Airbrush Technique Issue 12

The leather jacket is rooted in the 20th century with as many associations as the subculture groups that wear them. Whether worn by bikers, police, military aviators or punk rocker their function has ranged from protective outwear to a message of outward intimidation. Marlon Brando in The Wild One (1953), James Dean in Rebel Without A Cause (1955), and Michael Pare in the later day film, Eddie And The Cruisers all popularized the leather look as a badge of non conformity. Leather jackets worn by military aviators came to be known as “Bomber Jackets”. The backs of many of these jackets were emblazoned with the mascot or pin up image associated with the wearer’s aircraft and remain popular to this day. Those jackets worn for protective purposes are usually heavier, thicker and some times even equipped with armor. The 60’s and 70’s brought a renewed interest in leather as part of the Heavy Metal subculture and once again established the leath- er jacket as an icon of rebellion and diversity. Today the leather jacket runs the full gamut from the rebellious individual to the high fashion socialite. For the artist it becomes a canvas to once again display his or her talents and to reveal a slice of the owner’s personality. It’s with the artist that this story begins. I started experimenting with Createx/Auto Air paints over ten years ago. Although their original offerings were less than trick I found that they worked excellent for small brush details a top my urethane bases and mistakes were easy to correct do to the mediums water based nature. Today Auto Air Colors www.autoaircolors.com has expanded their line to include metal flakes, pearls, chameleons, candies, and other specialty offerings that make the line worth considering as part of every artists painting arsenal. The original Createx formula did grab my attention in one area that gave me results that I had been seeking for years painting on leather. 1. I stretched the leather jacket over an easel and a cardboard box to get it as taut as possible. To remove any contaminates from the surface I wipe it down with denatured alcohol. Note; always test in an inconspicuous spot before attacking the whole jacket, just in case there is a reaction. 2. For this particular project I cut a tag board stencil for the basic configuration. This is just one of many techniques that can be employed to get the design to the surface. Don’t be afraid to try different techniques and experiment with different mediums. 3. By using the black that already exists as the color of the jacket I begin with white to start bringing out the highlights in the design. The water base Createx paint has little VOCs and produces no odor which made this a great winter project for the basement that didn’t upset the other members of the house. http://www.autoaircolors.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Airbrush Technique Issue 12

Airbrush Technique Issue 12 Contents Gerold Radmer Mick Cassidy Hairydidit Jammer Jim Ferraro Patrick Charuel Kicks Jack Giachino Neil Roth Mike Ellwood

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