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An airbrush is a small, Pneumatics tool that Atomizer nozzle and sprays various media, most often paint, but also ink, dye, and make-up. Spray painting developed from the airbrush and is considered to employ a type of airbrush.
Depending on the definition requiring compressed air or not, the first spray painting device that could be called an airbrush was patented in 1876 () by Francis Edgar Stanley of Newton, Massachusetts. This worked akin to a diffuser/atomizer and did not have a continuous air supply. Stanley and his twin brother later invented a process for continuously coating photographic plates (Stanley Dry Plate Company) but are perhaps best known for their Stanley Steamer. No artistic images that used this 'paint distributor/atomiser' exist or are as yet known.
According to the research prepared by Professor Andy Penaluna, the first instrument to use a compressed air supply was named the "paint distributor" was developed by Abner Peeler "for the painting of and other artistic purposes" and used a hand-operated Gas compressor to supply continuous air. It was rather crude, being based on a number of spare parts in a jeweller's workshop such as old screwdrivers and welding torches. It took four years of further development before a working prototype was developed by Liberty Walkup of Mt. Morris, Illinois. Walkup patented the work under the name of "air-brush", a name his wife Phoebe Walkup came up with. The birth of the name 'Air Brush' can be traced to a stakeholders' meeting of the new Air Brush Manufacturing Co. at 7:00 p.m. on October 6, 1883, when the name was formally born.Penaluna, Andrew (2004)A Critical Investigation into the Origins and Development of the Airbrush – 1878–1906. Doctoral thesis, Swansea Metropolitan University. In modern times the date is used to celebrate airbrush art around the world, using the Twitter hashtag #. Walkup's wife would later go on to be the founder of the Illinois Art School where airbrushing was taught to students from all over the world. In that same rented 4-story building Rockford Air-Brush would be established under Liberty Walkup. Among others, the Walkups taught airbrush technique to American Impressionist master Wilson Irvine at the Air Brush School in Rockford, Illinois. The first certain 'atomizing' type airbrush was invented by Charles Burdick in 1893 and presented by Thayer and Chandler art materials company at the World Columbian Exposition in Chicago. Burdick founded the Fountain Brush Company in the US, and launched the first series of airbrushes onto the market. The Big Book of Airbrush, Parramon and Ferron, 1990. However, Burdick initially re-cased the Walkup design into a finger-operated instrument, and as many of his designs echoed those being developed by Walkup, a legal row resulted over the name Air Brush.Soltan, Mohamed Abdeldayem Ahmed (2015) An investigation into the history of the airbrush and the impact of the conservation treatment of airbrushed canvas paintings. Doctoral thesis, Northumbria University This device was essentially the same as a modern airbrush, resembling a pen and working in a different manner than Peeler's device. Aerograph, Burdick's original company, still makes and sells airbrushes in England. Thayer and Chandler were acquired by Badger Air-Brush Co. in 2000. Badger Air-Brush continues the Thayer and Chandler tradition of manufacturing quality airbrush guns, tools and compressors out of Franklin Park, Illinois.
The technique allows for the blending of two or more colors in a seamless way, with one color slowly becoming another color. Freehand airbrushed images, without the aid of or friskets, have a floating quality, with softly defined edges between colors, and between foreground and background colors. A skilled airbrush artist can produce paintings of photographic realism or can simulate almost any painting medium. Painting at this skill level involves supplementary tools, such as masks and friskets, and very careful planning.
Some airbrushes use as low as 20 psi (1.38 bar) while others use pressures in the region of 30-35 psi (2-2.4 bar). Larger "spray guns" as used for automobile spray-painting need 100 psi (6.8 bar) or more to adequately atomize a thicker paint using less solvent. They are capable of delivering a heavier coating more rapidly over a wide area. Even with small artist airbrushes using acrylic paint, artists must be careful not to breathe in the atomized paint, which floats in the air for minutes and can go deep into the lungs. With commercial spray guns for automobiles, it is vital that the painter have a clean air source to breathe, because automotive paint is far more harmful to the lungs than acrylic. Certain spray guns, called High-Volume Low-Pressure (HVLP) spray guns, are designed to deliver the same high volumes of paint without requiring such high pressures.
The simplest airbrushes work with a single-action mechanism, where the depression of the trigger actuates air flow through the airbrush, immediately outputting paint. The airbrush's color flow and spray pattern are adjusted separately from the trigger action. This is done through an adjustment of the airbrush's needle placement within its paint tip, by the turning of the paint tip on an external mix airbrush (Badger 350 or Paasche Model H are good examples of single-action external mix airbrushes) or the turning of a needle setting dial on an internal mix airbrush (Badger 200 or Iwata SAR are good examples of single-action internal mix airbrushes). The color volume and spray pattern are maintained at a fixed level until the airbrush user re-adjusts the setting. Adjusting the color volume and spray pattern while painting is possible, but not by design. Single-action airbrushes are simpler to use and are generally less expensive, but they present limitations in applications in which the user wishes to do something more artistic than simply apply a large, uniform coat of color.
