How to Paint Freehand With a Double Action Airbrush
Control #1 – Distance – Paint from the airbrush comes out in a conical shape., Control #2 – Volume – The finger button on top of single action airbrush allows the artist to control air flow only., Control #3 – Speed – Time is a factor in...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Control #1 – Distance – Paint from the airbrush comes out in a conical shape.
The atomized paint particles become more disperse as they leave the tip of the airbrush.
For this reason the closer the artist holds the tip of the airbrush to the art surface the smaller and more saturated the spray pattern becomes.
Typically, pencil-thin lines are created by moving the tip within ½ inch of the surface.
Soft and pale spray patterns are obtained by holding the tip several inches away.
Really crisp and hard edges are obtainable by using mask and frisket – but that’s another lesson. , Pressing the button turns the air on, releasing turns it off.
Dual action airbrushes allow the artist to control air flow and paint volume with the finger button.
Pressing the button turns the air on and pulling the button back opens the paint valve, hence, “dual-action’.
The more the button is pulled back, the more the valve is opened and in turn, more paint released.
Dual action airbrushes permit the artist to control the volume of paint sprayed “on the fly”.
Air control is not variable; it’s either on or off., Moving slowly over a given space will deposit more pigment than moving rapidly over the same space.
Maintaining the distance and volume at a constant and varying the speed of movement will yield a variation in color density between the slow and fast regions., Beginners may find it very helpful to practice controlling one element at a time.
It lets the user see precisely the effect of each individual control.
For example, the Volume control can be isolated by holding the airbrush at a steady Distance from the surface and maintaining steady Speed.
Vary only the Volume by pulling the button back and forth as you move across the surface (keep the air on constantly).
Do the same with Speed by keeping Volume and Distance steady and vary the pace of movement across the surface.
To demonstrate the Distance control, maintain steady Speed and Volume and vary only the Distance.
Practice until you can clearly see the effect of each individual control.
There are other factors that control spray patterns, but distance, volume and speed are primary.
Although the Speed control has the least visible effect on the spray pattern, it is perhaps the most important for mastery.
This can be easily demonstrated:
Hold the airbrush about ½ inch from the surface and take ten seconds to draw a circle.
Next, draw the same size circle as quickly as possible.
Even though each circle may not be perfect, the one drawn rapidly will have much smoother contours and will likely appear more pleasing.
It takes a long time to learn to airbrush with quick strokes, but it is essential to produce well formed lines and tones. -
Step 2: Control #2 – Volume – The finger button on top of single action airbrush allows the artist to control air flow only.
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Step 3: Control #3 – Speed – Time is a factor in airbrushing.
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Step 4: Good airbrush technique is realized by learning to master all three controls at the same time.
Detailed Guide
The atomized paint particles become more disperse as they leave the tip of the airbrush.
For this reason the closer the artist holds the tip of the airbrush to the art surface the smaller and more saturated the spray pattern becomes.
Typically, pencil-thin lines are created by moving the tip within ½ inch of the surface.
Soft and pale spray patterns are obtained by holding the tip several inches away.
Really crisp and hard edges are obtainable by using mask and frisket – but that’s another lesson. , Pressing the button turns the air on, releasing turns it off.
Dual action airbrushes allow the artist to control air flow and paint volume with the finger button.
Pressing the button turns the air on and pulling the button back opens the paint valve, hence, “dual-action’.
The more the button is pulled back, the more the valve is opened and in turn, more paint released.
Dual action airbrushes permit the artist to control the volume of paint sprayed “on the fly”.
Air control is not variable; it’s either on or off., Moving slowly over a given space will deposit more pigment than moving rapidly over the same space.
Maintaining the distance and volume at a constant and varying the speed of movement will yield a variation in color density between the slow and fast regions., Beginners may find it very helpful to practice controlling one element at a time.
It lets the user see precisely the effect of each individual control.
For example, the Volume control can be isolated by holding the airbrush at a steady Distance from the surface and maintaining steady Speed.
Vary only the Volume by pulling the button back and forth as you move across the surface (keep the air on constantly).
Do the same with Speed by keeping Volume and Distance steady and vary the pace of movement across the surface.
To demonstrate the Distance control, maintain steady Speed and Volume and vary only the Distance.
Practice until you can clearly see the effect of each individual control.
There are other factors that control spray patterns, but distance, volume and speed are primary.
Although the Speed control has the least visible effect on the spray pattern, it is perhaps the most important for mastery.
This can be easily demonstrated:
Hold the airbrush about ½ inch from the surface and take ten seconds to draw a circle.
Next, draw the same size circle as quickly as possible.
Even though each circle may not be perfect, the one drawn rapidly will have much smoother contours and will likely appear more pleasing.
It takes a long time to learn to airbrush with quick strokes, but it is essential to produce well formed lines and tones.
About the Author
Alexis Rivera
With a background in lifestyle and practical guides, Alexis Rivera brings 1 years of hands-on experience to every article. Alexis believes in making complex topics accessible to everyone.
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