Airbrush

Kustom Airbrushing

The SEMA Show is the premier automotive specialty products event and was recently held in Las Vegas, NV.  Last year the Iwata-Medea booth exhibited kustomized autos as well as various items such as refrigerators and plastic mannequins.  This year they had some of the same with the addition of kustomized paint jobs on guitars, large Tiki heads made from fiberglass, and incredible free-standing plastic/metal sculptures that included humorous sayings.  Along with these items there was also a grouping of large flat paintings done on metal surfaces with automotive paint that were the epitome of kustom artwork. 

There have been many innovations in the automotive paint industry, with a wide selection of paints designed for spray painting and airbrushing.  The paints, such as those from House of Kolor, are both water soluble and mineral based and are readily available at both automotive paint supply stores and in some art supply stores.  Their compatibility with plastic and metal surfaces opens up a new array of objects that can be kustomized. 

When working on metal and plastic surfaces, a few things should be considered: 

(1) When preparing the surface for painting, make sure that it is extremely clean.  It should be washed with a prep solution, available wherever industrial or automotive paints are sold.  There are specific ones for plastic surfaces and others for metal.  The prep solutions will thoroughly clean the surface before painting and remove not only dirt and grime, but also oil from fingerprints, grease and lubricants.  At the same time they prepare the surface for paint adhesion by slightly etching the surface.

(2) There is a variety of stenciling materials that can be used on these surfaces:  frisket film, self-adhering vinyl, handmade acetate stencils, tape and laser-cut Artool templates.  A stencil, mask or template is required when you want to achieve a hard-edge line.  Whenever using a self-adhering stencil, make sure that it is compatible with the surface to which it is being applied so that the paint doesn’t lift upon removal (although automotive paints are extremely durable when dry). 

Since not all items you may be kustomizing are portable for transport to your studio, there will be instances where it’s necessary to work on location.  Make sure that you protect nearby walls, floors and other objects from overspray by covering them with sheets of plastic (available in rolls); have good ventilation, using portable fans; and wear a carbon filter respirator.

With the variety of paints available to the airbrush artist today, the items that can be kustomized are endless.

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Copyright ARTtalk Vol. 18 No. 2 — December 2007