Dual-action (or double-action) airbrushes enable the simultaneous adjustment of both air and color at the trigger, by allowing the user to actuate air by depressing the trigger and simultaneously adjust color and spray pattern by rocking the trigger back and forth. This ability to adjust color flow while spraying the airbrush, coupled with the user's adjustment of distance from the painting surface allows for the variation of fine to wide lines without stopping to re-adjust the spray pattern (as is necessary with a single-action airbrush). This allows for greater spray control and enables a wider variety of artistic effects. The use of this type of airbrush requires practice to achieve proficiency, both with triggering technique and control. The effort is worthwhile, as airbrushing offers greater artistic versatility. Dual-action airbrushes (Badger Patriot 105, Paasche VL, Iwata CM-C are all good examples of dual-action airbrushes) are of a more sophisticated design model than single-action airbrushes, which tends to make them the more expensive of the two.
The first paint spraying machine was developed in 1887. Equipment by DeVilbiss and Binks is typical of modern sprayguns.
The addition of a simple pistol grip adapter to an aerosol paint spray can create a cheap alternative to a spray gun.
Double-action airbrush technique involves depressing the trigger on the top of the airbrush with the index finger to release air only, and drawing it back gradually to the paint release threshold. The most important procedural dynamic is to always begin with air only and end with air only. By observing this rule, precise control of paint volume and line width and character can be achieved. The single most important airbrush stroke consistently utilized by professionals is the dagger stroke. This describes a stroke which begins wide and ends as a narrow line, created by starting with the brush far from the support and moving it evenly closer as the line is drawn.
Single-action airbrush technique derives its name from the fact that only one action is required for operation. The single action of depressing the trigger releases a fixed ratio of paint to air. Achieving different line widths requires either changing the tip and nozzle combination or adjusting the spray volume manually between spray width changes. The most important aspect of proper single-action airbrush technique is to keep the hand moving before the trigger is depressed and after the trigger is released. This avoids the "bar bell" line.
In the 20th century Soviet Union, as a result of Great Purge and later destalinization, many photographs of officials from the periods show extensive airbrushing; often entire human figures have been removed. The term "airbrushed out" has come to mean rewriting history to pretend that something was never there. In contemporary academic discourse, the process of removing components from an image is formally known as Clone tool.
The term "airbrushed" or "airbrushed photo" has also been used to describe glamour photos in which a model's imperfections have been removed, or in which their attributes have been enhanced. The term has often been applied in a pejorative manner to describe images of unrealistic female perfection and has been particularly common in reference to pictures in Playboy, and later Maxim.
Using digital imaging technology, this kind of picture editing is now usually done with a raster image editor, which is capable of even more subtle work in the hands of a skilled touch-up artist. In the fine retouching industry, the airbrushing technique is often considered a low-end practice, with significantly inferior quality to that found in the most important fashion photography publications.
Many radio-controlled model hobbyists also use the airbrush to create works of art on the Lexan bodies. The paint jobs range from a basic one-color paint job to fine detailed works of art.
Airbrushes have also become common tools in cosplay, costuming, and prop-making.
Airbrush makeup has recently been re-popularized by the advent of high-definition television and digital photography, wherein the camera sees more detail than ever before. Liquid foundations that are high in coverage but thin in texture are applied with the airbrush for full coverage without a heavy build-up of product. It is also a highly popular technique for special effect as well as for the Embalming.
Alcohol-based mediums are best suited for waterproof make-up; this makeup lasts longer, is smudge proof, is rich and opaque in colour. But alcohol-based foundations can be too matte, and can lead to over-drying of the skin. They also can rub off due to excessive itching or fidgeting.
Water based mediums are great for clown make-up, i.e., for short-term artistic or skin-friendly make-ups, these are easy to apply, and easy to remove, with minimal damage to the skin, but water-based make-up does not last a long while, and comes off easily, even more so with perspiration.
Silicone-based airbrush foundation, S/B foundation, is found in professional and premium retail airbrush brands, primarily for bridal make-ups, or mature skin. Silicone based foundations have the advantage of being medium to high coverage.
Silicone-based airbrush foundation has another advantage of mimicking the skin texture, as to give no obvious sign of make-up, thereby giving a more natural look to the model.
Silicone-based airbrush foundations are comparatively water-resistant but not waterproof; they do not overdry the skin, and are relatively easy to apply and remove with a mild make-up remover.
In special effects makeup, airbrushes are the predominant tool for applying paint to prosthetic appliances. This method offers several advantages over traditional brushwork, including the minimization of edge peeling, the prevention of underlayer disturbance, and the reduced risk of damage to delicate prosthetic pieces. Furthermore, airbrushing facilitates the creation of translucent layers, crucial for achieving realistic skin tones and textures on foam and rubber-based prosthetics. Diverse airbrushing techniques and stencil utilization enable the application of intricate patterns, enhancing the lifelike quality of the final makeup effect.
One well-known producer of airbrushed clothing is Marc Ecko, who used to airbrush T-shirts when he started his clothing company.
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