ER EDI'f1ON 1985 ;.

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4
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ishir t

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PAID
I Mechanicsburg,
Permit No. 63
PA
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PORTRAIT BY
RAY SHLEMON

A New Name in
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PREDICTABLE PRECISE

I DUAL ACTION GRAVITY FEED

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The intricately advanced noulelneedle combination means exceptional balance, smoothness, and Art Inc.
control from start to finish. Allendale Park
Olympos manufactures a full line of gravity and siphon feed airbrushes, accessories, and adapters Allendale, NJ 07401
to meet every professional need. (201) 825-8686
Dealer lnqulnes ~nv~ted
Manufactured by. Olyrnpos Co., Ltd.
 QLYMPQS
AIRBRUSHES
can be purchased at the following leading art material stores:

ALABAMA Koenig Art Emporium Madison Heights Parsons Art Supply

Binders Art Center Fort Myers Royal Oak New York City
Montgomery North Miami Syracuse Blue Print Co., Inc.
Plantation MINNESOTA Syracuse
ARIZONA Pompano Artsign Materials Co.
The Flax Co. Neena Art 6 Frame Burnsville NORTH CAROLINA
Phoenix West Hollywood Edina Binden Art Center
Odando Frame 6 Art Minneapolis Charlotte
CALIFORNIA Minnetonka
The Fine Art Store Orlando Roseville
San Diego Rex Artist Supplies NORTH DAKOTA
St. Paul Dunahey's Art Media
Flax, lnc. Broward
Dade MlSSOURl Bismarck
Los Angeles
Flax's Artists Materials Miami Art World OHIO
San Francisco Naples Kansas City Long's Art Supply
Sunnyvale West Palm Beach Bader's Art Supply Columbus
PAS Graphics, Inc. Clayton Ken McCallister, Inc.
GEORGIA St. Louis
Pasadena Binders Art Center Dayton
Sterling Art Atlanta Keith Coldsnow, Ltd. The Morse Graphic Art Supply Co.
Tustin Crest Art, Inc. Kansas City Cleveland
University Art Center Atlanta NEBRASKA Parma Heights
Palo Alto Sam flax, Inc. Art World Woodmere
San Francisco Atlanta Lincoln Prince Reproductions, Inc.
San Jose Cincinnati
HAWAII Omaha
Santa Clara
World Supply, Inc. Hawaiian Graphics Corp. Standard
Lincoln Blueprint Company PENNSYLVANIA
Hollywood Honolulu Kanig Art Empodum
Omaha King of Prussia
COLORADO ILLINOIS North Wales
Art Hardware The Flax Co. NEW HAMPSHIRE Willowgrove
Boulder Chicago Kanig Art Emporium
Colorado Springs The Graphic Store Newington TENNESSEE
Fort Collins Addison Art Center Supply Store, Inc.
Pyramld Artists' Materials
NEW JERSEY Memphis
H.R. Meininger Co. Dupont Graphic Arts, Inc.
Denver Champaign Cinnaminson GrlfRn Supply Co.
Urbana Nashville
Parsippany
CONNECTICUT INDIANA Koenig Art Emporium TEXAS
Kanig Art Emporium Bates, Inc. Lawrenceville Artsign Materlals Co.
Bridgeport Indianapolis Short Hills Dallas
Danbury Wayne The Rush Company
Oarien IOWA Woodbridge Dallas
Fairfield Art World NEW MEXICO
Farmington Council Bluffs UTAH
Lind Art World ArtisanlSanta Fe, Inc. Reuel's Art 6 Engineering
Greenwich Santa Fe
Hartford Iowa City Salt Lake City
Milford NEW YORK Reuel's Art 6 Frame
Old Saybrook KANSAS Adene's Artist Materials Salt Lake City
Art World Albany Reuel's Photo Blue Co.
Southbury Overland Park Salt Lake City
Stamford Sam Flax, Inc.
Keith Coldsnow, Ltd.
Trumbull Overland Park New York City VIRGINIA
Waterford Color King, Inc. Grand Central Artists Materials Visual Systems Co., Inc.
West Hartford Witchita New York City Falls Church
Kanig Artist Supplies, Inc. Hyatt's Art 6 Craft Store
Milford MARYLAND Williamsville WASHINGTON
Ki Koenig Clearance Center Visual Systems Co., Inc. Hyatt's Graphic Supply Co., Inc. Graphic Supply Center
ramden Rockville Buffalo Seattle
Clarence Spokane Art Supply, Inc.
MASSACHUSETTS Rochester Spokane
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA E.J. Ardon Co., Inc. Kanig Art Emporium
Visual Systems Co., Inc. Mt. Kisco CANADA
Washington Boston Omer DaSems Canada, Inc.
Koenig Art Emporium Nanuet
White Plains Montreal, Quebec
Boston Grafix M B, Inc.
FLORIDA Needham Yorktown
Arteriors Lee's Art Shop, Inc. Toronto, Ontario
Springfield Maxwell's Artists' Materials, Ltd.
Miami Watertown New York City
Art Mart New York Central Art Supply, Inc. Vancouver, B.C.
Westboro
West Palm Beach New York City
Sam Flax, ~nc. MICHIGAN Orange ~ m n Paint
t supply, lnc. Please contact our corporate
Tampa DM1 Industries, Inc. Bethpage
The Frame Up Gallery Ann Arbor Hempstead office directly if there is no
North Miami Beach Oearborn North Babylon dealer in your area.

- N a t i o n a l Art Industries, Inc.

