads. If the video matches, the upload is blocked preventing the work from reappearing on the site. Theoretically, such a system could easily be applied to images. Once a takedown of an image is requested and a counter-notice seems unlikely, the image could be fingerprinted, compared against other images on the service and against other uploads. If other copies are detected, they are either removed or blocked, meaning that the artist need only submit one DMCA notice to secure the removal of all of their images. This would likely service PhotoBucket as well as the artists as, most likely, the

majority of PhotoBucket’s DMCA complaints stem from a small group of artists dealing with a relatively finite number of pictures. The technology for such a system already exists and can even detect if the image has been reduced, cropped or otherwise trivially edited. It is at least technically possible for Myspace and PhotoBucket alike to implement such a system.

Conclusions There is little doubt among the artists that PhotoBucket is a good service and was built with the best of intentions. However, the service is having some unintended consequences and needs to be adjusted to make sure that rampant copyright infringement does not harm the reputation of the service with its target audience, artists and photographers. There is no desire to “kill” PhotoBucket or to hinder the usefulness of the service for its millions of legitimate users. However, there is a growing expression of concern regarding the service. As of this writing, the petition is closing in on fifty signatures despite being up less than 24 hours (Update: 10 PM CT Currently at 575 signatures). All of the signatories of the petition are visual artists, many of whom have had their works abused by PhotoBucket members. The current list includes many wellknown artists, especially in the airbrush art communities. Hopefully Photobucket will see these issues and make the needed changes before it is too late. Otherwise, it is only a matter of time before the artists get more hostile towards the service and both the reputation of PhotoBucket and of its legitimate members starts to suffer. But most importantly, the artists are trying to avoid a situation where others are tempted to try the Viacom route and simply go after PhotoBucket in court. That is not in anyone’s best interest. With that in mind though, Myspace does not tolerate these types of issues with their video offerings and should not tolerate them with their image offerings either. Art and photography, though not always backed with the most powerful lawyers, are no less creative and require no less effort than video. They are also no less protected. Still images deserve the same protections as videos. Let us hope that Myspace and PhotoBucket see it the same way. Read this article online at: http://www.plagiarismtoday.com/2008/01/15/artists-express-concern-overphotobucket/

Jonathan Bailey is the Webmaster and writer of Plagiarism Today, which he founded in 2005 as a way to help Webmasters going through content theft problems get accurate information and stay up to date on the rapidly-changing field. He is also a consultant to Webmasters and companies to help them devise practical content protection strategies and develop good copyright policies.

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However, filing a takedown of an image does not result in removal of all copies of the work, just the specific one mentioned. Given that there are over four billion images on PhotoBucket and the difficulties in search for images on the Web, especially if the title has been changed, it is unlikely that an artist can find

Artists Requesting Reform of PhotoBucket Practices To: PhotoBucket Administrators Dear PhotoBucket, I am writing today on behalf of a collection of artists and photographers that have approached me over the past few weeks regarding your service. Most, if not all, have had their artwork appear on PhotoBucket without permission and have sought resolution either through contacting the user or you established DMCA procedure. In that regard, there has been very little complaint about the speed or professionalism of your DMCA resolution system. I, as a consultant in the area of content theft, have had the pleasure of working with your abuse team several times on DMCA complaints and have always found their response to be swift and decisive. Nonetheless, there are two elements of the PhotoBucket service that worry these artists, and myself, from a copyright perspective.

Requests In light of these issues and potential conflicts with PhotoBucket, the visual artist that have signed this letter politely request two simple changes to the PhotoBucket service that can help them protect their rights while maintaining the high level of service users have come to expect from Pho toBucket. The first request is the limitation of the photo printing service. This can be acheived easily by turning all account to “private” by default and then having the user make it public with the understanding that it means their photos will be available to print. Another solution would be to make this feature optional and turn it off by default. This way, only users who distinctly approve their photos for printing will have them available to do so. This type of granular control over content is highly desirable among artists and copyright holders and is a way to be cooperative with artists without restricting features. The second request is a revamping of the takedown process to prevent repostings of infringing images and help artists control the use of their work on PhotoBucket.

Photo Prints Currently, by default, every new account is set to public and can be viewed by anyone on the Web. Anyone that can view the page can, in turn, purchase prints of the photo through Qoop. Many of the artists who have contacted me rely on such prints as a means sustain themselves. PhotoBucket, through Qoop, has the ability to undercut that market and directly hurt their bottom line. Furthermore, since any print from PhotoBucket of their work would be, most likely, from a low-resolution Web image, the output product would be inferior and could damage the reputation of the original artist as well as provide unfair competition to the artist’s authentic merchandise. Though I am not an attorney, there seems to me to be a legal gray area involved in this printing service. Though the DMCA protects hosts from liability when their users infringe copyright, that protection is not available in situations where the host profits directly from the infringement. This could create liability for both PhotoBucket and its parent companies where none existed before. But what is most worrisome about this is that even users who upload their own photos in exactly the intended manner use could could be unwittingly victimized by this service. One could easily imagine a situation where unwanted prints, calendars and shirts are made from family photos intended solely for posting to a blog or private community. This makes the photo printing an issue not just for artists that don’t use PhotoBucket as a tool, but your own members and users.

In May of 2007, your parent company, Myspace, launched a service called “Take Down Stay Down” for its video product. This service prevents a file from being reuploaded once a takedown has been issued for it and is in conjunction with similar fingerprinting tools for Myspace Music. We, the artists and myself, would like to see a similar system on PhotoBucket. Ideally, such a system would fingerprint the image once a takedown has been filed (and no counternotice has been received), remove other copies of the image on the service, prevent future uploads of the image and work even if the file has been format shifted, cropped or otherwise trivially edited. The technology for such a service already exists and is widely available. Several other companies are already looking to apply this technology to the Web as a whole. It could be executed in a way that is non-intrusive to the user and does not affect the functionality of the service in any way. Users not engaging in questionable uploading would never notice the change. Such a system would not only improve the reputation of PhotoBucket, but also reduce the amount of time spent handling abuse complaints. Since many, if not most, of your DMCA notices are likely from a small group of artists, it makes sense that preventing these pieces from appearing on the service in the first place would drastically reduce your load in processing such complaints. In reading through the commentary about the “Take Down Stay Down” system, it has been relatively non-controversial and viewed as largely effective. If such a system can be implemented for audio and video, it should at least as practical to apply it to still images.

Take Down Problems Conclusions The second concern revolves around that of the notice and takedown system itself. Simply put, with over four billion photographs, it is nearly impossible for an artist or photographer to locate or request take down of all of their works. Worse still, many are reporting that every time they file a takedown notice against one work, another copy pops up, often times on another account with a very spam-like username that is filled with large amounts of other questionable material.

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Simply put, PhotoBucket as an industry leader, is too large to effectively police from the outside. The burden would be enough to hamper the efforts of the largest copyright holders but can effectively crush the best efforts of a smaller artist.

Though this problem exists on many photo sharing sites, PhotoBucket, as the leader in this area, seems to be the most frequent target both by users who maliciously intend to exploit the works of others and users who do not understand copyright or the protections it offers visual artists. This, of course, does not service PhotoBucket’s purpose as it harms the reputation of the site, especially among visual artists, and creates additional work for abuse personnel. Clearly, cooperation between PhotoBucket and visual artists is in everyone’s best interest.

In conclusion, we, the undersigned, want to thank you very much for your time and consideration on these issues. We greatly appreciate you taking a few moments from your busy schedules to consider the issues we’ve raised and our proposed solutions. We feel that PhotoBucket is a great service built with the best of intentions in mind. In addition to wanting to protect the rights of our images, we want to ensure that PhotoBucket remains a great service for everyone to use. We feel that these proposals can help visual artists, both on and off PhotoBucket, get the most from the service and ensure that PhotoBucket remains a “good neighbor” in the Web community. We thank you again for your time and look forward to hearing from you regarding this matter at your earliest convenience. Sincerely, The Undersigned

SIGN THE PETITION TODAY!! Go To http://www.petitiononline.com/pbarts/petition.html And join the thousands of artists who have already expressed their support of this movement!

Mike Learn, Lisa Berczel, NUB, Rod Fuchs and Steve Leahy are PROUD to announce the kick-off of their Fine Art Giclee Print program! Now you can get fine art prints from your favorite airbrush artists! Available on canvas, textured fine art paper or as a high quality photo print, these pieces of art will look great in any room. For more information, visit LearnAirbrush.com!

Battledress Paint N Body rolled down Route 66 into Williams AZ, gateway to the Grand Canyon, on Friday, October 5th for the Grand Opening of Battledress & Bodyworks Artisan Owned Gallery - much to the chagrin of the locals. Combining the talents of three women artists, Lisa ’s fine artwork and body painting with her sister Susan ’s metal work and Pageant ’s intricate jewelry designs, Battle Dress & Bodyworks gallery stands out from the run of the mill tourist offerings on the Route 66 strip. Loud, edgy and not selling anything made in China, the hope is to extend art communities past their normal circles by showcasing guest artists outside the normal venues and encouraging local talents to try something different. By owning the gallery, the ladies hope to have better control over their work. “We know it is a bit out of the way for a fine art gallery but hell, there is an opera house in Death Valley so stranger things have happened.”

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Mike Learn, Lisa Berczel, NUB, Rod Fuchs and Steve Leahy are all members of the Resident Professionals TEAM at LearnAirbrush.com. Visit the site for MORE.

