Airbrush Tutorial: The Art of the Blend 

Thank you! I enjoy it!

Wow! I really appreciate the kind words, especially coming from another long time airbrush artist! Thank you!

Thank you Simon!

Thank you for the kind words Doug!

Glad to help!

Awesome!

Thank you!

Thank you!

Thanks Sven!

Awesome!

Thank you!

Hopefully it will help you out Richard!

Hey Heinrich! The process I use in the video is the same for circular or oval blends. You would just need to change your strokes to match the shape you're trying to blend out (or blend into). So, rather than using horizontal or linear strokes, use a circular, or oval shaped pattern while spraying. Remember to aim your brush in the direction you want the overspray to go (which helps create the blend and keeps the opposite side clean) and angle your brush at around a 45 degree angle for a smooth blend. Hopefully that makes sense. I have a video planned for the future that will demonstrate all of this as well. Thanks again for the kind words my friend!

Wicked Art Airbrush Studio The more I watch, the more I need to practice, LOL. I think what causes trouble for me is that with an oval shape or circle, I might be trying to get a blend too quickly. Going around in circles you basically end up where you started 😂 So I will have heavier paint at the starting point.... But I am going back to trying with thinner layers. Thank you!

@@heinrichhelmbold419 Forcing yourself to slow down does help in some instances. Also remember to work the blend out in the direction you want the blend to go. You don't want to remain in one spot for a blend most of the time. Does that make sense?

@@wickedartstudio Thank you and it definately makes sense. I think as a beginner you almost feel scared of going slower cause it will build up paint quicker LOL! But definately golden advice! Thanks again

Hey Mike! I apologize for the late reply my friend. The cross was part of the original photo the client provided. And yes, the cross was included in the finished painting as well. This was a very special picture to the client for the same reasons you mentioned!

I don't see why not, but before I put my foot in my mouth... I will say I have absolutely no experience with the type of home paint sprayer you're talking about. I know you can do the same thing with automotive spray guns because I've done it for years. The limiting factor with a house sprayer will ultimately be how well it atomizes the paint. Good atomization will produce excellent fades. Poor atomization will produce a lot of dot texture.

If the needle packing screw is adjusted properly, no. There's nothing wrong with paint coming into contact with the front of the needle packing screw. In fact, there's no way to prevent that in most airbrushes. If paint is working its way through the needle packing screw and into the back of the brush it needs to be tightened. It takes very little movement to tighten the packing screw. It's easy to go too far. You want a slight drag on the needle when it's inserted through the packing screw. Unless you remove the needle packing screw during a deep clean, you'll likely never have to mess with it.

Hi Brian. First off, you can't mix a flesh tone color using only candies. You can use candies as a very light wash to tint a flesh tone after the base has been applied. As far as blending candies goes, can I get a little more information to help me answer your question better? What are you trying to blend and what base (solid color, metallic, pearl, etc.) are you working over?

@@wickedartstudio Thanks for reaching out. I am not the actual artist, just his mouth-piece as he doesn't use social media. His medium of choice right now is foam boards, both black and white, from the dollar store. He mainly does superheros, supernatural stuff, and graffiti style art. Using candy is new to him and there is so much info out there with contradicting statements it is a bit overwhelming. He bought the Candy2o master set with the 12 main colors, but trying to mix them for more specific colors is tough for him.

@@BrianTelleraineCarson Okay... Candies aren't necessarily used for mixing colors or general artwork. They can be, but there's a little more to it when they're used that way. I have two videos that cover a lot of information pertaining to candy2o specifically. You can find part 1 here ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-flxi4f640nA.html Part 1 covers the difference between a true dye based candy and a pigment based candy. I talk about mixing the candy2o in order to spray it through an airbrush and demonstrate why I don't normally like to bury a black and white image under candy. You can find part 2 here ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-OKXLt6VqtZs.html In part 2 I paint the same image using nothing but candy2o. The base coat is the big difference here. Using a metallic, pearl or some other specialized coating under the candy makes a huge difference in the end. Hopefully those videos will answer a lot of his questions and you've given me a good idea for another candy2o video. I'll try to get the new video up in the next few weeks. If you have other questions don't hesitate to ask.

There are a couple of different ways you can do this. Most of the time I prefer to use a computer cut mask as shown in this video. I prefer to use FBS or Sharpline vinyl for my computer cut masks depending on what I'm doing and/or working on. FBS is a thinner material and it's somewhat translucent. Sharpline vinyl is thicker, and you cannot see through it. I have a pair of videos that focuses more on registering multiple computer cut vinyl masks; however, you can also see how the design is laid out in the software, cut out on the plotter and how the excess vinyl is weeded out before applying the transfer tape. You can find part 1 here ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-i-SvymMpeig.html and part 2 here ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-9DtawImmlUY.html Another option is hand cutting your paint masks which is covered here ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-zvx8A22snN4.html Obviously, hand cutting a mask requires more time and patience. There's also the potential of cutting through the mask and into the surface of the canvas which will create problems. It is a viable alternative if you don't have a vinyl plotter available though.

@wickedartstudio thanks for the idea. I am interested in your recommendation on a vinyl plotter. I have a laser engraver but would rather not burn vinyls. On a second question, what are your thoughts on painting on wood?

@@mikel6815 I'm not sure a laser engraver will work for cutting vinyl without cutting through the backing sheet at the same time. I have no experience with that kind of technology either, so I could be completely wrong. Choosing a vinyl plotter comes down to your budget, how often you plan to use it and how big you plan to cut masks. There are a lot of options out there. The one that I've used for the last 20 years or so has been a Graphtec CE6000 Plus. It has worked flawlessly for as long as I've owned it, and I would highly recommend any of the Graphtec machines based on that experience. There are less expensive hobbyist machines available as well, but I have no experience with any of those. Aside from soaking up paint, painting on wood is really no different than painting on any other hard surface. You may need to seal the surface beforehand in order to keep your paint from soaking into the wood. Other than that, I don't do anything different when painting on a wood surface. This project was airbrushed on a wood table top ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Dru9Sc3SXe0.html

@Cariiboo try reducing your paint more, and lowering the air pressure

As Quinn already mentioned, lower air pressure will create less overspray. When you lower your air pressure you will most likely need to reduce your paint a little more as well in order for it to spray correctly. As far as keeping the sharp black edge cleaner, point your airbrush away from the edge you wish to keep clean. That will prevent building color heavily in that area. Does that make sense?