LYMDQ S Allendale Park, Allendale, N.J. 07401

Telephone: (201) 825-8686
Telex: 837268
AIRBRUSHES
 Clifford S. Stieglitz

Art Director
Cheryl Mirkin

Copy Editor
B.F. Emmer

WE WOULD LIKE TO SHARE THE COMMENTS FROM SOME CUSTOMERS:

Great Ink
Contributing Editors
Without a doubt the best paint I have ever used. Ferris Butler
Great color selection and overall the best textile paint I have ever used. Jeffrey Ressner
HIGH TECHNOLOGY COLOR "We Put I t Together For You"
.................................
PLEASE SEND ME THE FOLLOWING INTRO KIT
Each Kit containes 6 Colors 2 oz. Tech Sheet
w
B
- TM. West Coast Correspondent
AQUA FLOW (Tex.) COLOR FLEX (Plastic)
ENCLOSED IS $16.00 (SEND PREPAID)
W
P.O. Box 216
~ R Kate Seago

Carrollton. Georgia 30117

(404)834-1013 Production Consultant
NAME COMPANY
Bill Rose

Production Managers
Deborah Corbin
k phone: 1-800-334-2249To Ship U.P.S. C.O.D. for $19.00 // Phyllis Ross

Consultant/Contributing Editors
GRAPHIC ARTISTS "REVISED AND Robert Anderson
GUILD HANDBOOK ENLARGED" Richard M. Nusser
Pricing & Ethical Guidelines-5th Edition
THE DEFINITIVE RESOURCE FOR ILLUSTRATORS, Advertising Director
DESIGNERS AND ART BUYERS. Cliff Ross
Thii bestselling book is the only book that compiles prices,
business practices, contmcts and trade customs in an easy- Editorial offices: 31 7 Cross Street, Lakewood, N j
to-use, practical format. It is the essential reference book 08701. Return postage must accompany all manu-
on budgeting and pricing for artists and their clients. And, scripts, drawings and photographs submitted if they
it's the only book that keeps current on rights, business are to be returned and no responsibility can be as-
sumed for unsolicited materials. All rights in letters
standards and the law. 228 pages, almost twice the length sent to Airbrush Action will be treated as uncondi-
of the 4th edition, this book includes a new section on tionally assigned for publication and copyright pur-
computer graphics as well as graphic design, book de- poses and as subject to Airbrush Action's unre-
sign, textiles, advertising and illustration, cartooning and stricted right to edit and to comment editorially.
animation. A glossary of frequently used trade terms is Contents copyright 01985 by Airbrush Action. All
included for ready reference. This book is a must for any rights reserved. Nothing may be reprinted in whole
individual, corporation or institution that deals in these or in part without written permission from the pub-
areas. 228 pages, 7" x 12", full-color cover, 1984, soft- lisher. Subscription inquiries: Send all remittances,
requests and changes of address to Airbrush Action,
bound, $16.95 P.O. Box 3000, Dept. MM, Denville, Nj 07834. In
~ I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I
1
I II
Canada mail to Smith Borthwick Ltd., 345 Beech
SEND TO: AIRBRUSH ACTION, P.O. Box 73, Lakewood, NJ 08701
I Please send me c o p y ( i e s ) of the Graphic Artists Guild Handbook
I
Lawn Drive, Waterloo, Ont. N2L58. Subscription
Rates: One year $18, two years $36, three years854.
I Pricing & Ethical Guidelines at $16.95 each. I
I Check Enclosed C]Send C.O.D. cash (NJ reisdents add 6% sales tax) I
I If payment enclosed, please add $2.00 per order for postage and handling I About the Cover
1 Name I This month's cover, done by our fea-

I'
tured artist DICKRAN PALULIAN in
1979 for Penthouse, greatly en-
1LAddres
a@ state
I I I I I I I , I , I I I I I I I I I I a
zip hances the launch of our new AIR-
BRUSH ACTION logo designed by
To order by phone 1-800-232-7874 Full refund if not completely satisfied
JOEL JAY WEISSMAN
2 AIRBRUSH ACTIONIJULY-AUGUST, 1985
 A
Airwush Cleaning Basics
How to extend the life of your airbrush with quick
and easy steps for cleaning by Dave Malone.

Color Theory
The importance of understanding the principles of
color theory by renowned artist Robert Anderson.

Making Money in T-shirt

Airbrushing
T-shirt airbrushing is fun, in strong demand, and
offers high profits at a very low initial investment.

Dickran Palulian
Profile of celebrated and concerned artist. A man
well versed in the creative and business aspects of
commercial illustration.

T-SHIRT AIRBRUSH MECCA

THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE

The Miracle Strip

This is where the first colony of T-shirt airbrushers
originated. There is much talent as well as A
competitive tension among these artists.

Panama Citv Beach is known for its sun. fun, and

world's largest, tightly knit, zany T-shirt airbrush
community.

DEPARTMENTS
Hot Air-Publisher's Message 4

Q and A 11

Gallery 20

New Products

Wear the Air

JULY-AUGUST, 1985lAIRBRUSH ACTION 3

 -%I-
-- .r.c

MESSAGE FROM THE PUBLISHER

The debut of our premiere issue in May was met
with great excitement, especially at the National Art
Materials Trade Association Show in Montreal. The
art retailing community, aware of strong demand
for airbrushing products, voiced overwhelming
enthusiasm for AIRBRUSH ACTION.
As reader or advertiser, you are part of this
publication. You have the right to offer feedback and
suggestions at anytime, by phone or mail. We want
to provide the airbrush world with a forum it has
too long been without.
Some of the issues that need airing are tackled in
this issue. Dickran Palulian, a Graphic Artist Guild
member and a staunch fighter for artists' rights, has
521 Metallic Gold taken an admirable stand against work-for-hire
agreements that deprive artists of proprietary interest
in their own work. Our interview with Palulian
begins on page 22.
Another topic of importance is the airbrush "caste
system'' whereby T-shirt artists find themselves
relegated to the lowest rank. The truth is that many
Airbrush T-shirt airbrushers are as well trained as other artists
Formulated in the medium but have simply discovered that the
T-shirt trade could keep them from starving on
Fabric Paint the highly competitive battlefield of commercial
illustration and fine art. Insights begin on page 14.
We hope you'll bring to our attention other issues
you'd like to see examined in the pages of

