DIY Network

Airbrush 101 Spritz up some hip wearables with Michele Beschen. From "B. Original" episode DBOR-158

Brush up some hip wearables with this airbrush tutorial.

Nothing else looks quite like airbrush painting: The airbrush gives the artist far more control than regular spray paint, and the fine spray of paint allows for details that are all but impossible to get with a traditional paintbrush.

Let Michele Beschen show you how to get started with airbrushing in this easy how-to. The B. Original host covers the basics of how to use an airbrush to turn a plain T-shirt into a custom piece of wearable art.

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There are a variety of airbrushes available; get one that works with your budget and your needs. You can purchase pre-mixed paints that are designed for your airbrush, or you can mix an airbrush medium with acrylics you already have.

Look on the Internet or in books for cool deigns that interest you. Use them as stencils or as a reference if you paint the design on your clothing freehand.

	Figure A
	Figure B

Basic Airbrush T-Shirt

• Add your paint to the airbrush jar and connect it to the airbrush.

• Before starting to paint any clothing, practice on a piece of cardboard.

• Place a clean piece of cardboard inside the article of clothing you will be painting on so the paint doesn’t bleed through.

• Ready, set, spray!

• Start with your design's outline, then fill in with the same color as desired (figure A).

• Clean out the airbrush when you want to change colors: Connect a jar of water to the airbrush and spray on your piece of practice cardboard to clean it out. When the spray is clear, change to a different color (figure B).

• Don’t be discouraged if your first try with the airbrush isn’t perfect. Experiment with the spray and your designs, and you'll soon get effects you never could with a paintbrush.