EZ SCALES LEAF O FLAGE DESIGN Create a cool background or custom design by taking a walk!! Look for different leaves to use as airbrush templates. to be able to come up with a leaf-o-flage, use different leaves as templates when airbrushing. Be sure to layer the stencils putting darker colors over lighter ones. ~bismacky

Using clay modeling tools you can produce very real looking scales, very quickly. You can easily position them to follow a bend the skin and using different sized tooling, you can vary the size of the scales in a snap. ~jumpforjoy61

DROP SHEETS AT HOME! I work at home and use shower curtains from dollar store! about a buck and you get a huge chunk of plastic, that in case of spill, wont let paint through on your carpet!!! Reusable and cheap, also easy wash - just throw in a regular washer! ~BRAVO

FUN, FLEXIBLE SANDING PADS For flexible sanding pads I found that good ol’ cheap flip flops work great! You can either leave the strap on and use it over your hand or cut it off. The thick ones can be cut or carved to shape. I just wrap the sand paper around and hold it with my hand or on small stuff I cut the flip flop to size and use spray glue to secure the sandpaper. Camping sleep mats or the interlocking floor mats work good too. ~pumba

$30 TENT + $30 TABLE = BUSINESS!! We did a car show last weekend. Nothing fancy at all. I just bought a tent and table and put my practice panels on display along with lots of flyers and cards. I took Head Roller’s advice about painting something on site to make it more of an event and it went over really well. I did a 3’ x 4’ tiger on canvas. I was asked to donate it as the peoples choice award and the winners loved it.

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We were approached by a few other people putting on car shows in the future and now our weekends are booked for a while and the phone keeps ringing.

As you can see from the pictures, the set up was not fancy at all but it did the trick. My point is, you don’t need a big fancy booth for these outdoor shows. (Of course if I could afford a big fancy booth I would have one!) I had some skulls/fire on display as well as some animal and car portraits and even some T-shirts. I was trying to create a display that would have something that would appeal to most everyone. I did get lucky and two of my customers showed up at the show so I had a Harley I flamed on one side of the tent and a hood mural I did on the other side. That helped as well. ~Jaymon

BODY PAINT: WATER BASE or ALCOHOL BASE?

CLASSIC GUITAR SWIRL PAINT

There are several reputable brands of body paint. And, in most cases, a little paint goes a long way. I can paint a body a single color head to a toe in 4-6 oz.

Ibanez took the guitar bodies and dipped them in a vat of water with different paints floating on top to create a very unique finish. The technique is tricky with a guitar because you need to ensure that you plug up all the drill holes to keep water from penetrating the wood. If you do not, the guitar will be ruined. Also, you only get one shot at this paint job. You definitely want to spend a little time with some testing.

Now, what you have to look for is what KIND of body paint. They break down into 2 categories: Water Based and Alcohol Based. Water Based is easier to apply for many beginners because it can be applied with paint brushes or sponges. If you are using an airbrush, well, alcohol is easier (no straining or thinning required). Alcohol based product last the longest, wear the best and are water proof. Because of this, they are much harder to wash off at day’s end. No matter what you use, patch test for allergies. People can be allergic to a COLOR or a product INGREDIENT. Here are some of the major brands in each category: Water based brands: Ben Nye Graftobian Kryolon Mehron Trendy Tribals Paradise (cake based) Wolfe Brothers (cake based)

Alcohol based brands; Graftobian Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Reel Creations Skin Illustrator Temptu

~LadyPainter

This process is based on the oil an water principal, and is THEORETICALLY very easy. Fill up a tub with water, some people will add Borax to the water (per measurements on the box). Let the tub of water “rest” for 20-30 minutes. Float your paints. Swirl them slightly, but do not allow the colors to start mixing. Dip your item in slowly and remove it slowly. Dip it in from the side first until fully submerged. Remove. When you are done, just let the paint dry on top of the water and skim it off and throw it away. The water will be considered toxic waste. Again. Make sure you do a test piece in a small tank to check how the colors interact and to see how dipping methods affect the outcome. ~PalePainter

LACE PAINTING REALISTIC CLOUDS!! Thanks to Rhino for this tip! To make great clouds try using polyfill pillow/quilting stuffing. Tear and pull it till its thin and spray throuth it. Start with grays

For PYSCHO-delic lace effects, grab some of Granny’s old lace doilies (or you can buy them from your local charity shop). Lay the doilies or lace pieces over a black base - dark colors seem to work best - and zap in some color. Don’t remove the lace until you are done spraying. Voila! Instant 70’s effect.

and come back in with white and other colors if your doing a sunset. The resulting pattern is very realistic!

~Chrisso

CHEAP STENCIL BURNER I made my own stencil burner. I found my old soldering iron and filed the tip thin & sharp. It works like a charm!! ~Chrisso

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~pumba

with Mike Learn

Attitude is everything.

think “Oh, I can do THAT” or to become disappointed by the fact that you are not yet at that ability level.

Attitude is what enables you to grow, to acknowledge your accomplishments and to have the ability to deal with customers.

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There is a difference between being confident and being cocky. There is a difference between being arrogant and being assured in what you do.

Growing and maturing as an artist does not happen overnight. If you maintain the right attitude and ability to acknowledge the positive things that you see as well as the things that you don’t like, you will become a discriminating art viewer. You will find yourself able to offer and accept objective critique that will allow you to make sometimes small, yet consistent advances in your own art.

Be proud of your

accomplishments. Be accepting of the praise that

ARTISTIC GROWTH

comes to you, but at the same

I think that “finding” yourself and being honest with your skill level will keep you grounded no matter what skill level you are at currently. All of us will always have room to improve. If you have the ability and the right attitude you will be able to look at other work and absorb the things you like. You will be motivated by what you see without feeling the need to say or to

time don’t let it become how you define yourself.

Attitude is very important to your own individual growth. It affects how you carry yourself and how you choose to move on through your life. If you wish to continue to grow, be sure not to focus too much on past accomplishments. Have a positive attitude that looks forward to what you are going to do and keeps you anxious and enthusiastic for the next challenge that presents itself.

Be proud of your accomplishments. Be accepting of the praise that comes to you, but at the same time don’t let it become how you define yourself. Don’t let gaining the acceptance of others, either commercially by your customers, or artistically by your peers in the art world, be the only thing that you strive for as an artist. Your accomplishments should be rungs on the ladder that you are climbing artistically. Each of the accomplishments should be laying the foundation and giving you the confidence to know you have gotten that far and that you can go further, but it is your attitude that will control the situation. If you operate from the perspective that you have reached a plateau in your career and feel as though there isn’t anything more for you to do, that attitude will put you in a stagnant state. The thing that will really keep you going is to constantly reach, to look forward and see the things you want to do artistically. Realize that each achievement is just a small part of your life as an artist and that rewards and acknowledgements will come and go. Look at other people’s artwork. Look at the things they are achieving as artists. It could be technical ability, maybe it is use of color, maybe it is composition that really stands out. It could be many things, but if your attitude is “you know what, I am as good as they are” or “I’m better than they are” you will not benefit. Look at other people’s artwork objectively. Find points of interest that you can improve upon, pinpoint characteristics or techniques that you could change or approach differently. And don’t forget to seek out artwork from different mediums and genres. There is much to be learned from varied approaches and applications.

for him/her. Show enthusiasm for the project, but at the same time be appreciative of the fact that he/she is trusting you to take on this piece of work. Listen to their ideas. Feel them out for flexibility in taking some of your input as well. Oftentimes there is a broad middle ground of acceptance on both the artist’s and customer’s behalf. That is the zone that you want to find. Your enthusiasm is what drives each individual project that a customer brings to you. And each project is an opportunity to mature artistically and to develop a positive attitude towards what you love to do. As most of you know, I have just recently relocated to the Rockies – Hence the title of the article. In the past, we have focused most of our marketing efforts on a national level. With this move, I was looking very forward to creating a strong local market. I did not want to just walk in to every shop with my past resume and accomplishments and simply request that people send me work. I had to make some conscious adjustments to my attitude. On a local market level, I think that your attitude is just as important, if not more, than the image you present. Your attitude is what will carry from customer to customer. When customers first meet you, what they think of you, how you react to them, how you answer their questions, how you interact with them and their needs goes a long way. I have spent a lot of time with customers to help them feel confident in what I am able to do.

DEALING WITH CUSTOMERS

Denver is a marketplace with a lot of established painters. Most of them know of me, but I have kept a low profile just dealing with the work I have had sent to me as we got to know the area. Now that I am actively working the market I am being very careful to treat other artists with respect. I am not trying to step on other people’s toes, but simply attending events, letting people meet me, and doing work in front of them so they can see that I am just another guy that likes to paint. I do not feel, or project, that they have to come to me for work. There are a lot of great artists in this area. However, if they are looking for something that they have seen in my work, and they are motivated by both my attitude and my abilities, then it is going to make a win-win situation for my business.

Attitude with customers is everything. It is another whole set of reasons why some artists are more successful than others. Some people, as customers, simply do not want to deal with arrogant, egotistical artists. I can’t tell you how many times in my career I have had a customer come to me and say “I tried to deal with this person but I just couldn’t.” Sometimes the price was less, sometimes the geographical distance was less, but they simply did not want to deal with the artist based upon his or her attitude.

I believe that my attitude right now is enabling me to capture a local market. It is allowing me to develop strong relationships with bike builders, custom car builders, guitar connoisseurs, and art enthusiasts. I am working every day with pride and confidence in what I can do – not in what I have done, where I have been and whom I have worked for. Remember, customers who feel they have had a positive experience with you are going to be the ones who promote your work by word of mouth, and that is a priceless commodity in today’s market.

Adopt an attitude of confidence. You need to express to your customer a certain amount of confidence in what you can do

Attitude is everything. Look inside yourself. Be grounded, be respectful and all else will fall in place.