4 AIRBRUSH ACTIONIJULY-AUGUST, 1985

 BRUSH UP ON OUR
SUMMERTIME SAVINGS
ATLANTA AIRBRUSH has been waiting for summer all year long. While
everyone is shedding their winter sweaters for T-shirts, shorts, visors and
bikinis, we're stripping our everyday low prices t o the bare essentials.
Order extra for the beach.
Perhaps you need a new brush. Or t o increase your speed, order several
airbrushes and keep them filled with your popular colors. Stock up on HP-SP-B
OLYMPOS AIRBRUSHES
(Olymposparts available)
f \
paint and other accessories while prices are slashed. Order now by calling
ATLANTA AIRBRUSH Toll Free. 1-800-241-3242, for quick and dependable The ultra-fine spray nozzle (.18mm) reduces air stream blow back, allowing
service. the artist t o zero in on the artwork surface. The adiustable needle shaft is
regulated by a dial for the most accurate control of line widths and spray
patterns. Recommended for inks, watercolors and retouch colors. Double
PAASCHE VL3L action. Push button; % oz.
ers who work with a range of (Code F) List Price $195.00 ............................ Our Prlce $121.95
mediums, the VL3L is versatile and easy t o use. The
plated brass body ensures a good balanced feel and
MP-2WB
will last for years. For use with practically any type There's no finer equipment made. An advanced nozzlelneedle guarantees
paint, but especially good with enamels. Brush only-no accessories. precise control. The angled gravity-feed color cup and adjustable needle
Shaft assure a smooth flow for hairlines or normal spray patterns.
tcode A) List Price $55.50 .............................. Our Prlce 536.71 Recommended for dves, Inks. watercolors and retouch colors. Double
action, push button control;'2mm tip size; % oz.
ACETATE 6075 (Code G) List Price $275.00 ............................ Our Price $171.95
Used t o make stencils for airbrush patterns. Preferred over frisket because
the edges may vary from soft t o razor sharp with user discretion. Cuts like HP-102B
frisket. To hold acetate in place, use Shlva, a repositional adhesive, which The trigger control adds extra smoothness. Fine and thick spray patterns
you'll receive free with your order, a $2.89 value (6 02.). are easily controlled by the adjustable needle shaft. The siphon-feed
(Code B) 5 Shts. 25" X 40" ........................................ 517.46 removable 1oz. cup is recommended for dyes, inks, watercolor, retouch
colors, lacquer and acrylics.
AQUA FLOW A i r b r u s h Colors (Code H) List Price $150.00 .............................
The ultra fine pigments have been formulated
primarily for airbrush use on 100%cotton and COM-ART T r a n s p a r e n t and
polyester blends, as well as absorbent illustration
surfaces. AII colors are intermixable and permanent.
O p a q u e A i r b r u s h Colors
The transparent and opaque colors deliver clean Fine ground pigments allow for a very smooth spray
brilliance. The fluorescent or Hot Colors are very through airbrushes. Colors are water Soluble,
lightfast. llghtfast, permanent, leadfree and non-toxic.
(Code C) Primary Set Excellent 4-color separation quality. colors come in
5 colorslList Price $13.50 ........... Our Price 511.47 ready-to-useIoz. plastic, spout top bottles. Includes
concentrated cleaner that dissolves dry COM-ART paint.
(Code D) Secondary Set Opaque Set List Price $22.95 ........ Our Price $15.30
10 colorslList Price $27.00 .......... Our Prlce 522.95
Transparent Set List Price $19.95 ... .Our Prlce $13.95
(Code I)
FRISKFILM Masking
- Film
AIR FORCE II This special formulated, low tack adhesive grips securely, and leaves no
The best source for silent, portable air, precise residue on the surface when peeled off. Easyto cut and highly
airflow control and reliable performance. With transparent. Matte finish will accept pencil. Specify matte or gloss.
a four airbrush capacity, the AIR FORCE 1 I Is (Code J) 24" x 10 yds./List price $38.25.. ................ Our Prlce 524.86
perfect for T-shlrt palntlng. Features include
adjustable air regulator, auto onloff pressure
lever, llne and tank gauges, safety rellef valve 1-800-241 -3242 AA08 I1
and outside check valve cieaning. Fully
guaranteed for service and parts. iW?UbH P.O. BOX 53097 Atlanta, GA 30355 I
SPECIFICATIONS: w HP @ 3500 RPM,115vr6o~zthermal protected,
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CODE DESCRIPTION QTY PRICE TOTAL
i
99.999%-.OI micro mini filter, 48 ~bs. I I
(Code E) List Price $550.00 .....................Our Prlce $399.95
II 1 Utdl
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Check 0VISA D MASTERCARD Amount
Please send me your FREE catalog 5% Sales Tax (GA Res)

FREE "T"
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only w ~ t hS50W or more order
Name
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I
Become an ATLANTA AIRBRUSHER. You'll receive Our I
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treb~zard No
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Please make checb payable to Atlanta Alrbrusk, P o Box 53097, Atlanta, ciA 30355 I
black imprint. Specify Medium or Large when ordering.
AIRBRUSH CLEANING BASICS
BY DAVE MALONE
Why does my airbrush spit? I've
heard this question literally a thou-
sand times over the past few years.
Since the airbrush reached the art-
ist's hands, frustration caused by un-
wanted spray patterns and other
strange surprises has plagued both
beginner and pro alike. Artists have
been known to change airbrushes,
paint, air sources, and even life styles,
trying to discover the magic combi-
nation that eliminates undesirable
spitting, stippling, and blobbing. It
is not true that each manufacturer
sabotages every brush simply to drive
artists insane. Sometimes related
equipment is the culprit. Inadequate
moisture separators, faulty air regu-
lators, bent needles, split nozzles, or
improperly thinned paint can be vil-
lains. But the number one problem
that I have seen is simply a dirty air-
brush. Of course, some artists be-
lieve that if they let their airbrush sit
long enough, it will clean itself. Not
true. I have also heard artists say that
cleaning will take away from the
character of the brush. I used to throw
my brush against the wall occasion-
ally, hoping to beat it into submis-
sion. But once I discovered that
keeping my brush constantly clean
was not a capital crime nor reason
to worry about my artist's license
being revoked, my life became much
less frustrating.
The first trick to maintaining a clean
IGURE 1
6 AIRBRUSH ACTIONIJULY-AUGUST, 1985
brush is to find the proper cleaner.
Different paints require different
cleaners. When I started airbrush-
ing, most artists did not even know
what paint to spray through an air-
brush, let alone what cleaner to use.
But thanks to our trusty airbrush
manufacturers' coming to our res-
cue, we may now choose from a va-
riety of paints and cleaners specially
formulated for the airbrush artist.
However, certain myths still exist.
Many artists believe that if they are
using a water-soluble paint, water is
the perfect cleaner. I once thought
that I never had to iron permanent-
press shirts. But after leaving them
in the dryer for a day or two, the
permanent disappeared from the
press. The same goes for water-sol-
uble paints. If the paint stays in the
brush too long, the paint just chuc-
kles when water is poured in, much
like the snickering directed toward
me and the not-so-permanently
pressed shirt I proudly wore.
So paint manufacturers have pro-
duced cleaners that work well with
their own brand of paint. But, as I
have discovered, cleaning one brand
of paint with another brand of cleaner
does not always lead to a clean brush.
It is often best to stick with like
brands, but experimenting a bit does
not hurt. Some of the better cleaners
on the market include COM-ART
cleaner, Badger acrylic cleaner, and
Shiva Kleen (Figure 1). The Badger
and Shiva cleaners come ready to
use; the COM-ART cleaner is a con-
centrate, diluted three or four parts
water to one part cleaner.
There are essentially two ways to
clean an airbrush. The most frequent
occurs between colors. The quickest
and easiest method that I have found
for cleaning between color switches
is as follows:
ONE: Pour out any unused paint into
a paint collection jar or into the gar-
bage (Figure 2).
TWO: Pour in like-brand cleaner, stir
it around the color cup and spray for
two or three seconds (Figure 3).
THREE: Pour out the cleaner (Figure
4). It is not necessary to spray through
the airbrush all of the cleaner poured
into the cup. Two or three seconds
is sufficient. Besides, longer spray-
ing fills the air with cleaner, creating
an unpleasant working environ-
ment.
FOUR: Rinse the cup with water and
spray for four or five seconds (Figure
5). Failing to rinse the cleaner from
the cup and brush thoroughly can
create two problems. First, the re-
maining cleaner might react chemi-
cally with the new paint, causing a
change of color. Second, the re-
 maining cleaner, when sprayed onto
the artwork, could bleach out what
has been previously sprayed.
FIVE: Pour out excess water (Figure
6).
SIX: Wipe out cup and spray until
no more water sprays out (Figure 7).
This entire cleaning process should -.if

take only about thirty seconds. Some

artists believe that the needle should
IGURE 4 be pulled back during cleaning while
spraying (Figure 8). However, doing
IGURE 9
so often draws paint into the piston
area, clogging it up and causing the
button and piston to stick. Also note-
worthy, for color switch cleaning,
gravity-fed airbrushes are easier to
clean than siphon-fed brushes. In fact,
gravity-fed brushes clog less than si-
phon-fed brushes in the first place.
The second and more thorough
cleaning method, of course, is to tear
down the airbrush and soak the parts
in cleaner.
Figures 9 and 10 show a Badger
and an lwata airbrush broken down
as far as necessary for complete
cleaning. I do not recommend use
of an ultrasonic cleaner for airbrush
cleaning. In fact, in many cases such
methods will damage the finely ma-
chined threads and loosen internal
parts of the brush, causing leaks and
throwing the needle and nozzle out
of alignment.
The steps that I employ for com-
plete cleaning are as follows:
ONE: Tear down the airbrush, place
the parts in either a metal or porce-
lain pan and soak them for ten to
twenty minutes (Figure 11).
TWO: When the paint has broken
free from the brush, rinse the parts
thoroughly with water inside and out
(Figure 12).
THREE: Dry the needle and nozzle
completely. Take care not to bend

