Creating a custom paint job for your new radio controlled cars lexan shell is great fun, I’ll show you how to do this with perfect results every time, no artistic skills required, you don’t need an airbrush or an entire weekend to do it, and you will be amazed at the fantastic results you can get with a little know how.

For the purpose of this article I have selected an old favorite of mine, the flames. The techniques can be applied to any design you can dream up, all you need is a little imagination.

First things first.

The first thing you need to do is clean the shell, use warm water and soap, be sure to rinse all the soap off and let it dry before your continue, it’s critical that the lexan shell is clean or your paint job won’t hold, or will have blemishes once your done.

The second thing you need to do is cut the shell out, we do this first for two reasons:

1. It’s easy to line up the wheels and body posts to the chassis
2. After it’s painted you will scratch the paint while you cut out the shell

Imagination is key

Now that we have the body cleaned and cut out we need to look for natural lines on the body that we can use to keep our design perfectly symmetrical, it’s often difficult to paint over vents and other highly detailed parts of the car so pick your locations wisely.

So after much debate we have decided to More…

Years ago I studied with an amazing painter by the name of Jack Reilly. He taught me how to use an airbrush, and really see color. I studies with Jack for several years, and learned a lot. Eventually Jack left the studio, I took over the studio and the students. I taught surfboard makers, car painters, illustrators, fabric designers, model makers, and special effects guys. I taught a beginning airbrush class, and learned a lot also from my students with all of the different applications they were using.

We used an H1 Paasche airbrush, it being a single action. The single action brushes are very easy to use for beginners. You press a button and that gives you spray, then you use the appreture setting at the tip to give you line/spray width. To start out with, I find it’s a lot easier to work with your paper or canvas hung on a wall, you standing in front of it level. Instead of worrying about learning over and spilling ink or paint out of your airbrush, with the artwork on a wall your body can move an adjust. It’s very important to keep a good stance, loose, and be able to move with fluidity. You are strifing for fluidity with the use of an airbrush, so when you FEEL fluid this helps your work. Bend at the knees a bit, and plant your feet apart even with your shoulders. You will feel steady and in control, a good thing to be while airbrushing.

Look through a magazine for a photograph of folded or draped fabric in a solid color, or shoot a pic More…

The airbrush paints available in the market today are non-toxic and water soluble. They are used in applications like temporary tattoos, automotive, modeling, fabric and by custom surfboard makers. They are available in craft shops, stationery shops as well as art stores. I find it very easy to use craft and textile paints and if you learn the basics, it becomes even easier.

These paints come in two different colors i.e. the opaque and the transparent types. The opaque is usually referred as the base color, non transmitting or the impenetrable to sight. They have a higher amount of pigments and can clog your brush easily at the tip. Whereas the Transparent paints allow light to pass through it so that other objects or bodies can be seen distinctly.

Some of the airbrush paints include: acrylics, gouache, and water colors. These are water based colors that come in tubes and in pre-reduced form. Acrylics are available in both transparent and opaque colors, they are easily thinned and cleaned using water. They are used in painting clothing and textiles. sign paints, oil paints and cratex colors are reduced with spirits or turpentine. They can be opaque or transparent depending on the level of reduction.

To apply a airbrush paints on fabrics, first you will need to try it on paper or canvas as you may well know, colors turn permanent on drying. Clean the leather by rubbing with alcohol or spirits. Spray a mild base coat of Opaqu More…

What ever happened to Fay Wray? We’ve lost her in the tunnels of time, but the new starlets out there are just as gorgeous as Wray ever was- and we do it with a little bit of air! Sounds light? You’re right! Airbrushing! The flawless coverage and natural translucency that airbrush makeup offers is a huge step in the evolution of makeup art.

When the average person hears the word airbrush, we think of a car being painted, or the final stages of prints for magazines that are finessed into perfection. Today, these processes are accomplished digitally. The model’s print (who already happens to be stunningly gorgeous) is color corrected, her teeth are made whiter, her pupils enhanced, her lashes made thicker, her skin tweaked to perfection, her legs thinned out and elongated. It’s quite an artificial process and it leads me to the conclusion that I – or any farm animal for that matter… could probably model for Vogue. However, what would you say if some of these adjustments could be made on your face instead of on your picture? I said prove it!

As I watched the tiny droplets leave the airbrush gun and dance in the air before landing on the subject’s face I was intrigued. I was sold when I saw a pretty great result dry into flawless More…

The best way to apply paint is by airbrushing. It takes less time, and, come off it; we humans are totally all about making things a bit easier. But when you do use the air brush technique can be sort of tricky. So, here are some steps for air brushing that you should keep in mind!

When and How to Use

There are a few circumstances in which you might use an air brush. One time when you would use this is when you have large areas to fill in. Another would be when you have thin lines. Many use this when they are mixing their colors as well to give it just the right tone. Start out with a single layered airbrush. This is easier to use until you have had practice with your models. The next things you’ll want to keep in mind are the air compressors. They can be tricky so make sure you really read up on them. A lot of airbrushes come with diaphragms that teach you how to use them. Make sure you test it on other things before your models. It can get tricky. Of course, there’s the obvious precaution of making sure you have plenty of ventilation too. Other safety precautions are wearing a mask over your mouth and goggles as well. For those of you who hate to get your clothes dirty, you can buy lab type coats to wear.

The paints should match up as well as possible; you might need a primer too. The model kit should tell you in the instructions what you need. To avoid catching any areas you don’t want spray painted, here are a few More…