hi

V

viking scott

Guest
HI guys and girl,

firstly I would like to say a big hello.

I am very new to airbrushing and to be honest im finding it really hard because I have never been a artsy person I seem to lack the vision. I am very passionate about airbrushing but when it comes to it I feel very let down with my lack of skill I have taken time to practice lines and dagger strokes but putting them into a portrait or any pictures is hard I will attach a few photos of my portraits its ok to laugh, I did but only in frustration because I just cant get the hang of it any help and pointers would be really grateful if any one could tell me where I am going wrong thank you
 

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Hi Scott, don't worry about imperfect portraits. For me is portrait also something difficult. Don't try to make it perfect, just try to have fun. I recommend the free tutorial with portrait of Cameron Diaz (after registration on www.airbrushtutor.com ). When I tried to paint it, I understood better how to "read" and then "write" picture. Just try to compose picture from small parts, not to check complete look, and the parts give you result. I read very nice book Drawing on the right side of the brain, where you can learn how to watch objects in another way.
Of course, another thing is practice with airbrush, it needs time.

That's just short encouragement from another non-artsy beginner :thumbsup:
 
Hi Scott,
Your first stop should be the introduction section, tell us where on the globe you are located and what you have as far as equipment and what it is that you would like to paint EG: art work, car graphics, warhammer models, all this info will help us guide you in the right direction.
try not to get to discouraged, learning something new is never as easy as we think its going to be.

You're not the only one that has absolutely no art background, yet many of us manage to produce some amazing work, or in my case, passable lol.

start at the beginning and print off the practise sheets (also from airbrushtutor.com as Kamil has suggested,) it will help to get you muscle memory working and a feel for how the airbrush works.
 
Hi Scott, welcome, there is lots of good advice. I'll look forward to your proper introduction!. Cheers Mark
 
@beanpoleuk
HI guys and girl,

firstly I would like to say a big hello.

I am very new to airbrushing and to be honest im finding it really hard because I have never been a artsy person I seem to lack the vision. I am very passionate about airbrushing but when it comes to it I feel very let down with my lack of skill I have taken time to practice lines and dagger strokes but putting them into a portrait or any pictures is hard I will attach a few photos of my portraits its ok to laugh, I did but only in frustration because I just cant get the hang of it any help and pointers would be really grateful if any one could tell me where I am going wrong thank you
@
HI guys and girl,

firstly I would like to say a big hello.

I am very new to airbrushing and to be honest im finding it really hard because I have never been a artsy person I seem to lack the vision. I am very passionate about airbrushing but when it comes to it I feel very let down with my lack of skill I have taken time to practice lines and dagger strokes but putting them into a portrait or any pictures is hard I will attach a few photos of my portraits its ok to laugh, I did but only in frustration because I just cant get the hang of it any help and pointers would be really grateful if any one could tell me where I am going wrong thank you
 
I was not an artsy person. And my early airbrush work was horrible, i mean absolute rubbish.

First things first, learning to identify the shapes takes a while. Reproducing the shapes is a skill in itself, however learning to find them takes time. Learning to look for the shapes will be a tremendous leap in your abilities.
Check out airbrush tutors cameron videos, thats the one that finally sunk it in for me!

Oddly i have never actually done the Cameron practice. It has been said you need to spend as much time looking as practicing. (I look far more than i practice ) it becomes a part of you after a while.
 
I was not an artsy person. And my early airbrush work was horrible, i mean absolute rubbish.

First things first, learning to identify the shapes takes a while. Reproducing the shapes is a skill in itself, however learning to find them takes time. Learning to look for the shapes will be a tremendous leap in your abilities.
Check out airbrush tutors cameron videos, thats the one that finally sunk it in for me!

