Hi everyone! Sorry for the long post but I wanted to be specific with what I wantto do with airbrushing as opposed to being vague.
I've recently been interested in airbrushing. I intend to use airbrushing on paper size 11 x 17 in (27.9 x 43.2 cm) standard American comic book page size. Maximum size I would work at is about 22 x 17 (55.8 x 43.2) for double page spreads. Budget $500 for the Iwata double piston compressor but if I can do with the single piston, that's fine. Brush(es): $200-300. Not worried about the cost of cleaning acc. hoses and paints.
I want to use airbrushing primarily for setting background atmosphere. Mainly sky gradations, orange to blue sunsets, smoke, haze, etc. I'm talking wide passes. I would also want to use it on metal objects in the illustration to give them a smooth shine. For reference as to what I want to go for here are 3 illustrations from Ghost in the Shell and Appleseed creator Masumune Shirow: (post continues after images)
Notice the backgrounds and mechs are done with airbrush while organic characters I assume are masked with frisket film and then painted with watercolor and acrylics after the airbrushing is done. I just love the smoothness on the mech on the second image and the smokey red haze on the final image looks great. This is the general aesthetic I want to achieve.
So knowing that I want to achieve big passes for background atmosphere on paper 11 x 17in at the smallest and 22 x 17in at the largest and also go in on medium sized elements what would be a good brush to get? Is there one brush that will fill all my needs or should I get two?
Based on my minimal research, I feel an Iwata HP-CS would be good not only as a starter brush but because it's advertised as versatile. One concern is those big sky passes. Looking at the first image I linked, notice how the black sky is wide and only two colors, I wonder if a large coverage brush like an Iwata HP TR1 would make spraying across 22inches of paper faster, easier and more consistent as opposed to doing it with an HP-CS which seems like it would be slower.
Another concern is paint brand. From what I've researched there's transparent and opaque paints but I can't seem to find an answer as to the difference between the two so I don't know what's best for what I want to do.
What brand of paint is considered the best? I know it's a subjective question but from what I've read it seems E'tac Private Stock is very well liked. Surpringly I've seen people say Iwata's COM paints aren't good. If it helps anything I will be paining indoors in a studio office and once again painting on paper/art boards.
ALSO I would be going over the airbrush paint with acryling paint so it would be nice if the airbrush paint
doesn't reactivate when other paint comes into contact with it.
Lastly, when it comes to compressors, is there a reason I should get the Iwata double piston compressor? Would I be just fine with the single piston?
I think I covered all of my concerns. Thank you to anyone who read all of this and gives me suggestions. Like I said, I'm not doing photorealism and fine line details. Medium to big passes of paint.
I've recently been interested in airbrushing. I intend to use airbrushing on paper size 11 x 17 in (27.9 x 43.2 cm) standard American comic book page size. Maximum size I would work at is about 22 x 17 (55.8 x 43.2) for double page spreads. Budget $500 for the Iwata double piston compressor but if I can do with the single piston, that's fine. Brush(es): $200-300. Not worried about the cost of cleaning acc. hoses and paints.
I want to use airbrushing primarily for setting background atmosphere. Mainly sky gradations, orange to blue sunsets, smoke, haze, etc. I'm talking wide passes. I would also want to use it on metal objects in the illustration to give them a smooth shine. For reference as to what I want to go for here are 3 illustrations from Ghost in the Shell and Appleseed creator Masumune Shirow: (post continues after images)
Notice the backgrounds and mechs are done with airbrush while organic characters I assume are masked with frisket film and then painted with watercolor and acrylics after the airbrushing is done. I just love the smoothness on the mech on the second image and the smokey red haze on the final image looks great. This is the general aesthetic I want to achieve.
So knowing that I want to achieve big passes for background atmosphere on paper 11 x 17in at the smallest and 22 x 17in at the largest and also go in on medium sized elements what would be a good brush to get? Is there one brush that will fill all my needs or should I get two?
Based on my minimal research, I feel an Iwata HP-CS would be good not only as a starter brush but because it's advertised as versatile. One concern is those big sky passes. Looking at the first image I linked, notice how the black sky is wide and only two colors, I wonder if a large coverage brush like an Iwata HP TR1 would make spraying across 22inches of paper faster, easier and more consistent as opposed to doing it with an HP-CS which seems like it would be slower.
Another concern is paint brand. From what I've researched there's transparent and opaque paints but I can't seem to find an answer as to the difference between the two so I don't know what's best for what I want to do.
What brand of paint is considered the best? I know it's a subjective question but from what I've read it seems E'tac Private Stock is very well liked. Surpringly I've seen people say Iwata's COM paints aren't good. If it helps anything I will be paining indoors in a studio office and once again painting on paper/art boards.
ALSO I would be going over the airbrush paint with acryling paint so it would be nice if the airbrush paint
doesn't reactivate when other paint comes into contact with it.
Lastly, when it comes to compressors, is there a reason I should get the Iwata double piston compressor? Would I be just fine with the single piston?
I think I covered all of my concerns. Thank you to anyone who read all of this and gives me suggestions. Like I said, I'm not doing photorealism and fine line details. Medium to big passes of paint.