6
the distance between the airbrush and the paper or
board. If the airbrush is held too closely to the
paper with the trigger pulled all the way back and
down, “puddles” will form and spread (as in figs. 6
and 7). Aim for accuracy not speed and continue
practicing until you can spray paint any size dot
exactly where you want it. This simple lesson will
give you control of position and density of dots
or shapes you require, which are important for
touch-ups and fill-in work.
MASKING OFF
In the next several exercises you will need to mask off a square area.
Make a mask from 4 pieces of scrap paper (fig. 8). These masks are
held in place by masking tape, keeping the atomized material from
creeping into the margins around the area. When using masks spray
over the edge.
FIG. 9
FIG. 10
FIG. 11
EXERCISE THREE/EVEN TONES
FIG. 8
To accomplish a flat tone, we will airbrush a fine
consistency of paint from left to right at the top of
the taped area. Hold the airbrush about four inches
from the surface of the sheet. Be sure to spray a
portion of the tape so that no light line shows when
the masking tape is removed. Use the trigger tech-
nique on page 3 throughout this lesson. Now air-
brush from right to left, overlapping the previously
airbrushed strokes. Continue down the entire sheet,
trying not to create a line pattern with the airbrush.
Overspray the tape, both right and left and top and
bottom. Begin at the top again and do the entire
page. Repeat the exercise until you reach the
desired smooth coverage of the entire area. Do not
attempt to cover the entire sheet with a heavy tone
at one time. Build the tone gradually (figs. 9-11).
Make sure the work and tape are dry before remov-
ing the masking tape. This should be done carefully
to avoid tearing the surface of the paper it is
adhered to. If your first results are not satisfactory,
repeat the lesson until you are satisfied.
FIG. 4
FIG. 6
FIG. 7
FIG. 5
