Airbrush Technique Issue 22

same dream. “You can earn a very nice living with your airbrush. I know because I have. When you start, keep in mind that your customer cannot do this, thus what you do will be great to them. Speed should not be your goal. Do your best art work each and every time. Turning out good work makes for repeat business. This will become an asset to your business in a short time. Our repeat customer base is currently over forty percent (40%) each year. Creativity has always been part of John’s success, “for the past 50 years, like most artists, we brushed on a lot of things. One thing comes to mind that only the older painters have experienced—“rat fink hats.” In the 1960’s you could not buy them. You would have to visit the Goodwill Store and other secondhand shops and buy up all the men’s felt dress hats. We took the hats back to the shop, stripped out everything sewn inside or on the hat, and then placed them in a large tub of very hot water. After letting them soak, we pulled the hat over a baseball bat until it took the shape of the ratfink hat, pointed like a dunce cap. Once it dried, I could take it to an event and paint on the hat to sell it. Usually, the ratfink hat was a sell out within the first five to six hours. Another big fad in the late 1950’s and all through the 1960’s was long sleeve and short sleeve sweatshirts. We would paint on the majority of them wrong side out. Painting on the inside would create an unusual look when the paint would land on the fuzzy fleece. When we asked John if he would change the way he has done things his answer was: “experiencing airbrushing for a living has been a thrill, and it did turn out to be a very rewarding and prosperous business for this past fifty-one (51) years. I would not change a thing. It has been a superior operation. People return year after year and recognize many of the original fixtures in place, including the airbrush artist. His final words of advice during this interview were, “When you feel it is time to make your airbrush earn some money, where should one start? Check out your local flea market booth. Rent is low. Exposure is high. The rest will become your history.” John in his 70 + years still puts in long hours at The Shirt Shack, sometimes 12 hours days. Stop in and see for yourself, you’ll be glad you did.

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Airbrush Technique Issue 22

Airbrush Technique Issue 22 Danyell Butler Lee Diaz C.S. Bailey Big Daddy John Roseboom - An Icon in Airbrush History Patrick Charuel Helmet Trim Natalie Lapelosa - How to Airbrush Hellboy on a T Shirt by Xzotic Ink Ashley Brayson

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