How many and what kind of Airbrushes do you own?

dirtball wrote:

I would of bet money it was a photo.................

You think that looks like a photo? Check out this airbrushed painting by Dru Blair.

Dru is in the black and white shirt. He is a photo-realism master.

Here is the step by step:

http://www.drublair.com/comersus/store/tica.asp 

Mike, you do some damn fine work

That porsche is incredible.  I had to stare at it for a while to make sure it wasn't a photo.

Good job.

-Fred

Y'all should check out Airbrush Action sometime. You'll see a lot of Dru Blair and Craig Fraser's work. Not to mention some other very good artists. That painting of Dru's was a feature in the mag.

I have 5 a/b. 4 Badgers and an Aztec. A 100, 200NH, 360 and Crescendo. The Aztec is a 470 I believe. We didn't get along. I mainly use the 360. The 100 was for my kids to practice with. The 200 came in a deal with the Crescendo. I've mainly been an automotive modeler and like hot rods and customs. Not that I've done that many. I got the Crescendo for when I want to shoot some heavy flake. I use a lot of nail polish and you can find some pretty sizeable flake in some of that stuff.

Wish I had some money to hit that garage sale. Love to have a 100LG or Omni 4000/6000. I'm sold on double actions and really dig the 360. A gravity feed with a larger cup would be nice to have. Some day I'm gonna try one of the high end Iwatas. It's a tool. A person can never have too many tools...

BTW, nice work Mike.

Tony

Thanks Fred and Tony. It's been a while since I did that kind of work and sometimes it calls back to me. lol

It's too cold in the garage to do that kind of work now though.

100LG and soon a 200-20

MikeV wrote:

dirtball wrote: I would of bet money it was a photo................. You think that looks like a photo? Check out this airbrushed painting by Dru Blair. Dru is in the black and white shirt. He is a photo-realism master.   Here is the step by step: http://www.drublair.com/comersus/store/tica.asp

I'm sorry, but being a skeptic, I can not believe that was done with an airbrush.  For instance, there are a ton of videos on YouTube that look real but aren't.  I would have to see this guy acutally paint this picture with an airbrush to believe it.  If I did see that though, I would bow my head and call this guy a Master.  70 hours? I can't believe it.  The texture is too real to not be a photo.  Don't give in to anything you see or hear on the internet or TV.

Jesse

Well Jesse, begin to bow your head. Dru Blair is an acknowledged airbrush artist and one of the best I've ever seen. The guy who gave me my first airbrush was also into photorealism and he attended one of Dru's workshops. He's the real deal.

Did you go to the link and read the article? 

Bill is absolutely correct Jesse, it is airbrushed believe me!

Dru is one of the most well respected airbrush artists in the world and he wouldn't pass something off as his painting if he did not do it.

He has done some incredible aircraft paintings too and you may be familiar with these two:

Look at his site and drag your jaw off the floor.

http://www.drublair.com/ 

Good question:  I've imigrated over to iwata brushes, but have used/do use others regularly as well. 

I initially used a paasche H, and still do. 

I've a crescendo 175 and used a badger 100LG extensively, until the airstem broke off. 

Iwatas:  I have an HP-CS, CH, BH, CM-B and now an SB.   I love the side feed brushes, and if I knew then what I do now, I'd have an SBS, SBP and a CM-SB, to replace some of the brushes that I have.  I do like the gravity feed brushes tho.  They all have their uses. 

One thing not mentioned here- airsources.  I use silentaire compressors, and I love them. 

My first would have been a Humbrol "airbrush" (really a fancy looking minature garden sprayer) some time in the latter half of the '70's followed a few years later, after its demise, by a Badger 350. Both of these are now long gone.

I now have a Badger 200 (older version with the 100/150 series head), a cheap Chinese made B150 clone and a Sparmax SP-35C (double action, gravity feed). 

The B200 is great. Excellent results and easy to use (though it doesn't see a lot of use these days).

The B150 clone hasn't seen any use beyond a couple of test sprays shortly after I got it, but it gave better than expected results for a $30.00 cheapie.

I've had the Sparmax for about a year now and I love it. Very fine spray pattern, very smooth delivery, with very precise control of paint flow. This is now my weapon of choice.

This model (SP-35C) is very similar in appearance to Iwata's HP-C+, but I don't know if the similarity is merely superficial or if it runs deeper.

Am I the only one here who is using a Sparmax?