I have talked about ego before, and I will talk about it again. You MUST keep your ego in check if want to grow. If your ego overrides your ability to acknowledge other people’s accomplishments, your attitude will lead you down the road to failure and dissatisfaction.

Mike Learn Airbrush & Design • Boulder Co. CO • MikeLearn.com and LearnAirbrush.com

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ACCOMPLISHMENTS

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even more was the debate that the broke out because of that statement. One side arguing that the airbrush was a cheat and should not be allowed and the other side claiming that it was just another tool. For fifteen minutes the argument went on until it was stopped by the judge so they could move on to the other paintings. As a fine artist that uses an airbrush you will find that this lack of understanding is still fairly common. It is often compounded by the very artists that use the airbrush. When asked about your work, do you say “oh, it’s

airbrushed” or do you call yourself an airbrush artist? These statements about who you are and what you do have merit yet they define your art by the tools that were used to make it. Traditionally, a piece of art is

identified by the medium used to create it. Oil paintings, Watercolors, Acrylic, Mixed-Media etc. It is usually not defined by the tools used to create that art. You never hear someone describing their work as paint

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The auditorium was filled with artists, buyers and critics. I had flown half way across the country to attend the opening of this particular show. It was the biggest show of its kind and my painting was hanging in the gallery among aviation art by the top artists in the world. It was a major show for me and my heart was pounding as I sat in the reception which included a slide presentation of the paintings that had been accepted into the show. One of the judges stood on the stage with a handful of notes and read the juried comments on each piece as the slides went by. I had been through countless critiques of my work in the past but nothing like this. Slide after slide, I watched and waited as the anticipation grew for me. I was listening intently, waiting to hear how my work was viewed by the judges. Then the image of my painting flashed on the auditorium screen. The judges comments were favorable yet just as he was finishing up his comments, someone in the audience yelled out “that’s not a painting, it’s airbrushed”. I was stunned. What shocked me

brush art or pallet knife art yet the term “airbrush

art” is something you hear all the time. Why is this important? We use a vastly misunderstood tool to

create our art. I run into people that think any of

the quality in my work comes from some mysterious

and magical benefit of the airbrush rather than the

years that I put into learning how to control the tool. I have had paintings excluded from shows because

I use the airbrush on it. I have had people offer me a low amount of money for my work because they

saw “a guy at the mall do airbrushing and he only charges $25.” Of course it doesn’t help that those

t-shirt artists have such skill to make airbrushing look effortless! It still all boils down to expanding the viewers understanding about the airbrush.

What can we do to help in the education? First, hold the critics accountable for their claims. Let them make the statement that the airbrush is not

a traditional art tool but hold them responsible to give you the reasoning behind the statement. Let critics say that it is cheating then ask them to specifi-

cally describe how it is cheating. Don’t defend your position, rather make them explain theirs. You will

be surprised how quickly they fumble to figure out what their own reasoning is. Fortunately the fine art world evolves and grows at such a rapid pace that

acceptance of ‘non-traditional’ art happens quickly. More and more galleries are concentrating on the art

itself and the message it brings rather than the tools

that were used to create that art. Search those venues

out and take care in how you present your art. Be proud of the time and effort that you have put into

mastering your trade. That pride will show through and misconceptions about our artwork will continue to fade away.

As a side note, I found out later that the person that

started the debate in that auditorium was in fact an

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artist that had a piece in the same show and was

disgruntled that my painting took first prize. That however, is a story for another article.

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1st place Unlimited Chopper Metzler Show - Sturgis 2006 Top 5 Finish Rat Hole Custom Bike Show - Daytona 2006 Designer/Fabricator: CJ Lowery Designs Paint: Mike Learn Photo: Dino Petrocelli

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“Woody Jr.”

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NUB is the Owner/Operator of

NUB GRAFIX

Walden, NY www.NubGrafix.com

As artists, every now and then we are asked to create something that is out of the realm of what we are used to doing. This job was one of those times. My customer, a Catholic Organization, was having a bike built to honor Pope John Paul II. Talk about leaving my comfort zone!

Down to business. I decided to start with a pearl white base color on all the tins. I wanted the over all look of the paint scheme to be a traditional red/white two tone, but with a slight twist. The bottom portions of the tins were going to be airbrushed to resemble a sort of crumpled velvet or satin. So, I began by laying out where the red would start or where the white would end, half empty, half full, whatever. I use an 1/8â&#x20AC;? fine line tape from FBS. (You should really check this tape out.) Next, I masked off all the areas that I wanted to remain pearl white. For large areas like this, I use transfer tape for the bulk of the area and tape off the edges with automotive masking tape.

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OK . . . toss away the skull references. Flames? I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t think so. This bike had to have the feel of elegance, but at the same time it had to scream Pope . . . without the actual screaming part. This article will chronicle how I managed to accomplish this daunting task.

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Once the parts were sprayed with the red, I let them dry and begin airbrushing the crumpled effect. I had a nice big piece of black satin-like material that I laid down on my workbench, under the piece I would be working on, to give me some reference material - no pun intended.

I started out with a transparent black/red/green mixture for all the darker areas and folds. I sort of sketched everything in lightly with the airbrush as I was moving along, then I went back to the creases and folds to darken them up a bit. After working all the darker areas to the the point where I was satisfied, I hit all the highlighted areas with a bright orange to give it that satin sheen feel. I got a lot of inspiration for this part of the paint job by studying some of Michelangeloâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s early paintings of figures with incredible, folded and flowing clothing.

After all the red areas were completed I started creating a pattern in CorelDRAW that would become the graphic to separate the red from the white. I started out with a simple curl design, mirrored it, then mirrored again and again and again. After I had a string of these curls, I welded them together and then mirrored the whole thing over so I had 2 strips running next to each other creating a sort of flowing diamond pattern between them. What I was trying to create was a graphic that would symbolize the sashes that the pope wore over his robes. I cut the design out on the plotter and proceeded to lay out the design on the tins. As you can see on the tank, I made sure I overlapped the mask at the same part of the design to give it a seamless look at the point. I then masked off on each side of the graphic and laid down a metallic gold.

After some quick shadowing around the plotter cut mask, the entire design got peeled off. Continuing to work my way to the center areas that will hold the mural work, I used different size masking tapes to give even spacing around the gold band. At this point of the paint job, I was still under the assumption that the frame was going to be chrome. I later found out it had been powder coated silver instead, which was fine, but now I knew I had to add some sort of silver to the paint job to tie in the frame color. Not a problem! Creating on the fly is part of the job.

Back to the computer! I scanned the image of the pope that I received from the customer and created a vector image of him. The process that I used to create the mural is pretty much the same concept that is used in Mike Learn’s “Belly Gun” system. Wow! I cant believe I just compared a Pope vector to a Bree vector. I’m going to stop now before the thunder starts. He he he. Once the mask was laid down on the tank, I began airbrushing, letting the cut mask guide me through placement of important features. Since this is a portrait and not an image that I have created in my mind, each and every feature of the face is very important. Using a computer and a masking system is an enormous time saver because it allows you to plot the placement, shape, size and perspective of specific features and allows you to easily duplicate the individual characteristics that will make your artwork recognizable as the person you are painting, in this case, the Pope.

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I taped out some areas to add silver and covered them, then masked out the top of the tank and rear fender and painted those areas in a medium gray. I chose to do a monochrome, black and white style picture of the pope on the tank and the logo they requested on the rear fender in a carved marble look.

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I worked the image piece by piece, until the entire mural was unmasked, leaving me with the groundwork I needed to complete the portrait. I worked everything in with white first, making sure the entire composition was laid out with the contrast and detail that I had envisioned. When I was happy with the under painting, I began working with a transparent black/red/green mix to darken my shadow areas, work the detail and give some depth to the image. I then went back to the white to reinstate some highlights here and there. After the outer portion of the mask was removed I made some minor adjustments to the shadows now that I could see how the image looked against a dark background. I then cut another mask of the basic outline of the figure to cover him so I could further work the background without getting any overspray on the portrait.

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To finish off the spraying, I unmasked the portion I had previously taped off for the silver and covered up the center mural areas. Silver sprayed, everything unmasked, and the parts got a few coats of clear. All the parts got sanded with 800 grit paper so there was a nice smooth surface for the variegated gold leaf stripe I put on the edges of the red and on the border of the murals. I striped the silver with a reddish orange, re-cleared the parts, then wet sanded everything and buffed it to a glorious shine!

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This is less of a “How To” and more of a “How I Did This One.” It may sound clichéd or tacky, but every new painting really can be a journey fraught with it’s own challenges, mistakes/frustrations, and discoveries - and this one was certainly no exception. As much as I’d love to present a sure-fire formula to achieving a killer dragon painting every time you set out, that’s just not realistic (at least not for me!). Luckily there are certain techniques you can ally yourself with to better achieve the results you seek. As discussed in the previous article, a strong design is the foundation to anything you choose to develop and, without this cornerstone, it really is quite difficult to bring a design to life.

I’m not sure exactly which came first: the sketch or the panel (an aluminum panel approximately 2’ x 4’.) Ultimately, I guess one inspired the other: in no particular order. Once the sketch was completed, though, the panel was ground out in a way to support the design, then kandied with HOK‘s Kandy Teal, clear coated and wet sanded with 600 grit paper.

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So begins our journey. . .

I was aiming for a dragon that has enough character and motion to stand alone but still allowed for the ground metal to achieve it’s effect as well. An attempt to merge fantasy art and “kustom kulture”, I guess. I chose to redraw the picture instead of projecting it - to try and lay it out in a way that best fits the panel. What you sacrifice in speed and efficiency is somewhat balanced by being able to customize and rework your composition to better fill the entire surface. And here you’ll have the chance to make changes and incorporate ideas you’ve come up with along the way. 3M’s masking tape is usually my personal preference, but transfer paper is an excellent alternative for a panel this size. After cutting the design out with my exacto knife, I begin with the areas that I know will be the darkest and most shadowed - spraying just enough black to obscure the teal underneath but not really worrying about complete coverage. I won’t be remasking any areas, but by peeling and spraying areas as you go, you can establish depth , form, and contrast early on.