Oddly i have never actually done the Cameron practice. It has been said you need to spend as much time looking as practicing. (I look far more than i practice ) it becomes a part of you after a while.

its true, you do start looking at things differently, I now look at things and mentally ask myself 'how would I paint that?' - it helps to get your head around the "shapes" in what you are trying to do.
I've only just done the free Diaz portrait, and i'll post it up when I get 10min at home in front of the PC.
I will also be downloading the paid tutorials from AirBrushTutor.com I'm hoping it will help solidify what I've done so far.
 
Viking Scott, there is nothing wrong with your portraits, most beginners would paint similar pieces. Firstly, you need to practice and get some good control of your AB. Secondly, you just need to learn to paint what you see and not what your mind says things should be. Portraits are probably the hardest thing for a beginner to paint.

Don't let what you say is a lack of vision, get in your way. Art can be learned by everyone, you just need to learn the basics. Then build on your skills as you go. If you have the will to AB, then you can and will create some great art. Stick with it and we will help you along the way. :)
 
Welcome from Washington State :). Painting complicated portraits can be the fast track to frustration. My advice is to start by painting simple objects like a sphere or a box, slowly adding in the shadows based on the light source. You'll get there :)
 
Hi i starting learnig, point, lines and blendings. After textures
Then hand free portait in monochome first and color after
 
Now i trying to match color, shapes, shadows and ligths. I am observing my world which color are made and how convined. Like the matrix. Lol. Im am getting crazy
 
As a beginner you'd best keep it simple.
Don't load your self up with too many considerations or try doing things that are far beyond your ability, you just frustrate yourself. Think of it like learning music; you wouldn't try playing a sonata when you've yet to learn the scales; initially its tedious and boring, but it has to be done if you expect to master the instrument. I have several years of art training but that is no help to me for learning the airbrush at this point. If anything, its a temptation to try doing ( for me) the impossible. So, I stick with the boring exercises confident that I will soon master this cantankerous tool.
 
Hi, as a beginner my selfe I am also struggling with all sorts of issues, I first thought that to airbrush on a drawing/outlined picture that was cheat, but was I wrong, when you see the best artist use it then it's nothing more then a big OK. To freehand an object from your mind, that is no easy task.
:thumbsup:
 
Hi, as a beginner my selfe I am also struggling with all sorts of issues, I first thought that to airbrush on a drawing/outlined picture that was cheat, but was I wrong, when you see the best artist use it then it's nothing more then a big OK. To freehand an object from your mind, that is no easy task.

You can ssay that again.
:thumbsup:
 
If you have no art training to begin with, especially drawing, you are starting off with a severe handicap as you cannot expect a tool to provide the skill you do no yet have. Sorry to be so blunt, but that is the way it is. And portraiture is one of the more difficult art forms, you are starting out doubly difficult.

I suggest you begin with something a LOT easier such as still- lifes or simple landscapes or other objects. Try doing a ball or an empty can.
 
I have no art training whatsoever, not even at school after around 13. So its taken me a lot longer than most people I think to get to grips with things. Even now I feel like I'm winging it, and using instinct rather than knowledge at times. Lol

I have often used the learning to play an instrument analogy, so I am completely in agreement with Mr. Magoo there. I taught myself guitar, and in many ways its a similar journey. You need the foundation knowledge to understand not only how to learn songs, but embellish them, and later write your own. You need to practice to build muscle memory and be able to do things without thinking, feel the rhythms etc.

With airbrushing, it helps to know the fundementals too. Experimenting to get your ratios right, to nail the techniques and different strokes, building that muscle memory so you can do it automatically. Then you can copy images to use what you've learned (you don't have to, but its a good way to see that you can put everything into practice), and then go on to create your own unique art.

I'm a slow learner, and if I can learn, anyone can lol lol lol When you feel frustrated, take a deep breath, step back and realise you are having a learning moment. Going through this and learning to deal, fix or even just not repeat things, is an important part of ABing. You can be taught this stuff, but IMO nothing teaches working through frustrations better than experience. Just keep putting in the time, and you cant fail.:)
 
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