I have quite a few, hopefully I won't leave any out.

Badger 200 (my first airbrush)

Badger 150 (inherited from my mom)

Badger 175 Crescendo (2 airbrushes I got on sale)

Badger 155 Anthem

Badger 350

Paasche H (2 airbrushes)

Testors quick-change airbrush

Central Pnuematic (Harbor Freight) double action 155 clone

Central Pnuematic (Harbor Freight) quick change airbrush

Central Pnuematic (Harbor Freight) 350 clone

4 or 5 off brand 350 clones for painting terrain and for other non-exacting purposes

So far my favorites are the Paasche H and the Badger 155.

I have 4 but only 1 works.  I have 3 Aztecs that I never could take proper care of - the internal needle cannot be removed and I found cleaning it to be virtually impossible.  On my last Aztek I actually bent the tip of the internal needle trying to clean it.

I am currently using a Badger Universal 360 which I really like, but it doesn't have  a fine needle.  Thinking about getting a new AB to do fine work.

There are optional parts to change the 360 into a "fine" airbrush:

#41-033 Regulator

#51-81DT Needle  &

#41-003 Paint Tip 

I'd like to apologize for my last post questioning the validity of the that artist's work.  I was completely wrong.  I should have looked more into his work before "shooting off at the mouth".  Again, my apologizes.

Jesse

No worries Jesse! It was a little thing.

What isn't a little thing is stepping up and admitting it. You're alright!

usmc1371 wrote:

I'd like to apologize for my last post questioning the validity of the that artist's work.  I was completely wrong.  I should have looked more into his work before "shooting off at the mouth".  Again, my apologizes. Jesse

No problem Jesse.

The first time I saw his work I said, "No way that is a painting!"

Dru is da man!

I kind of suspect that if Dru were to read Jesse's original post, that he may well take it as the ultimate compliment.  I know the Hollywood CGI guys like fooling people.

I must confess, that if I had simply tripped across his page without the benefit of Bill's and Mike's added testimonials, I would have been highly skeptical, figuring it to be an exercise in Photoshop rather than airbrushing.  Amazing stuff.

Andy 

 I have five airbrushes:   Badger 200, Iwata Revolution, Badger 360, Badger 155, and a Harder  & Steenbeck Infinity which I haven't used yet.

I finally got my Eclipse CS the other night.  Man, what a beautiful tool.  The atomization and spray control is fantastic.  And not having to refill the cup while spraying large areas is a godsend.  I can't wait till I get a dual adapter and can run the CS and Revolution BR simulataneously.  I'll be in airbrush heaven...

-Fred

Gigatron wrote:

I can't wait till I get a dual adapter and can run the CS and Revolution BR simulataneously.  I'll be in airbrush heaven... -Fred

One in each hand?

A quick connect hose is awesome for that. I love mine!

It takes me 3 seconds to switch airbrushes.  

Inquisitor wrote:

I've a crescendo 175 and used a badger 100LG extensively, until the airstem broke off.

Did you send it to Badger? They will fix it for free.

Iwatas:  I have an HP-CS, CH, BH, CM-B and now an SB.   I love the side feed brushes, and if I knew then what I do now, I'd have an SBS, SBP and a CM-SB, to replace some of the brushes that I have.  I do like the gravity feed brushes tho.  They all have their uses.

Yikes! That is some serious cash there.

One thing not mentioned here- airsources.  I use silentaire compressors, and I love them.

Yes they are good compressors and Ernesto (Silentaire's compressor guru) knows his stuff when you call him with a problem. I have a Badger Million Air which is the same compressor as the Silentaire I am sure. I also have a Jun-Air in the garage that I bought off Ebay. 

MikeV wrote:

Gigatron wrote:   I can't wait till I get a dual adapter and can run the CS and Revolution BR simulataneously.  I'll be in airbrush heaven... -Fred   One in each hand? A quick connect hose is awesome for that. I love mine! It takes me 3 seconds to switch airbrushes.

That's right - I'm designing qickdraw holsters so that they'll always be at the ready

My hose has a QD at the compressor end, but because I use Iwata's pistol grip water trap, I still have to unscrew it from the brush and then move it to the other.  I figure with a dual hose adapter, I don't have to worry about that anymore

-Fred

Fred,

The Badger quick connect hose I use has the quick connector at the airbrush and you screw a male quick connect on the airbrush itself.

See here: