re: choosing an airbrush

[argon]

Great primer article, Sam. I used to work at an art supply store and became the "airbrush expert" by default....we didn't sell many and no one else cared anything about them (this was in the late seventies).
At that time the brands that we sold were Badger (mostly an amateur or hobbyist's brand at the time), Pasche and Thayer Chandler. I used my employee discount to pick up a T&C A airbrush and a small Pasche compressor. I was primarily interested in photo retouching at the time and it seemed like the best available choice. I later picked up a Pasche H to do painting in acrylics (I was in total fear that acrylics would gum up the T&C and got the single action Pasche H since I thought it would be easier to maintain).
We had one Pasche AB in the store and it might as well have been a museum piece. At that time the price was $129 and no one wanted to shell out that much money (the seventies...look at the price now) for that exotic little goody. Most artist (both professional and amateur) just couldn't get over the financial hurdle to get into airbrushing even thought they all seemed keenly interested and drooled over the case containing the gear all the time. I spent a lot of time getting my chops together with the T&C A and finding retouching projects to hone my skills on.
One day, I attended a demonstration given by Pasche and one of the other art suppliers in town...the airbrush guy from one of the local papers came and brought his Pasche AB and proceeded to blow our minds with it. That guy made the AB do everything but dance on the drawing board. Just shows what years of experience can get you when you work with an airbrush.
Could never understand the reluctance of artists to spend the money...I was doing photography at the time and had to put out to buy cameras and lenses.

argon

[Colorfast]

Originally Posted by argon

Great primer article, Sam. I used to work at an art supply store and became the "airbrush expert" by default....
argon

Welcome-Welcome Argon:
Colorfast Here.
Finally, I have found another member of my own heart. I too started out with a Thayer & Chandler in the Mid-Sixties and moved on up to Paasche. I purchased my first VL and had a ball. My T & C brush was such a pain. The VL was so easy to care for that it just left the T & C in the dust, so to speak.
Then I got a hold of one of those Paasche AB brushes and I was on my way and never looked back. Product photo-retouching for an appliance manufacturer was my mainstay for over twenty years. Retouching photographs for product literature was so much fun. Even after the MAC came on the scene, I still had a job for quite some time. Then the late nineties came and the MAC could finally do the job so I went into illustration. Now, using my past experience with the Paasche AB, I am creating illustrations in airbrush for limited edition prints.
I see you are a new arrival to the Wet Canvas, Welcome to the ?Home For Artist?. I joined in Nov. ?03 and I am so glad to see more artists posting these days. If ya? need some readin? material for a long lonely night, just go back in the stacks and have some fun. I have a Post open still of a portrait I am workin? on at present that you may be interested in called ?Airbrush Portrait with AB.? Or better yet, the ?Classic Cars? post may interest you as well. It is an illustration in airbrush created with the Paasche AB brush. But don?t stop there. There are many forums in the archives that will get your juices going on WC. Trust me. If they don?t get ya? back with an airbrush in your hand, nothing will.
Like I said, WELCOME TO THE WC! Come back and tell us more. We need all the help you can muster.

Dave

[Colorfast]

Originally Posted by Colorfast

Welcome-Welcome Argon:
Colorfast Here.

Dave

Colorfast Here:
Argon, I think you were wanting to respond to the Frog Wip. Maybe I am wrong. If you wish to respond to this message, or anything you are looking at the time, here is how you can respond it. It is easy.
I was new not too long ago myself. Just respond to this message by going to the bottom on this post and look at the lower right hand corner. You will see a little icon that says "reply". Just click on it. This will give you a page to respond to me. It is like sending a telagram. Just type in a response and when you are finished, scroll down to the bottom and you will see a preview reply box. Click on that, and you can see what you are ready to send.
Under that box, you have an attachment box. This is where you can send an image to me. Just send a reply back to me first to try it out. Take your time. I'm goin' to lunch, so I'll reply back in a bit.
Dave

[Caterwallin']

Thank you Argon! Welcome to Wet Canvas! And welcome to the airbrush forum!

Sam

[Penny220]

Originally Posted by argon

Could never understand the reluctance of artists to spend the money...I was doing photography at the time and had to put out to buy cameras and lenses.

argon

LOL Photography and painting are two different worlds. I shelled out two grand back in the eighties for my camera. Not to mention what I was paying for film, processing, and the supplies for my B&W darkroom. When you hear the start up cost of AB it's yikes, that's expensive, everything is relative. Back in the eighties I was foot loose and fancy free, my money was my own. Buying a paint brush or a tube of paint runs from $1.99 to $50.00, usually from the $1.99 to $20 range. I don't think people realize that my ab paints go alot farther and I can buy a couple of ab's for what they have invested in paint brushes. Sure, I still have some paint brushes but they are few and inexpensive.

Welcome to the WC, hope we can inspire you to pick up the ab again.

[Leaflin]

Welcome to WetCanvas argon
Good to have you join us!


I put a copy of your reply to Sam's article in the thread Carly started.
It is a great article, and hopefully the first of many!

[Keith Russell]

Originally Posted by Penny220

LOL Photography and painting are two different worlds. I shelled out two grand back in the eighties for my camera. Not to mention what I was paying for film, processing, and the supplies for my B&W darkroom. When you hear the start up cost of AB it's yikes, that's expensive, everything is relative. Back in the eighties I was foot loose and fancy free, my money was my own. Buying a paint brush or a tube of paint runs from $1.99 to $50.00, usually from the $1.99 to $20 range. I don't think people realize that my ab paints go alot farther and I can buy a couple of ab's for what they have invested in paint brushes. Sure, I still have some paint brushes but they are few and inexpensive.

Just about any activity can be taken to whatever 'level' one wishes. Yes, cameras are expensive, but so are good airbrushes, a good air supply system, a good ventilation system, plus the spare parts, paints, frisket, boards, photography (unless you photograph your own work, in which case you're buying much of the same equipment as a photographer!).

The rest of the equipment needed to run an even moderately successful art business (whether photography or painting or airbrush) is the same; and thus, it costs the same--basically, a lot.

I spend between $6,000 and $8,000 on 'art supplies', each year. (That includes photography (I use a professional photographer); placing ads in local magazines, newspapers, etc.; memberships to local and national art associations; other promotional materials; travel to and from shows (including van rental, hotel stays, and meals); the cost of the show itself; postage; etc.

It may be cheaper to buy a top-of-the-line airbrush, a few boards, some frisket, paints, and an easel, than to purchase a top-of-the-line 35mm camera outfit...

...but things certainly don't end there.

K