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Switching now to white, I continue on spraying areas as I peel them. Again, I’m not too concerned about complete coverage, just basic form and contrast lines. Besides, spraying too heavy along the edges of the masking paper will give you a bright white line when the surrounding mask is removed. Establishing muscle form at this point is a good idea, though, as this will prove to be the most forgiving stage of the painting.

Another view of how quickly it can take shape just by peeling and spraying. You don’t have to be too meticulous - but keep in mind the look you want to achieve to help keep you from overworking areas further down the line.

Now that it’s roughed in, I’ll start working out the details and shadows. Instead of straight black, I’ve mixed it with an oriental blue kandy and reduced it to where it would spray both details and light, transparent washes as well. Keeping your sketch handy for reference will help, but this is where you can just bring it to life as you go.

It can be a little tedious but a little extra time put in now will keep possibilities and options available to you down the road. As with any painting, it can be hard to pay equal attention to the entire surface. There seems to be a natural tendency to put a bunch of detail into the head and chest area - and just blast through the rest. It takes a little patience and determination (especially with a painting of this size) but keep in mind that weak areas of a painting will detract from the overall appearance. An equally detailed and balanced painting will look significantly more professional and just seems to have a lot more ‘punch‘.

Because I’m wanting the dragon to have a light, mostly white appearance and most of the colors used will be done with transparent kandies, I start brushing white paint on where I want the most definition. It is intended to be an indoor/ decorative panel, I don’t worry too much about the adhesion of using Envirobase White paint directly over my urethane base. Otherwise, if I wanted to use a brush at this stage, I would have clearcoated the urethanes, sanded the panel and continued on from there (or even just used striping enamel.)

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Here the masking has been removed and some decisions had to be made. If you’ve kept your details somewhat tight, you could easily just continue on with your airbrush. If the job is for a client and/or you are on a deadline this is definitely a viable option. But since this is a personal project, I’m going to go a different route with this one to achieve a bit more of a textured appearance.

I carry the brushed white throughout the painting, not worrying too much about final details, but keeping in mind the harsh contrast a brush has over the soft edges of the airbrushed areas. The images make it look as though the previous work you’ve done has been obliterated by this new step - but what I’m after is a balance between the two. By switching back to my airbrush white now; I can smooth out some brushmarks, brighten up where I think the lighter areas will be, and try to find that balance.

Now that the scales are defined and the combination of hard and soft edges has been achieved, I can start to bring color in. Again, I want a predominantly white dragon, but to combat a flat, grayscale appearance, I use heavily reduced kandy Oriental blue and Wild Cherry to enhance the shadowed areas and give hints of color throughout. And by using the kandies to establish the shadows instead of black, you can achieve much more depth and impact to your painting.

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But… too much of a good thing can go very bad - very quickly. Here I’m showing a picture of one of those “What the hell was I thinking?!?” moments. I’ve gone way to far here with the kandies…

So it’s back to redefining my transitions and bringing my beast back to my intended white. The silver lining is that more color underneath can create more depth. By only hitting my edges with the paint brush and softening them again with my airbrush, you do keep some of the underlying color. It is, however, a very time-consuming mistake and, especially if this been for a customer, my profit margin would have just taken a pretty significant shot.

Now that we’re back on track I can start adding final definition, further shading/shadowing some areas, and taking advantage of some of the specialty products that automotive paints provide. I’m using my initial Oriental blue/black mix to knock back a few areas and put some dimension into the scales and muscle structure.. But I’ve also hit the wing membranes with a Kameleon Cyan to Purple color shifting paint. After all, the seemingly unlimited arsenal of products available to you is a big part of what makes these panels so much fun. This part can be a little tricky. Anything sprayed on the area surrounding the dragon will obscure the metal underneath and give you ‘dead spots’ from certain angles. But my plan is to try to attach or embed the dragon to the panel in some way. The whole idea was to have a dragon look like he’s preparing to launch into flight, so I’m going to add water and splash marks to suggest the action of a pre-leap crouch. Again, I use my transparent blue/black mix to darken but not fully obscure the metal beneath. Then white is sprayed somewhat sparingly to add highlights to the dripping water and droplets.

At this point the panel gets clearcoated with a urethane clear. The texture you’ve achieved is a bit of a double-edged sword. To be able to be sanded flat and buffed to an even shine, it’ll usually take two sessions of clearing. You can, however, use it to your advantage and get a early look at what your colors will look like under the clear and compensate accordingly in between coats.

Then you can reclear, sand and buff smooth, and sit back and admire your handiwork! (and obsess about how you can make the next one better…)

Angel’s Custom Paint is: Rod and Cherie Fuchs

Visit FuchsArt.com for more

Original Works of Art Created by Roderick Fuchs

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After another 600 grit wet sanding; missing details can be added, tape lines can be blended and final highlights can be put on. You have to be a little more careful, though, as the sanding will mute the appearance of the design beneath and it’s very easy to overcompensate.

feed if you have a side feed bottle. A dedicated cleaner bottle is advised. For those who don’t have a side feed bottle for cleaner you can convert an AZTEK airbrush bottle by sanding down the nib to fit your particular airbrush. Now for the challenge - color change for the gravity feed airbrush. The first tip is to try and only place enough paint in the reservoir for the area to paint. If you put too much paint in the reservoir then pour off the excess paint into you waste receptacle. Then fill the reservoir with cleaner and spray into the cleaning station. Once empty, fill the reservoir again and agitate the bowl by shaking or stirring. This will help release any pigment residue that remains in the reservoir. Now spray out into your cleaning station. Repeat this process until the expelled liquid is clear.

End of Day Cleaning

90 percent of all airbrush failures are the result of an unclean airbrush. Blockages of dried paint are the numero uno for an under performing or non performing airbrush. One cannot expect a finely engineered tool to perform properly without the care and attention it deserves. After all, would you never wash and wax your ’57 Chevy?!?!?!?!? For this segment we need to follow in our friend the Airbrush Gourmet’s foot steps, do the airbrush cleaning as you go along, and always leave your work areas spotless. Even on those nights where your creativity is flowing and the time slips away till the wee hours, not taking the time to clean and prep your work area will lead to major regrets the next time you get a creative urge. There is a three step process for maintaining the day to day performance of your airbrush. 1. 2. 3.

Cleaning between color changes End of day cleaning Performance boost cleaning

Cleaning between color changes

For bottle feed airbrushes, it is important to make sure that dried paint doesn’t creep into your bottle assembly. Always cover the nib with a redi cap to keep paint in the bottle from exposure to air. The air will start to cure the paint in the paint tube. This is big time trouble as cleaning the tube is a real hassle. If you don’t airbrush every day, put a toothpick into the air hole in the cover of the bottle assembly. This keeps 100% of the air away from the paint until you are ready to airbrush again. It also keeps the air hole clear of paint so that your siphon action will operate smoothly. An additional task, especially if you are not returning the following day, is to remove your needle and apply a light coating of airbrush lube to the needle and replace it into the airbrush. This will retard any residue from drying on the needle between usage.

Performance Boost Cleaning Every 4 or 5 times after you have used your airbrush it is time to do a BOOST cleaning of the airbrush front end. This cleaning will ensure that any dried paint particles are removed and that your airbrush will atomize paint at PEAK performance. The nozzle is the atomization engine. Any debris in the nozzle will severely affect performance. During the final flushing of your airbrush you can “gargle” your nozzle clean. This is done by retracting the needle and placing your finger over the front of the airbrush. This will force the air backwards into the airbrush bottle or paint reservoir. After you have done this, empty the waste cleaner directly to the waste receptacle. NEVER shoot the backwash through the airbrush. Another performance boost is to air cap or head assembly) and the in airbrush cleaner overnight. The contaminates and put them into soluSOAK YOUR ENTIRE AIRBRUSH!

take the needle cap, nozzle cap (also known as nozzle off of the airbrush and soak them overnight cleaning will dissolve any tion with the cleaner. NEVER

Cleaning for a bottle feed airbrush is easiest among the airbrush types. Simply keep a bottle of cleaner, use paint brand specific cleaner if available, and insert the bottle of cleaner and spray into your cleaning station until the expelled liquid is clear. You can then place your new paint color into the airbrush.

The final step to BOOST performance is to use a reamer or pick on the inside of your airbrush. Use your magnifier to find dried paint in the nozzle, nozzle cap, needle cap, or paint channel of your airbrush. Take the paint reamer or one of the picks and gently scrap the inside of the tip. This will remove any of the dried paint that disrupts atomization at best and creates blow back at worst.

Cleaning for a side feed can work as easy as a bottle

Next issue: Field stripping your airbrush.

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Now that you have assembled your cleaning kit, it’s time to get down to the task at hand - protecting your investment and ensuring peak performance!

Use the methods outlined in color change to clear the paint from you airbrush. The Number One reason for non performance in an airbrush is DRIED PAINT! Don’t leave any paint anywhere inside your airbrush!

If you work with clear coats, you know what it is, work very hard to avoid it, and cringe when you see it. Solvent pop - little blisters that look like a bad sunburn on your surface. Technically speaking, solvent pop occurs when liquid solvent (thinners/ reducers) becomes “trapped” in the paint film when the surface layer skins over too quickly. The dry surface prevents normal evaporation so that the solvents vaporize within the paint film and leave bubbles, pinholes or craters as they push through and “pop” the surface.

