Airbrush Step by Step – July 2019

03/19 E AIRBRUSH STEP BY STEP 51

Tradition and Modernity | STEP BY STEP

EQUIPMENT – Tradition and Modernity

Airbrushes: Iwata HP-CS, Iwata Micron CM-SB

Paints: Createx Air, Oil, Lead Grisaille Grey Master Set

(Neutral Grey 1 – 9, Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black), Auto

Air Candy2O, Reducer 4011/4012

Further materials: Pencils, paper, pen, Adobe Photoshop,

App „Palette 9.1“

Surface: Canvas

01

Gathering color information
As per my usual method, I try to develop original
source material and have it available digitally in 1. mid-tone
values,  2. black and white and 3. full color.  Because this is
predominately how I make my living, being prepared and
efficient with the execution of artwork is crucial and this is
the information that I use to make that task attainable.

Part 1: Grey tones

Convincing realism does not have to be painsta-

kingly tedious to be successful.  While Photorea-

lism can at times depend on the most meticulous

of details to communicate its idea, traditional re-

alism separates itself by looking for that “grey”

area in paintings – say more...with less.

In this fi rst painting for this article, I will explore

the use of the gray tones (values) of my Createx

box kit while also using other Createx illustrati-

on and candy colors to  render my painting.

02

Analyzing colors

When I think it will prove beneficial to the process,

I use an app on my smart phone called “Palettes 9.1”. You

can upload your art or a photograph of a specific image,

and it extracts a color palette based on a color analysis of

that image. I then take this result and cross-reference it with

some of the Createx colors I have and that I deem impor-

tant for use in the success of the painting. I don’t solely rely

on this information, but it gives me a solid foundation of

which to begin plotting my course. This foundation based

in science coupled with an intuition that comes with years

of experience, usually guarantees myself a successful process

and end result. For those that lack the experience, I find apps

such as “Palettes 9.1” to be very helpful in self-educating

yourself about color choice and knowledge – for a specific

cause.