- 'GURE 7
the tip of the needle (Figure 13).
FOUR: Reassemble the brush prop-
erly. Refer to the owner's manual for
the correct procedure. I suggest tear-
I G U R E 12

ing down and putting the airbrush

back together a couple of times prior
to the first cleaning to ensure proper
reassembly.
I have learned either to remove my
permanent press shirts from the dryer
before the drum ceases spinning or
to heat up the old iron. If you follow
the simple steps for cleaning your
airbrush outlined in this article, you
will experience hours of trouble-free I G U R E 13
spraying-no spit, no clog, no blob.
JULY-AUGUST, 1985lAIRBRUSH ACTION 7
 FOR
AIRBRUSH
TECHNIQUE
BY ROBERT ANDERSON
Color theory and the interaction of color
are relevant to media that are applied as
a spray as well as to those that are applied
by brush. There are some differences
however in the way the color is perceived.
Basic color theory begins with the prin-
ciple that color is light. It is light that car-
ries color, not paint or pigment. The vis-
ible spectrum that we call light is only a
small portion of the range of electronic or
radiant energy. Above and below visible
light on the electromagnetic scale are bands
of energy that we can not see, such as
ultraviolet, infrared and x-rays. If light is
passed through a prism it will separate into
its pigments in a paint or colorant absorb
certain colors from white light and reflect
others. This reflected light is perceived by
the viewer as a color, for example, red.
But how is this red differentiated from other
reds? Paint manufacturers sometimes as-
sign arbitrary or pigment related names to
the colors, such as deep brilliant red or
burnt umber. The artist however must be
more specific in identifying color to insure
color continuity and accuracy.
Hue, value and chroma are the attri-
butes used to classify color. Every color
can be accurately described within this
system. Hue refers to the name of the color.
This does not mean the name of the dye
or pigment used to make the color, such
8 AIRBRUSH ACTIONIJULY-AUGUST,1985
as cadmium red, but a generic name such
as red, yellow or blue. Value refers to the
lightness or darkness of a color or its rel-
ative position on a scale between black
and white. The brightness or intensity of
a color is referred to as chroma. A specific
color, therefore can be light and bright (or
dull) or dark and bright (or dull). For ex-
ample, the color known as cadmium yel-
low light is a very bright (Chroma) and
very light (Value), yellow (hue). Raw Um-
ber is also a yellow hue, but is low in
chroma and value. Dark, dull yellows and
yellow-reds are collectively referred to as
browns.
Many color systems are used to de-
scribe hue and chroma graphically. The
most basic of these is the three-primary
system. This basic system is constructed
as an equal-sided triangle within a circle,
(see Fig. 1). Three primary hues-red, yel-
low and blue--are located at the points of
the triangle. Theoretically, all other colors
can be approximated through mixtures of
these three. Mixtures of two primary colors
(such as yellow and blue) result in a sec-
ondary color (green) and mixtures of pri-
mary and secondary colors result in inter-
mediate colors. A primary blue added to
a secondary green for example will pro-
duce a blue-green. Colors that are near
each other on the wheel are called anal-

