West Coast Airbrush- Dedicated to the advancement of T-shirt Airbrushing

Airbrushing cars onto shirts can be a nuisance during busy itimes and a blessing during downtime. Although you may stand to fetch from $25 to $75 or more for the job, you will generally make more money producing five $10 designs in one hour than one $45 custom design that in all likelihood will require more time. Add in the $7 retail sale of the shirt, and the total is $85 versus $52. Believe me, the store you're working for will be happier selling five shirts rather than one.

I can't emphasize enough the importance of prioritizing jobs in T-shirt airbrushing. Remember, time is money. Save the long, tedious custom jobs for when business is slow. And because of the time factor, it is highly recommended that you use an opaque projector in all or most of your custom endeavors. Projectors increase efficiency and accuracy while substantially reducing production time.

STEP 1.
The car image was projected onto the T-shirt with an Artograph Super AG-100 opaque projector and then traced onto the fabric with a Faber Castell Jet Black Extra Smooth 6B pencil (#6325). The sketching should take five to ten minutes, depending on how detailed you want your drawing to be. Be careful to sketch lightly so that the pencil marks will easily be covered during the painting process. Pay attention to the darkest areas, which you'll use as a map in later stages of the painting. Use projecting time to learn your reference well and to take careful note of colors, which may appear more clearly in the projection stage.

STEP 2.
I used a freehand shield to help keep the tires—and other contours—looking perfectly round and straight. Freehand shields are often faster than frisketing or stenciling. (For more details on the use of freehand shields, I highly recommend Radu Vero's book. Airbrush: The Complete Studio Handbook, available through the Art Esprit cata- log in Airbrush Action.) I usually start with the wheel wells, one of the toughest areas to get right. Do the hardest parts first, and save the easier sections as your reward.

STEP 3.
Here are the results of using the shield, showing the nice separation between the tire and the wheel well. The rest of the car is outlined freehand, trying to avoid hard lines that would otherwise give the image a cartoonlike look. Hard lines are best rendered to produce reflections and highlights. The airbrush will produce hard lines, soft lines, or shades. Be sure to look closely at your reference and ask yourself if the area you are reproducing is hard or soft in appearance. For example, the reflections down the side of the car utilize hard lines, but there is also some soft shading in the same area. The hard lines represent the horizon with palm trees and other reflections. The soft areas represent foreground and any subtle changes in the terrain.

STEP 4.
The complete shading of the black is applied, with a touch of gray for the seats. This is more or less a value study. Note the use of gray rather than black where the interior is visible through the windshield.

STEP 5.
Transparent blue is applied over the black to simulate the reflection of the sky. Blue or purple will make black appear darker when sprayed over it. Also, a very light shade of brown was applied to the reflection of the foreground on the passenger door. (Blue is added to reflect the blue of the sky, which is going to give it a glossy, more reflective look.)

STEP 6.
One of the most important elements of the painting is the correct use of white. This step separates the amateurs from the pros. Look closely at the photo reference, and make sure your blending and shading are right. Use strong white only in the most boldly highlighted areas. Be true to the photo reference you're working with, and you'll come out ahead all the time. Be particularly meticulous with the wheels. If you take the time to study your reference first, you'll make a better determination of the colors in the subject. Don't take for granted that a black car is black. Due to reflections and lighting, you'll notice other colors as well. Red cars, for example, may have reflections of purples or browns, which would be painted first as an under- tone. The red would then be applied on top of the undertone. A special tip when adding white is to come back with black to sharpen, by outlining, the definition of the white.

STEP 7.
The granite graphic is added not only to help make the car pop from the shirt, but also to command extra money. Although the focus of this article is on how to paint a car onto a shirt, the masking technique involved is well worth mentioning. To paint the granite effect, or any background of your choice, it is important first to protect the prime image—in this case, the car—using waxed paper with spray adhesive applied to the back for strong adhesion to the fabric. With a knife on the waxed paper, carefully and delicately trace the image you want to protect. The paper around the design is then removed, and you are ready to spray. The car in this project was perfectly protected by this masking procedure. Caution: This technique requires great skill to avoid damaging the fabric with the razor knife. Practice on used shirts, rags, or even strong paper toweling before attempting the real thing. WCA