Dried top shell Trapped Solvent Wet or Heavy clear coat Base Coat - colors

ILLUSTRATION by Shane Hildebrand

CAUSES: 1. Using the wrong speed reducer for the current painting/drying conditions or using different speed reducers between coats. 2. Too much air movement in the booth causing the top layer of your coat to dry too quickly. 3. Excessive film thickness: Spraying too much on at one time. 4. Impatience: Not allowing enough dry time between coats.

REPAIR: The only way to properly repair a solvent pop infected area is to first allow the paint to dry thoroughly and sand smooth. It is imperative that you sand down to the layer BELOW the craters. If you do not, air from the spray gun will catch on the remaining craters and push your paint/clear out resulting in a bigger mess (see illustration). Inspect the surface completely to ensure that you have removed all signs of pin holes. Re-coat as necessary.

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Paint cannot get to the bottom of the craters because they are filled with the air from the spray gun.

Do you have a TroubleShooting Tip or Technical Question? Send it in to editor@ab-mag.com!!

If the solvent pop is severe, you may have to sand all the way back down to the surface, prime, paint and re-coat.

PREVENTION: Obviously, you want to avoid any of the causes listed above. A good set of rules to follow is to ensure you properly reduce your paint/clear, accounting for current conditions with the proper speed reducers and monitor air movement in the booth. Be sure to allow sufficient time between coats. Tip: Do not spray another coat until you can touch the surface without “stringing.”

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V for Vector is a permanent and exclusive AB-Mag Column dedicated to giving pertinent, timely and down-to-earth instruction on how to use technology to your advantage as an artist.

Lesson Five:

By Diana Learn

For this “episode” of V for Vector I am going to take a step back from the tools and techniques based articles I have done in the past and tackle a few more fundamentals and show you how to apply many of the methods we have already covered.

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It seems every day more and more of you are learning the value of integrating the computer into your workflow and are wanting to learn more about creating vector masks and stencils. A question I answer on the phone, on the forums or in our Customer Service center nearly every day is “how do I vectorize this piece of art?”

What a great question!! Unfortunately the answer to the question is not always easy. To create a vector from a raster image, you can use a trace feature (for example, Live Trace in Adobe Illustrator CS2 and later, Adobe StreamLine for earlier versions, CorelTRACE in versions prior to 12, PowerTRACE in Corel X3 and X4), you can redraw your image using drawing tools, or you can use a combination of both methods. The method(s) you choose depend largely on the quality and complexity of the raster artwork, and the final application for which the vectorized file will be used. If you would like additional help or personalized instruction on Illustrator, CorelDRAW or any other graphics program, check out LearnAirbrush.com. LearnAirbrush.com is an online resource rich in information pertinent to any form of art. In addition, LearnAirbrush.com provides FREE online classes at “Learn Academy LIVE!” Several times each month. Classes cover Airbrush Technique, Illustrator/CorelDRAW, PhotoShop and Using a plotter. Don’t miss the LIVE Web Cam available to the public 24/7.

Here are a few of my “rules/guidelines/considerations” that I look at when deciding how to best vectorize a file: 1. I don’t like to trace text. It will never be as crisp and clean as using a font. I prefer to find the font, or locate one that is similar enough to use with some node adjustments. Remember how we discussed creating an editable vector object from text? Type out your word(s) in the font face that you want, then select:

3. If the vector file is to be used as a mask for airbrush work, and is not meant to leave hard lines behind, you can be more loose/simple in your vector work. For example, look at the vector file for Work Smarter v1 vs the finished product. Remember that using a computer and vector masking is supposed to streamline your process. If you agonize over unnecessary details in your file, you are defeating the purpose of the process

Type -> Create Outlines (Illustrator) or Arrange -> Convert to Curves (CorelDRAW) From there you can edit individual nodes, add bevels, warp, manipulate.

2. If there are basic shapes, ie. circles, rectangles, stars, triangles, etc involved in the drawing, I prefer to redraw the original, or at least those parts of it. (THINK: How can I break this object down into a series of basic shapes?)

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4. If the vector file is, for example, a logo, the result needs to be clean and crisp. Most often these types of files have to be recreated using drawing tools. If you need a logo, always ask your customer for a vector file first. VERY often, they have one. If not, check out www.BrandsofTheWorld.com before you start drawing. Thousands of companies and corporations have filed their .eps logos on this site and they are available for FREE download and use AS LONG AS they are being used in accordance with license and or copyright agreements.

5. Remember if you are making a mask or a stencil for your artwork, you do not need to be overly detailed. You want to make a file that will give you the guidelines you need, not the detail that you will be adding with your airbrush.

The image above was airbrushed using the stencil to the right. Notice that it just provides placement and shape.

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6. If your original raster image is a photograph, you will most likely NOT be able to use any sort of trace feature. Tackle this project with the pen or pencil and manually draw the lines that you need for your project. Again, do not immerse yourself in the details. Draw what you need.

7. And finally, if you are unsure how to proceed, try the trace and see what the result is. It only takes a few seconds, and you will know if you can use any or all of the result. The recent advancements made in vectorizing trace programs have made this option more and more viable for the needs of many artists using vector files for masking. Before you commit yourself to a seemingly overwhelming vectorization project, do a quick trace. Even if the overall result is not usable, often you can pull parts of the result out, add perfect text and objects or symbols that are easily recreated with shapes and have a workable file in no time.

Learning to work with vector files is no different than learning any other skill you have mastered over the years. You need to practice. And, just like you learn to play an instrument by running scales, and learn to airbrush with thousands of dots and daggers, if you want to get proficient with your vector programs you need to practice and master the rudimentary processes. Take some time vectorizing miscellaneous objects. Go to Google and pull up some random logos, pick a few and develop a strategy. Start with simple objects and work your way up to more complex designs. Try to use all the lessons in the past issues to create new interesting and designs and stencils. Work with your computer until you can create masks, graphics and templates quickly and efficiently. And most of all . . . HAVE FUN!

In the example shown here, notice that the reference work is a photograph that will be used to create a mask for a pin-up style piece. In the image on the left, I have dimmed the photo so that you can see the lines that were drawn on top of the reference photo. Notice which of the body lines were chosen to be part of the mask. When creating a mask for painting the human form, the most important thing you need to do is create a â&#x20AC;&#x153;mapâ&#x20AC;? of the body that will allow you to get key features in their proper place, in proper proportion. If you have the key points correctly placed, you will be on your way to producing an image that will reflect realism. If you are doing a portrait, features are integral to achieving likeness.

A QUICK LOOK AT ILLUSTRATOR’S LIVE TRACE FEATURE I have talked a lot about “tracing” in this article, but we have not really gone into detail on how to trace. Here is a quick overview using Illustrator’s Live Trace as an example. CorelDRAW’s new PowerTrace feature is now integrated right into the DRAW program and is quite similar. For this example I picked up an image of a butterfly on Google Images. I opened the image inside PhotoShop I adjusted the Curves to get a very strong black and white image. You can achieve the same results using contrast settings in any photo manipulation program. The better black and white contrast you have, the better your trace will turn out. When I was happy with the contrast, I placed the image into Illustrator. With the image selected, I hit the LIVE TRACE button on the top contextual menu. There are several different settings available for the LIVE TRACE feature, and you can experiment with them to see which works best for your image. When you are happy with the trace result, hit EXPAND, then UNGROUP. Once ungrouped, you will want to delete the background image. Simply select the background (it will show up like a square) and delete. The way LIVE TRACE works is it will create filled paths for each color represented in your original drawing. Because of this, you will end up with “double cut” lines if you do not separate the image colors. Since this is a simple black and white, I used the Magic Wand to select all the white areas. While the white is still selected, I move the whole group away, leaving the black. I deleted the white. Now that you have your outline, you can either use it as is, or choose to make some adjustments, additions or deletions. I decided to get rid of a few of the spots on the wings. Using the Group Selection tool, I chose a few areas on the butterfly that I did not want and simply deleted them. Use your smooth tool (flies out from the pencil) to make minor adjustments or to smooth out areas with jagged edges.

That is about it! Take some time to practice tracing. Get an idea of how the color and quality of the original raster art affects the trace outcome. The more familiar you are with the process, the better you will be at choosing the best way to vectorize your next file!!

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Also notice that I have the rulers turned on and have pulled guidelines to make sure that the size I want to cut, is the size that the file represents. I RARELY work without the rulers. It is a good habit to get into. Another highly recommended practice is to duplicate your entire result and work on the duplicate. That way if you really mess up, you can always go back and grab another copy of your original. You can also use pieces of your original to make a “franken-file”.

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By Annie Lavoie Maximum FX Airbrush Studio Quebec, Canada MySpace.com/MaximumFX

To be able to give something meaningful to your client; something that they will cherish for a long time, is one of the best feelings in the world! I feel very blessed to be able to do this with my airbrush skills. So in this How To, that’s what I want to share with you. I had received a request from a client to paint his wife’s beloved dog who had recently passed away. I will try to guide you through the steps I have taken to get to the end result. I hope you like it and that you can learn a little bit from it!

Next I use 600 grit wet sand paper (make sure your paper has soaked in water for a couple hours . . . it will sand a lot better!) and I make sure to completely dull the finish. Be careful around the edges: you want to take all the shine off without going through the paint or sealer. When you’re done, de-grease the surface again and you are ready for paint. In this case, I painted a solid dark blue background so it appears to be a night sky in the end. Now the fun begins!

