In this exercise you will learn a simple method of developing objects in space. A key
to painting with an airbrush is to develop the subject matter from the background to the
foreground (which is similar to traditional watercolor technique). By utilizing this
system, you can develop images with a minimum amount of frisketing.
illustration below on a sheet of paper. Notice how the various petals come out from behind
each other and exist on numerous planes. The closest object to you is number 1; out from
behind it comes number 2; then the 3s, the 4s and the 5s. NOTE: As a
rule of thumb, objects that exist on the same plane that are not adjacent to each other
are given the same number and can be painted at the same time.
Cover the drawing with a sheet of frisket film. Cut around the objects to be painted
starting with the closest object to you and then working on back into space: 1, 2, 3, 4,
5. The reason for starting at the closest plane and working on back is that it orientates
you as to where in space the objects or planes exist. NOTE: You will cut
the objects 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. But when you airbrush, you will paint 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
Load your airbrush with
black opaque Com-Art. Remove the frisket film from the number 5
petals. Spray the black paint just along the edges that separate one plane from the next.
Don't fill in completely with black paint; allow the white of the paper to be used for
Now remove the frisket film from areas number 4. What will appear is an exacting
hard-edged line that separates one petal from the next. Repeat this process on numbers 3,
2, and 1. At this point, you have an achromatic black rendering that establishes the
spatial relationships between one petal and another. NOTE: Once you
establish an exacting hard-edged line in your darkest dark, it is virtually impossible to
Now all the frisket film has been removed from the petals of the flower, but it remains
on the background. Flush out your airbrush with
Medea Airbrush Cleaner until all the black
paint has been removed; then reload the airbrush with a colorlet's say red. At this
point you can lightly airbrush back into your painting with the red paint, utilizing the
black that you first sprayed as an underpainting to develop a value change of the red.
Notice that you don't have to worry about remasking areas to keep their definition. NOTE:
With an airbrush, you have the ability to paint either transparently or opaquely,
depending on the amount of paint sprayed onto the surface or the type of paint sprayed.
So, hypothetically, you can first render your work using black paint on a white surface to
develop an achromatic rendering and then go back over top of it with transparent layers of
color to complete the final image.
Once you have completed airbrushing, remove the frisket film from the background. The
result is a flower that appears to be three-dimensional.
Remember, no matter what the subject, cut the frisket film from front to back visually
and paint with the airbrush from back to front. Practice this method and keep it in mind
as you pursue painting more complex images.