agous and will generally yield pleasing
mixtures and harmonious relationships. As
the distances between colors on the wheel
increase however, they become more
reactive producing visual tension. The most
reactive combinations of colors are known
as complements and are located directly
across from one another on the color
wheel. When swatches of bright comple-
mentary colors are placed side by side they
seem to visually vibrate, each enhancing
the intensity of the other. This area of color
theory played an important role in the work
of the OP or optical artists of the 1960's.
The chroma of a color i s represented
within the color wheel. At the center of
the circle is a neutral or grey area where
all colors tend to converge. As a line is
followed out from the center to a hue po-
sition on the outer rim, that hue becomes
more intense. A bright fire engine red, for
Figure 2
example, will be located towards the out-
side rim of the circle whereas a duller brick
red may be located Y4 of the way in to-
wards the center. The brightest forms of
all colors are commercially manufactured
as they can not be mixed. In their brightest
state, these hues can be used as is or re-
duced in intensity as required. This is done
by mixing in small quantities of the com-
plementary color. As the complement is
added, the resulting mixture begins to grey
and its position on the color wheel moves
in toward the center. Continuing to add
the complement will result in a mixture
with little or no color intensity. As this
process continues, the position of the mix-
ture will move through the center and be-
gin to take on characteristics of the com-
plement.
The color dimension of value can not
be indicated on a flat color wheel. For Figure :
JULY-AUGUST, 1985lAIRBRUSH ACTION 9
1 TOOLS OF THE TRADE SHOW
-
Pasadena Convention Center
October 4, 5 and 6,1985
HOPS
INTENSIFIED EDUCATION
LEARN SHOPS intensified educational
workshops are designed to be a learn-
ing experience. Structured by a staff of
professional artists and teachers,
courses are presented in a consistent
and concise hands-on format that
thoroughly explains and demonstrates
the subjects being addressed. LEARN
SHOPS stress the how, when, and
where of the use of art media, tools,
and techniques in a logical and com-
prehensible manneL LEARN SHOPS
are all-inclusive; one tuition covers
materials, equipment, exercise mate-
rial and instruction.
Airbrush I-Basic Airbrush Technique
Instructor: Peter West
Airbrush Il-Intermediate Airbrush
Technique
Instructor: Robert Anderson
Introductionto Photographic
Retouching With Emphasis on
Airbrush
Instructor: At Grove
Basic Technical Illustration
With Emphasis on Airbrush
Instructor: Al Grove
Concept, Composition, and Color
Instructor: Robert Anderson
Drawing for the 80's
Instructor: Robert Anderson
I Advanced limited 1I Only
for further information contact,
TOOLS OF THE TRADE SHOW
P.O. Box 876, Temecula CA 92390
(714) 676-5566
10 AIRBRUSH ACTIONIJULY-AUGUST, 1985
this, the color model must be made
3-dimensional or spherical, (see Fig.
2). This color sphere will have a pole
running through the center, repre-
senting black at the south pole and
white at the north. The pole is then
divided into 10 equal segments. Each
of these segments indicates a value
level. A color wheel is attached to
each segment, with the value pole
running through the center. When
the model is completed, there will
be 10 parallel color wheels, each
representing the color spectrum at
that value. Color hue and chroma
are still indicated in the same man-
ner as on the flat wheel. The differ-
ence now is that they are repre-
sented at each value level.
Intense color occurs in nature at
value levels that are specific to that
hue. Bright yellows, for example are
those that are light or high in value.
Blues, on the other hand, are most
intense in their lower value ranges.
The color model, therefore, will not
be a perfect sphere. Its outer shape
will vary with the maximum inten-
sity available at that specific hue and
value level.
The discussion thus far concerns
more than just color theory. It is the
theory that points out the relation-
ships of color and demonstrates its
structure. Color structure is an or-
derly sequence that shows how one
color relates to another. By being
aware of color structure, the artist
can use relationships that seem to be
more harmonious, balanced and
pleasing to most people. There are
many ways to use color structure,
but as color choice is somewhat per-
sonal, some of them may be more
to your taste than others.
One such use of color structure is
to be aware of its psychological im-
pact. The color wheel is divided into
two parts with a line that runs through
green and purple. All of the reds,
oranges and yellows are in the warm
half. These colors are associated with
the sun, heat and excitement and tend
to advance when used in a 2-dimen-
sional space. The other half of the
color wheel contains the cool blues
and greens. They are associated with
ice, cold and serenity and tend to
recede in the 2-dimensional plane.
Another way to use color structure
is through color relativitv. Color does
not exi; in and of itself.'lt is the most
relative medium in art, as it is de-
pendent on its environment. A color
of a certain hue, value and chroma
will change in appearance if its
background or surrounding colors are
changed. This is significant in air-
brush or spray technique since color
combinations are made optically in-
stead of physically when sprayed.
Even though the color is mixed be-
fore loading it in the airbrush, the
final mixing takes place on the
painting surface and ultimately in the
eye of the viewer. This is because it
is tiny dots of color that are actually
being applied. As in a color tele-
vision ~ i c t u r etube where thousands
of dot; of colored light combine to
make a picture on the screen, the
airbrush lavs down dots of color.
When the& dots are applied next to
and over dots of other colors, the
viewer will tend to see a mixture of
these colors rather than individual
dots. This phenomena, as well as the
relative nature of color, may pro-
duce some unexpected and surpris-
ing results.
It was a similar approach that in-
terested the French painter Georges
Seurat (1859-91). His painting sys-
tem was variously known as Neo-
Impressionism, Divisionism and
Pointalism. Seurat applied tiny strokes
of brilliant colors to the canvas ex-
pecting them to merge in the view-
er's eye, producing intermediary tints
more luminous than those mixed on
a palette. The dots were too large
however, and the visual mixing was
incomplete with the paintings taking
on a sort of mosaic amearance. The
size of the dots p r o d k e d by an air-
brush however, are smal l enough so
that this i s not a ~ r o b l e m .Dots Dro-
duced by a spra); gun can be m'uch
larger and interfere with visual mix-
ing as in the work of New York artist
H. N. Han, (see Fig. 3). Han uses
the size of the dots to his advantage
in establishing them as a motif. Other
factors that effect the visual mixing
of colors in airbrush technique are
the relative opacityltransparency and
viscosity of the medium, as well as
the texture of the surface or ground.
This is just an introductory look at
color and its relationships. Experi-
ence, as usual, will be the best
teacher. There are however, many
color maps and mixing guides on the
market to help you learn and feel
more confident with color. For fur-
ther technical information on color
consult A COLOR NOTATION by
A.H. Munsell, Munsell Color Co.,
Inc., Baltimore, MD, 1971 and THE
INTERACTION OF COLOR, Joseph
Albers, Yale University Press, New
Haven, CT, 1963. a
Mystudio situation is telephones, computers, etc.) The ions
attach an electrical charge to dust H o w do I remove a
such that it's impossible particles which are then attracted out build up of acrylic paint
for me to have good of the air. The electronic precipitator on airbrush parts?
ventilatlon. Even though I circulates air through a series of al- Soak the parts in denatured alcohol
wear a mask, I am ternately charged plates. The dust for a few minutes and wipe clean.
particles are electromagnetically Protect yourself with adequate ven-
concerned about the pulled out of the air and deposited
palnt particles In the air tilation and by using rubber gloves.
on the plates which can be removed
from spraying. Do have for periodic cleaning.
any suggestions?
Air cleaners will be helpful in your
situation and are a good idea for any
airbrush studio. Avoid the replace
able filter type and use one or both
of the following types. The ion gen-
erator cleans the air (of particles as
small as .001 microns) by releasing
a steady stream of ions. (They should
not be placed near electronic equip-
ment such as calculators, electronic

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JULY-AUGUST, 1985lAIRBRUSH ACTION 11