Pic 2. : I make sure the image is centered on my panel and I lightly mark the corners with a chalk to be able to position my image correctly when I do the transfer. I use regular chalkboard chalk because the air pressure of my airbrush will shoot it right off. No need to be so careful of unwanted lines that are hard to cover. Pic 3. : Using the mirror copy that I have chosen, I mark the outline, the eyes, the nose and details in the ears with chalk. I just want to place the principal outlines. I’m not going into detail in this step. Pic 4. : With the outlines completed, I turn the mirror image face down, carefully so the chalk doesn’t fall all over the panel. Remember I said I marked the corners? This is why. Now I’m sure the image is exactly where I need it and perfectly centered in the panel. I hold the copy in place so it doesn’t move at all (that is really important) and I rub the copy with my hand so the chalk transfers to the panel.

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I’ll start with the basics for those of you who don’t have knowledge in preparing your surface. I’m working on an aluminum panel which has a white finish on it (paint or sealer). First, you need to clean it : use a clean cloth with de-greaser on it (I use 900 from RM Diamont). You need to wipe it right off with a clean dry cloth. Don’t let it dry by itself or the contaminants will stay on the surface and you will sink them in when you do your sanding.

Pic 1. : I take the original picture and make photocopies of it in different sizes. This way I can choose which size suits the panel best. The copies are a mirror image. This is so I can transfer the picture on the panel by marking lines that will guide my airbrush to paint the picture using chalk.

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Pic 5. : This is what you end up with. Keeping my reference pic close, I take a white stabilo pencil and redraw some of the lines to make sure they don’t fade away too fast. I do this very lightly because I don’t want any of the stabilo to show through the paint. When I’m done drawing with the stabilo, I take a tack cloth and wipe the entire panel. This way, it takes the excess greasy residu left behind by the stabilo.

Pic 6. : Now it’s finally time to get the airbrush out!!! I prepare a mix of white paint with a couple drops of yellow. White is a naturally cool color so without the 2 or 3 drops of yellow, it will appear blue. I reduce my paint accordingly (about 1 part of paint for 1 part of reducer) and I test my mixture to make sure it flows perfectly. I always use a slow reducer because there is so much air going through the airbrush that you don’t want your paint to dry on the needle. Pic 7. : I do this step with the Richpen MoFlo with a pressure of about 35 PSI. I don’t want to take the MOJO (or a micron for those of you using Iwata) because it will take too much time

to cover the panel. So keeping my reference picture beside my panel, I start building up the white starting with the ears. I don’t really have a plan when I start. I just go by instinct! I use a lot of dagger strokes and I look closely at the picture to know in which direction the fur is going in. Pic 8. : In some spots, the reference picture is really bright and I can’t distinguish any details… so I have my own dog close by and I examine her face closely, mostly around the eyes to see how to work the hairs. They are going in many different directions and if you get it wrong, especially around the eyes, it won’t look right. Pic 9. :I continue with the white until I have covered the whole dog. I try to make the fur look exactly like in the picture. This is not just a dog : it’s a portrait. The client knows this dog so it has to look exactly like the picture, not just like the same breed.

Pic 11. : Now I’m done with the white. I worked a little background, very subtly. The main focus is the portrait, but having a background helps make it pop out. You have to make sure your white is covered enough. If not, the blue background might show through once it is cleared and it won’t look right when you lay down the colors. I know, this is a white dog! But if you look closely, there are a lot of colors going on in the original picture. If you’re not sure what colors to mix, use a program like PhotoShop. Take the eye drop tool and go pic the color you want to reproduce on the picture : like in the ears, it’s pinkish and brown. In the fur, there are some yellowish tones. Picking them out with the computer will help you know what you should mix. Make sure to test the color first. Don’t spray it directly on the panel. A wrong color can kill your design and can take a long time to fix. For this step, I take out my Richpen MOJO (if you’re using Iwata, it’s time to grab your Micron). I work the darker tones in the nose and eyes area. I don’t use black for this step. I rarely use straight black. It never looks right. It makes the design look odd and unnatural. Instead, I mix brown with a drop of blue, a drop of red and a drop of green. Those colors cancel each other out and creates a dark tone. It looks black but it really isn’t. I lay it down very gradually (it’s dark but I make it transparent by adding transparent base coat to it so I don’t lay it down too heavy). This is all done freehand but

it could be done with a mask if you’re scared you might do this step wrong. Since it’s very transparent, I can work with it on the whole dog. I can use it in the ears and lightly on the fur to make it appear 3 dimensional. Remember this: if there is light, there will be shadows. If you see dark tones, it’s because light is hitting it so you need to see highlights. That’s a tip Vince Goodeve gave me: use dark to show light, and light to show dark. Always remember this. It will make your art come alive! In this case I have a picture to work with so I know where to put the highlights. But when you don’t, pick a light source and keep it in the same spot throughout the design. You have to imagine

your design is 3 dimensional and the light hits the high points and create shadows. That’s not easy… but with time it becomes natural. Pic 12. : So here she is! After many hours, I can sit back and look at what I have created. Oh wait… I have to make sure the garage is really clean to get ready for clear! I hope you enjoy this how to. I know I enjoyed painting this piece! It will be hard to let go of it to send it to the client. But… it always is!!! Thanks for reading!

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Pic 10. : Here in this picture I’m almost done with the white. I’m being really careful around the eyes and nose: they are the most important features. The details in this area is what will make this dog recognizable.

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In a day and age of things getting more and more complex, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s great to see a simple and effective idea become a reality. The double cut away handle is one of those products. Designed to give the artist instant access to the needle chuck for quick flush outs, this handle allows that very well. The Double Cut-Away handle is made from chrome plated brass and has a thread size that will fit many different a airbrushes. Also included is the screw on needle extractor for the end of the needle.

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The only concern that the testing group had before working with the new handle was overall balance. The thought was that having so much weight removed from the handle by the extra cut-away would cause the balance of the airbrush to be shifted to the front of the brush. In testing though, this turned out not to be a concern. The weight of the handle plus the needle extractor ended up balancing the airbrush nicely. Simplicity of design is the strength of the DCA Handle. It has taken the existing design of the cut-away handle and made it more convenient to use.

For more articles like this, along with specialized, in-depth How Tos, discussions, movies, theories and downloads, check out LearnAirbrush.com. Registration and loads of info is FREE. Consider a Membership to unlock EVEN MORE.

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Straight answers to your airbrush questions.

and technique, yet what I’m getting stuck on is types of paint for work on plastic and metals.

I’m just starting to get into airbrushing plastic models, and I have to find a way to do this on the cheap/quiet side as I’m a college student (cheap) and I’m in a dorm (quiet). Someone gave me the idea to use a 10 gallon air tank and fill it up at one of those tire pumps at a gas station. How well would this work? – Seanohue

I’ve molded a PC case once and painted with aerosol cans, but Didn’t add anything to protect it (Clear coat is it?) Please don’t laugh. So, if I were to paint on an aluminum siding of a computer case, (excluding prep of surface) what types of paint do I use? What do I use to protect it, and how many coats? Are there any brand paints that are more recommended than others? – K

The old “I’ve got no money but I need quiet air” syndrome. Well your idea will work as long as your project can be completed in 20 minutes or less. Or if you can airbrush out in the student parking lot and just move from tire to tire - car to car. HEHEHE.

First there are no “stupid questions”. Every question has an answer for a newbie, some introspection for an old timer, and some variety as there is always more than one way to tackle a paint project.

Air storage tanks have been used for quite a long time in airbrush and Badger Airbrush even makes a tire adapter for their airbrush hoses. But unless you like driving to the gas station and paying 25 cents to fill your tank each time then it is time to invest in a compressor. The new generation of oil-less piston compressors have made airbrushing affordable, fun and unobtrusive. Operating at the same noise level as a room air conditioner, these pumps are just the ticket for use in a dorm room or apartment. Brands to look for are the SPARMAX, innovator of the category, POLAR BEAR, or WHISPERAIRE. All of these compressors are available with moisture trap – pressure regulator air hose and adapters for the major airbrush brands. Has anybody heard anything about Createx discontinuing their Medium products? How about their Pure Pigment line? I’m getting back into airbrushing after a couple years off, so I am not to up and up on what’s going on. – Inspired_Art_By_Air

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First off, welcome back to airbrushing! Createx had suspended production of the Pure Pigment line but it is now back, better than ever. The mediums have been renamed Bases and are the same great formula. For detailed information visit www.createxcolors.com.

First, I would just like to say I’m completely new to airbrushing and have very little experience with paint at all. I’ve been a graphic designer and animator for 5 years now and have barely any experience with traditional media (excluding crayons :-P and graphite). So, I just got a Badger Anthem 155 + air compressor and have practiced a decent amount for handling

Computer cases are a great surface to paint. Most of them are textured which helps with paint adhesion and since the computer won’t be seeing any weather your paint options are endless. The only recommendation I would make is to get a sample piece of pre painted aluminum and apply your paint of choice and then apply your clear coat of choice to make sure everything is compatible. As for the number of coats, follow your paint manufacturers recommendation and your artist eye for developing the richness of colors for your art. I recently got a Silentaire Super Silent 50-TC compressor and, however stupid it may seem, I can’t figure out where I’m supposed to put the oil. The instructions seem say that I’m supposed to put it in where the red cap is, but there’s a cap on the top that says oil, so I’m kinda confused. I would appreciate the help of anyone that has this compressor or anyone that just happens to know. Thanks - anderekel The answer to the question is either will do. The old way was to pour the oil in the intake tube where the red cap is. The new motor heads have an oil plug that makes pouring in the oil so much easier but there is a catch. Wipe any spilled oil off the motor head before reinstalling the oil plug. This will help the gasket to last longer. Second, don’t tighten the oil cap so tight that you squeeze the gasket out of shape. And finally, don’t forget to install the breather filter. Silentaire is the #1 silent compressor for the airbrush artist You can check out the entire line at www.BearAir.com. Can someone tell me how to use auto air candies please. Every time I spray down some pearl or metallic and then spray some candy it turns that color, even if i

just hit the edges of my flames. – Tlloyd There is a very specific procedure to follow when applying AutoAir candies over Pearl or Metallic AutoAir. The very first is that the Pearl or Metallic must be 100% cured and this can take up to 24 hours depending on atmospheric conditions and whether or not you have drying equipment available. The entire key to AutoAir is using light coats and letting them dry before applying another coat. After you are sure that the Pearl or Metallic is cured now you can apply the candy. First mix the candy 1:1 with transparent base. This helps to spread out the dye and lower the concentration to minimize bleed. Then add Fast Reducer at 4 parts candy to one part reducer. Next dust your surface lightly with the candy, so light that you don’t really know any candy is there. Wait. Then wait some more. Then wait a little longer. Then spray another coat. Wait a little bit longer than the last time. After applying each coat of candy you need to wait while the water flashes off before applying the next coat. Another very important thing to remember is that the AutoAir candies dry to a flat finish. So remember that when you add your final clear coat the candy color is going to POP! AutoAir is a great custom automotive paint as long as you take the time to learn the idiosyncracies. Be sure to ask for the FREE Auto Ait Application guide wherever you purchase your AutoAir colors. I would like to do up some business cards with Microsoft word 2007. I have the Avery sheets 08731 that are pre punched paper ready for ink jet printing, but where do I get started in Microsoft Word?? I would like the ability to change my cards every time I have new artwork. I believe I need to use templates, but I am not sure. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks - Curtis (wild guns) Hey Curtis. That’s exactly what I’ve been doing. Printing your own has it’s advantages, especially if you don’t go through that many very fast. You can change ‘em without wasting a bunch that are already printed. 1. Open up Word. 2. Go to the top menu bar & click on “Tools”. 3. Select “Letters & Mailings”. 4. Then choose “Envelopes & Labels”. 5. A new window will open for “Envelope & Labels”. In bottom right-hand corner of the window will be a section called “Label”. A default label will already be displayed there. Click on whatever label pic is showing to open up the “Label Options” window.

Hope that was what you were looking for! Marge - Cameron Arts, Inc. Do you have a question? Post up on the boards at Airbrush.com or LearnAirbrush.com and you will get an answer and you may find your post here in a future issue!

I have currently sorted out a deal with my local signmaker. He will print/cut the lettering/stencils I need for cheap as long as I do all the artwork and just give him the design ready-to-go. I am having a problem. I currently use Illustrator CS2 to trace and lay all the paths down and create the outlines I need cut, but whenever I transfer the .eps file to CD and take it to him, his program decyphers it as one solid picture (like a .jpg or something). What do you do to make the file work? (preferences/export settings?) The first thing you need to do is to make sure that when you are done tracing you expand, un-group and delete the original trace file so that all you have left is your path. Use your outline view to ensure that everything is, in fact, a path. Coming from an ad agency background where file sharing between systems, programs and OSs is a daily occurrence, I got into the habit of saving each of my files it in its native format (.ai whatever version), as an .eps and then again as an earlier version .eps, usually version 3 or 8. That process, while perhaps overkill, has solved nearly all my compatibility issues. Whoever needs the files can invariably open one of them successfully. ~Head Roller

Lately I’ve been having this problem where whenever I let the pressure off of the paint trigger, I get a small burst of paint that ends up blowing out. I’ll be in really tight for close detail and let off at the end of the line and end up with a blowout spot. What could be causing this? There are several things that could be causing the problem you are experiencing: 1. It could be an uneven needle surface because dry paint is sticking to the needle. Take the needle out and wipe it down with some thinner and a rag then give it a bit of polish with some brass cleaner like Brasso or very fine polish compound (car polish). Put some spray gun lube on the needle and put back in and see if this helps. 2. You may not have enough tension on the needle/trigger spring causing the spring/needle guide to become unscrewed. Make sure the gun is assembled correctly and everything is properly tightened. 3. It is possible that your finger isn’t doing what your mind is thinking. ha.ha.ha. You have to stop air before you push the needle back and stop paint,. In fine detail work it will show if you don’t do this correctly. The solution here is to practice, practice, practice!

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6. Make sure the “Label Products” window shows “Avery”. You can change this with the drop down menu if it’s showing something else. 7. In the “Product number” window underneath, scroll to the product number. (Did you mean 8371? I don’t see an 8731.) There is usually a sheet supplied in the box of business cards or a number printed on the outside of the box that tells you what template number to use. 8. Once your product number is highlighted, hit OK. This will take you back to the “Envelopes & Labels” window. Your new product number should now show in the lower right. 9. Click “New Document”. Word will open up a new document window with the business card template in place. If you can’t see the borders of the template (which you really need to place your artwork), then go back up to the top menu bar in your document & click on “Table”. 10. In the drop down menu, click on “Show Gridlines”.

By Scott MacKay

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Scott MacKay is Owner and Operator of: Thin Air GraFX Amesbury, MA www.ThinAirGraFX.com

set them apart from the other users of the same products (mp3 or cell phone cases, faceplates, etc.). Even among the variety of off-the-shelf items available, however, there’s a limit to the amount of customization available from store bought items, and other people can end up with the same look as you. As a custom painter, one-ofa-kind designs are what keep my business going and keep my customers coming back for more, so these customizable items are a natural!

For this article I will be demonstrate how to custom paint a video game controller. As an added benefit, having this kind of variety in your portfolio demonstrates an interesting level of diversity in your work (plus they look real cool in the showcase at your studio). People see cars and bikes almost everyday, but they don’t see a cool controller, a cell phone, or a coffee can that has a wild paint job on it. For ideas, look around the shop, the house, or even a scrap yard for unique items. Keep in mind that many of the custom stickers and faceplates on the shelves started when someone painted a one-off job ant the trend caught on. One of the first things I ever painted was a beeper case. I know I’m dating myself: a beeper was a little mobile device that disIn this age of electronic gadgets , played a persons phone number so almost everything has some sort of you could call them customizable feature. People love back before we all to go out and buy add-ons which had cell phones. So many occasions - so many people - so many gift needs. And shopping for gifts? It can be so frustrating trying to figure out what friends and relatives will really want or enjoy. When I “quit my day job” and began painting for a living full time, the budget was usually pretty tight so I started looking for inexpensive items I could customize using my skills as an artist. I found quickly that these gifts were more appreciated and I received more complements then I ever did when I was spending a ton of money. Whether it’s a birthday, a big holiday, or even just a thank you gift, your talent is worth more to your friends and family than any gift bought at a store.

torx bit called a safety, or tamper-proof, torx. Essentially, this is a standard torx with a hole in the center so it will fit over the pin in the bolt. Start by removing all the visible screws on the back side of the controller.

Critical! When you disassemble electronics you usually void the warranty. Prepare for this. Make sure you have at least a general idea of how to put the item back together and a familiarity with basic electronics equipment. If you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t, find someone who does who can help you. First, look over the object and identify the best way to take it apart. Do this slowly and carefully. With electronics there are usually hidden screws or tabs that you could break if you are not careful. This could make the device unusable. For an X-box 360 wireless controller like the one here, you will need a specialty

Once all the screws are removed gently separate the top and bottom covers from the controller electronics. Here, there are a few loose objects, such as the vibration motors. Once it is separated, you also need to remove the controllerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s d-pad by unscrewing the Phillips-head screw from the back side of the pad. Do this regardless of whether or not you plan on painting the d-pad. It cannot be left attached during the painting process. Do yourself a favor at this point and carefully bag and label the screws and electronic board. Trust me, if you loose these parts you canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get new ones.

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Turning a plain controller into a statement.

One of the hidden screws that I mentioned earlier is located under the bar code sticker inside the battery holder. Note that once you cut away the sticker exposing the screw you will void any and all warranty that this or any other such device had on it. This is why they put the hidden screws.

LET’S GET PAINTING!! Now that you have an empty shell it’s time to prep and paint. Scuff the surface using both 600 grit sandpaper and a grey scuff pad to get into all the nooks and crannies. Lay down a light coat of primer and then base coat. For my design I’m using SEM Silver base coat, but for this, as well as the next few steps, your project may take a very different path than mine. Once the base coat is dry, I take some time to refine the design of the controller. This is something that you may have already done before beginning. Here, I’m taking a digital image of the controller and working with in a vector-based design program. I like to set my picture to actual size and create a design that will be cut to fit. When I cut the design with my plotter, I use vinyl paint mask.

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Once the vinyl is cut I transfer the positive image to the controller using transfer tape. Since I laid out the image properly on the computer, everything lines up just right on the controller.

Now that the mask is down I start the artwork, beginning with texture. I ’m using the tried and true method of spraying paint off the edge of a craft stick (SEM Passion Purple candy with 5% black added). Once I’m happy with the texture I like to “mess up” the face of the controller by adding stress cracks to make it appears as though you started to break the controller during a frustrating game… not that I’ve ever done that… Anyway, once all the dark cracks are added I emphasize them using a very thin white highlight along each crack and add a drop shadow to the design so that it appears to be floating.

All that’s left is to give the tribal design a little more depth. My original vector design included a inside contour trace. I remove the portion of the mask that will become the bevel, and then dust a little more color over the area. I spray a little darker on the bottom edges, which will give it a slightly beveled look. Total paint time is less them an hour, but simple jobs like this just look real. All in all, this is a pretty basic paint scheme. There are a number of comprehensive step by-steps on the techniques I used so I won’t bore you with any more details. Whether or not you followed my design or did one of your own, finish all the parts with a nice wet coat of clear and let it cure. Keep in mind that you don’t want to flood on too much clear or you will have a tough time putting the controller back together. After the clear is cured and the pieces are ready to go back together, clean out the controller holes so all the buttons work smoothly. Start by carefully cutting away any paint that is inside the button holes with a utility knife. Just one gentle spin around is enough. Next, wrap a piece of 800 grit sandpaper around a pencil and sand the holes smooth. This will ensure smooth button response. A custom painted controller isn’t much good if the thing won’t work. Finally, carefully reassemble the controller and give it a test run. Whoever uses this will be the envy of their friends when they’re kicking butt in their favorite game.

Final Thought 2 Men: Do not give your wife/girlfriend a custom painted x-box 360 controller, no matter what the occasion. Seriously. - signed, Scott’s wife

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Final Thought 1 Keep an eye out for new, cool objects to paint. You never know when you’ll start the next must-have trend.

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I use ordinary colored school chalk on white shirts and white chalk on black shirts to sketch out my design. Be sure to choose a color that will cover easily. In this case I used blue because this entire design will be done in different shades of blue.

Chalk is great for sketching because if you make a mistake or just donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t like how your design sketch is coming out, just hit it with some air and it is gone! I make sure the sketch is how I want it before I start airbrushing. Once you start it is hard (it can be done) to fix or change things on a shirt, unlike painting on a hard surface. I start outlining with a dark blue. In this case it is Createx Dark Blue. I use this color for the outline and dark shadowing first. I prefer to work from dark to light. Some artists like to start with light colors and go to dark, it is only a preference. It is best to work within your comfort zone.

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To get started on a T-Shirt, I pull the shirt over a pre-made shirt board that stretches the shirt slightly. You do not want it to stretch too much or the image will be distorted when you remove it from the board. Once the shirt is on the board you will need to smooth out any remaining wrinkles and use clothes pins to secure it. Next mask off the area that you want to airbrush. You can make it as big or as small as you want and it does not have to be this shape. Mask it any way you want to.

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Once I have my Dark Blue the way I want it I switch to a lighter blue. Here I am using Createx Brite blue (formally Pthalo Blue). I use this color to add some more shadowing and some details. If you notice I also use the same blue to shade around the skull and add a funky graphic to it. All I did was create some quick, loose swirls around the bottom. I continue working with this blue until I am satisfied with the details. Next I move to white. Adding white highlights to the eyes and parts of the skull gives the design shape and definition. I also use the white to create the illusion that his mouth is watering, slinging saliva everywhere. Next I use Aqua Flow Silk Black to paint long swirling dagger strokes to add the evil hair. When you get to this step the image really starts to come alive! Just keep adding hair until you like what you see. Make it as wild as you want or flowing. Don’t think about it too much and avoid too much uniformity. Random chaos is the key here. There are no rules, just have fun with it. When I am happy with the designs I unmask it and get ready to heat set. OOOOPSIEEEES! Got Little blow through? Don’t panic! This is an easy fix, well, it can be, depending on how heavy the blow through is. I just take some tape sticky side down and tap it over the oops until its gone. The next step is hard to show, but its like finishing a tank or a hood. You want to spray a clear over it to help it last. In this case I use Aqua Flows Top Binder. You can use Createx Clear with a little binder in it if you want to. Notice that I used some of the Brite blue around the outside to create a small fade. I use this technique to clean up the edge a little. Sometimes the tape will lift slightly at the edge and it looks fuzzy when you unmask it. The fade adds to the “wow” of the design, and looks like you meant to do it.

DONE! Now you have a cool, quick design that is a good seller in many areas. I usually get around $60.00 with the shirt for this particular job.

Artist: Mike Royall • Web Sites: TheArtofRoyall.com & WestCoastRaceCraft.com

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Next, get you heat press ready. Yes! If you do not have a heat press you can iron it with an old T-Shirt over it, throw it in the dryer and all is good. The heat press, however, will give you the best results. The short will last twice as long. I set it at 350º-360º -ish. Use a medium pressure and heat set for 30 seconds. This design is bigger than my press so I have to move it around until I have hit it all. It is very important that you set the entire painted area. It will fade right away if you miss a spot.

Problem number two came quickly. Where was I going to find the reference material that I required? I searched the internet for quite some time and nothing really appealed to me. When I did find an image that was close to what I was looking for, the image was too small to get the clarity that I needed. So being creative I went to the General Hospital here in Calgary and entered the eye clinic. Talking with the receptionist I explained what I was looking for and why, and she put me in touch with the librarian that looks after all the eye books. We spent the better part of half an hour searching books for an image I could use, however the books where full of diseased eyes - not what I needed. A little frustrated I went back to the receptionist and asked if there was any pamphlets or brochures that may have good eye images for reference. She asked me to wait a minute and came back with an intern. “I don’t have what you are looking for” he said,“ but with the equipment that I have here I could take a detailed photo of your eye”. With this, he had my full attention. I sat in the chair and he did his magic and I left with exactly what I needed, a detail shot of the iris and pupil. What I was still missing was the area around the eye such as the skin texture and lashes . When I got home I asked my wife to use my camera on the macro setting and take photos of my skin texture. Viola! I now had the detail of the center of the eye and the surrounding area. The metal plate and rivets are just standard airbrushing with some stipple, sponge work, working a few different colors and a few highlights.

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We all knew the contest was coming, over the previous month there was talk amongst the membership and the excitement of painting a piece for the members to vote on was in the air. Feb 02, 2007 the contest rules where posted, there was a pro and an amateur division giving everyone a chance to create a piece of art work for viewing at their skill level. The topics that where posted was the human eye for the pro category and a beach scene for the amateur. With a closing date of March 2nd everyone knew they better get started.

The next challenge that was staring at me was the image reflection. What was it going to be? What was this person sneaking a peak of? I did not want to paint something like a pet dog; it had to be a little bit of risk-taking by the viewer. Nudity was the logical answer, but how much and where would I get the reference material? Looking through a few mags I wanted a behind shot and I was coming up with a short list of images. Then I got a great idea. Wouldn’t it be cool if the painting was a replica of my eye and a replica of my wife? I asked her to model, and she said “sure.” Now I had all the parts to make a great composition.

THE QUALIFYING ROUND: For my piece I knew right away what I wanted to paint as it was an idea that I had thought about for a couple of years prior: a detailed eye looking through a keyhole at something maybe he wasn’t supposed to be looking at. Going into the pro category was going to be a challenge for me because I am a hobbyist with a regular non-art job. But I didn’t think I was at the amateur level either. One of the mandates of the contest is to push your skills a notch higher and maybe take some chances out of your comfort level.

Between gathering reference material and doing the painting I completed the painting just in time. I used Auto Air paints and my Iwata HP-C and Micron to complete this piece of art. Now it was time to post my work on the contest forum at airbrush.com. With the talent that enters this competition I really didn’t think I would make into the final four. I was hoping for a few votes and that someone would like my artwork. The worst thing that could have happened is that I come away with a great practice piece, and a piece that I will have in my portfolio even if I received no votes.

To get started I selected a fairly large panel (18” x 24”) so I could see the detail that I was planning on putting into this piece. I did some quick sketches to get a general layout. I now experienced my first problem. If it was a true keyhole, the size of the opening would be only a ¼” in diameter thus allowing only the pupil to show through the keyhole. This is not the image that I wanted to display. So I took some creative license. Using artistic manipulation I was able to create a composition with the entire eye showing through the hole along with some skin texture.

As the voting went on it appeared that I had a chance to get into the final round of the paint off. It was a nervous week but one that proved to be successful. I finished in the top four, with some very talented people: Clinton from Edmonton, Sprayer from Sweden and Idahoairhead from Idaho.

Onto the next round. This is where it gets exciting because now I know I have a 25% chance of winning the ultimate prize: a seat at ABU in Massachusetts. The final round contestants also received some very nice gifts in order to complete part two. The final instructions remained a secret until we received the package by courier. THE FINALS: Like a kid in the candy store I ripped through my package that arrived from UPS just a few days after qualifying. Inside was a blank license plate (new canvas), a brand new Richpen 213 airbrush, a new airbrush hose, primary colors of Envirobase paint and a bottle of black and white Envirobase paint. The instructions for the final round: paint a pin up style girl on the license plate using only the materials provided. Ouch! A pin up girl that small?! Within half an hour of receiving this package I was headed to the book store to gather detailed references of pin-ups. Luckily I found a vargas book with more than enough images to inspire. But how was I going to put this into a composition? Then I remembered seeing a deck of playing cards with pin-up girls on each card. I knew that this would work. It wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be just a shot of a pin-up, it would have a purpose to exist on the canvas. There were two poses that I was fond of, one was a full body and the other featured only the upper half body. Thinking that it may appear that I took the easier way out, I opted to do the full body replica. We only had a week to return this work to Bear Air, the Sponsor of the contest. As the time counted down the work seemed to take forever. I am glad that I took color theory in College as we only had the primary colors to work with. As it turned out I used the entire bottle of white, changing the black background to a faded old card color. Then doing skin tones uses a lot of white as the base. By this time some unfortunate issues happened with Clinton and the contest was down to three of us. Sending my package back to Bear Air as quickly as I could, I was worried about getting hung up in customs. Luckily, there were no problems. Sprayer and Idahoairhead got their entries in as well and the rest was up to the membership to see who was going to go to ABU!

The contest is held every Spring at Airbrush.com and ABU is held every summer at Stone Hill College in South Easton, MA. Both are great fun. You should check it out! Curtis Patchin (wild guns) From Calgary, Alberta, Canada

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I forget how long the voting went for, but it seemed like forever! When the voting ended I had won the contest and knew that I would get to go and meet and learn from some very great talented people! What a great feeling!

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