- - -
 T-SHIRT AIRBRUSHING: STARTING FROM SCRATCH
Shirt airbrushing is a dependable and surefire plus to anyone interested in starting a new busin&
inexpensively and making a fast buck. On the scene in some markets for decades, its appeal and
attraction hasn't washed out or faded in the consumer's eye. As a medium for customizing shirts
and other garments, airbrushing remains ideal.
Still, for the novice, airbrushing can be a frightening proposition. The mystique and
surrounding airbrushing still plague the layman who hasn't tried it. "I'm not an artist," he whines.
"I can't draw stick figures. Where will f find one? And what about my customers?Will they like
an airbrushed design? And will they pay more for the service?"
The truth is, with a little guidance, practice and positive reinforcement, practically anyone is
just an airbrush away from entering a whole new market. This article will attempt to clear up
some of the mystery tied up with garment airbrushing by presenting the facts about the process,
the costs and the appeal.
Airbrushing carries with it a large of Florida has created an arena of quality and type of equipment you
profit margin, low initial cost, fast stiff competition, forcing prices down. buy. An airbrush, air compressor,
return on investment, a true com- (Not to worry: The competitive sit- easels, textile paints, shirt boards,
petitive edge and virtually unlimited uation in Florida is an isolated case. stenciling equipment, opaque pro-
custom possibilities. That spells smart On a national, collective scale, air- jector (optional), and miscellaneous
business. brushers comprise a small lot.) accessories encompass the scope of
Customization of any kind is al- However, it is safe to suggest a requisite accoutrements.
most always a high ticket item. This $15 average for standard displayed But the main attraction and real
is especially true with T-shirt air- art, and about $20-30 for custom punch line is that T-shirt airbrushing
brushing. Depending on design designs, taking no longer than 45 holds the potential of returning your
complexity and the time required to minutes to produce (cars, pets, corn- investment in one day. A conces-
do the design, pricing can range from pany identification, etc.). Art work sionnaire I know averages about $700
$10 to $75 or more per shirt. requiring more time should be priced a day, with a personal best of $2,000.
Before setting prices, however, higher. That's impressive and easier to ac-
make sure your market will bear the Fortunately, most sales are gen- complish than one might expect. The
burden. Since pricing is an arbitrary erated from the designs you and your variables contributing to this success
consideration, standard floor and artist are familiar with (rainbows, are an attractive display, fast pro-
ceiling limits can only be estab- tropical settings, two names in a duction capability, high foot-traf-
lished after a brief period of trial and heart, etc.). These designs should not ficked location and always keeping
error. take longer than 15 minutes to brush. the "boards" busy.
Listing my personal guidelines Airbrushing also gives the store
might be misleading because each LOW Entrance Cost owner a sharp competitive edge. As
region of the country warrants dif- The barrier to entering airbrush- a crowd drawer and pleaser-partic-
ferent price schedules. For example, ing, in terms of investment, is rela- ularly in malls and at fairs-air-
a popular rainbow design on a basic tively low compared with other brushing can't be beat as a means to
T-shirt may sell for $20 in New York businesses. Considering you already upstage business rivals. Airbrushing
City and $14-1 6 in New Jersey. have a storefront, shirt stock and a provides a fascinating show of bril-
That same design probably would heat press, the addition of airbrush- liant colors almost magically taking
command only $8 or less in Florida; ing will cost roughly $250 to $1,500. form as a design.
the saturation of airbrushers in parts Investment i s contingent on the What amazes people about air-

7
I Size I Infant 6-8 1 /
!:", ;s I Lg-XL I XXL-XXXL I
Board
.I-L Length 9vX~3v 1 ~ ~ 1 6 1117 ~ ~ 1 8 19tx20
" 21wx22tI 23"x24
12 AIRBRUSH ACTIONtJULY-AUGUST, 1985
brushing is that the airbrush never
touches the surface it's painting on.
And one never sees the paint flow
from the brush. Also mysterious to
audiences is the ease with which the
airbrush artist controls line thick-
ness, brush aim and general spray
coverage.
The attraction and strong demand
for unlimited shirt customization
speaks for itself. For those who want
a one-of-a-kind shirt, without bear-
ing the possible expense of screen
printing, there isn't a better medium.
Let's take a more in-depth look at
several areas of airbrushing-the
materials and costs, finding and pay-
ing artists, and designs that sell.
Materials and Costs
The primary components of any
airbrush svstem are airbrushes, an air
compressbr and textile paint. The
secondary units, which really should
be considered necessities if you are
at all serious about getting into air-
brushing, are color bottles, an air
hose, easels, shirt boards and soft vine
charcoal. Another option to con-
sider is having an opaque projector
to facilitate otherwise tedious cus-
tom production.
Airbrushes. The two basic types
of airbrushes are double and single
action. The distinction is that dou-
ble-action airbrushes offer complete
control of line thickness or range by
moving the finger lever located at the
top of the airbrush back and forth.
The farther back the lever is pulled,
the wider the spray, and vice versa.
The single-action airbrush limits
line control in that the lever can only
function in an up-and-down "single
action" way. Single-action air-
brushes are generally used for broad
spray applications where detail and
line variation are not critical.
Although double-action air-
brushes require more skill and prac-
tice to master, the advantages in
having the more versatile airbrushes
far outweigh the disadvantages.
Air Compressors. In my re-
search, I have found the ideal air
compressor to be compact, light-
weight, portable, silent and one that
offers a 40-or-more-pound tank out-
put.
Textile Paints. Good textile paints
are smooth-flowing (to enable faster
coverage), have color brilliance or
vibrancy and require little-to-no
thinning. Visit your local art store or
review the advertisers in this maga-
zine for more information.
AIRBRUSH
Color Bottles. For efficient pro-
OUTLET
duction, having a different bottle for
every color is highly recommended.
Color bottles easily attach and re- omplete "Starter" Kit ..... $99
move for fast color changing. Plastic
bottles are preferred over glass be-
cause they are lighter and shatter-
proof.
Air Hose. The air hose connects
the airbrush to the compressor for
the air supply required to shoot paint
best whlte palnt available,
from the airbrush. Hoses come in
different lengths and are nylon- ng soon from the alrbrush
braided and unbraided, coiled and
uncoiled. Nylon-braided, 10 feet in
length and uncoiled are the author's
preference.
Shirt Boards. Shirts should be
stretched onto boards to provide a
smooth surface on which to air-
write to:
P 0. Box 9301
brush. Wood, cardboard, corru-
gated, foam core and other rigid me-
diums are satisfactory.
Double-wall corrugated boards are
advisable because they are inexpen- we shlp
sive, lightweight, durable and easy anywhere C 0 D
to work with. (Figure 1 suggests shirt
board dimensions.) For the sake of
efficiency, cut each board to accom-
modate two sizes.
Opaque Projector. The hot
Vine Charcoal. This is the per- ticket in airbrushing is in reproduc-
fect medium for sketching onto shirts ing a customer's car, pet, portrait,
before airbrushing. Any line mis- logo, etc., onto a shirt. An opaque
takes on fabric can be blown out with projector enables you to sketch cus-
the airbrush. Even the most experi- tom designs in minutes by projecting
enced airbrushers use vine charcoal the photo or artwork onto a shirt in
regularly. perfect scale and size.
The image on the shirt is traced
Spray BOX. To avoid breathing with vine charcoal and then air-
unnecessary pigment dust from paint,
brushed. This technique is equally
a spray box is a handy device when
suited for the non-artist and the art-
changing colors. A previous color
ist, who is anxious to cut valuable
should be sprayed clean from the
working and production time in half.
airbrush before using new colors.
Respirators should also be seriously
considered.
Materials Checklist
Double-action . . . . . . . . . . $52.45-1 10
Stenciling Equipment. stencils Air Compressor.. . . . . . . . . . $1 00-650
play an integral role in airbrushing Textile paint . . . . . . . $4-1 8 per bottle
to help produce standard effects such (depending on size)
as clouds, palm trees, moons, suns, Color bottles.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$3-5
lettering, and so on. The most in-
Air hose.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $7.55-1 8.50
novative hand-stenci ling technique
to date is the use of a hand-held Easels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $8.50-400
burner that simply glides through Shirt boards.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $ .75-10
acetate to produce even the most Vine charcoal.. . . . . . . . . . $3.50-8.50
complex stencils in minutes. (box of 25)
This method is time-efficient, easy Spray container.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . $3-1 0
to do and eliminates the need and Stenciling set-up.. . . . . . . . . . . . $14-45
tedium of the dreaded cutting knife. Opaque projector . . . . . . $1 65-1,500
JULY-AUGUST, 1985IAIRBRUSH ACTION 13
 ruu curl pay a lot more lor a~rbrusn
colors. But you can't get a more water-
resistant, lightfast or workable medium
for airbrush art than Dr. Ph. Martin's new j
SPECTRALITEacrylics.
The best medium. SPECTRALITE
gives you all of the advantages of
water-soluble acrylics. Durable, lightfast
color. Quick-drying application. New
SPECTRALITE acrylics are specifically
designed for airbrush. Noncloggingand ready to use
right from the plastic squeeze bottle without the
bother of mixing and thinning tube colors. Easy
clean-up. And no build-up will get in the way of you
and your work.
The best performance. All 30 SPECTRALITE
colors-both opaques and transparents-are made
rra I rhe tinest artist pigments. ~ a d e
to e, color-fast and lightfast across the
1 full spectrum-not just a few colors.
Water-resistant. Absolutely no fixative
orprotecti'ue coating is needed. And
I for commercial illustrations, you can
depend on SPECTRALITE to deliver -_
clean 4-color separations with no loss '?
of color.
The best price. You don't have to pay
a premium for Dr. Ph. Martin's superior quality. In fact,
SPECTRALITE, in multi-color&packs, actually costs
less, ounce for ounce, than brands which do not even
come close in water-resistance or color quality.
Now that you can afford the best, why settle for
anythingless?

The Professional's
-
Palette
For more information, call 305-921-6971 or write:
Salis International, Inc.
4093 North 28th Way, Hollywood, FL 33020 U.S.A.
Telex: 441608 salis ui cable: Salis Hollywood
airbrush art depends on which artist
you ask. Airbrushers agree on little,
including how much they earn, the
stated range all the way from $10,000
a season to $100,000 a year. Rush
says $100,000 "isn't too far out and
might be low," when you consider
a name Los Angeles illustrator might
receive $30,000 for one airbrushed
movie poster. That income for an
airbrush T-shirter, however, is more
fantasy than fact to Rush.
"Buyers don't want just
any T or related souvenir,
they demand the distinctive
touch of an airbrusher"
16 AIRBRUSH ACTIONIJULY-AUGUST, 1985
Airbrushers stick together, as
professionals forming a tightly knit
social community. Paradoxically,
they aren't above calling each other
"jerks," a favorite Rush word, and
dismissing competitors as fugitives
from the twilight zone.
It is common nonetheless to hear
along The Miracle Mile that Mark
Rush invented airbrushing and Micky
Harris perfected it. Harris is too de-
murring to comment on what peers
contend, but Rush hardly comes
across as shy. "That might be a
beautiful statement," says Rush.
"Micky doesn't have to do volume
(in the No. 1 seller, T-shirtsthe gets
paid very well to do a car. I've never
told anyone I'm an artist; I'm a cap-
italist. Micky tells people he's an art-
ist and he is. In that context, I agree
that I started airbrushing here and he
perfected it. He's a much better art-
ist than I am, but I'm a much better
capitalist."
Rush also moves around more than
Harris, who grew tired of the air-
brusher's nomadic life and settled
with wife and child in Okaloosa
County, a Northwest Florida terri-
tory of sharp contrasts, with the cos-
mopolites oriented toward high-tech
research and development at Eglin
Air Force Base and Hurlburt Field,
the crackers growing soybeans and
raising Brahman crossbreeds, and the
rest of the non-military commercial
sector in heady competition for the
tourists.
Fort Walton Beach is sun 'n' fun,
moderate surf and pearl-white (no
hype, honestly) sand. Thanks to the
Gulf Islands National Seashore and
U.S. Air Force preserves, about 10
miles of sugar beach will remain un-
developed, nothing but gently un-
dulating dunes and golden seaoats
between the highway and the em-
erald-azure sea that draws ultra-
violet ray worshippers by the thou-
sands on any weekend between
Spring Break and Labor Day.
The highway is U.S. 98, named
The Miracle Strip from Pensacola
through Panama City Beach. The
Miracle Mile is downtown Fort Wal-
ton Beach. Like any strip in any town,
this one glitters, a garish, gaudy, ir-
resistible come-on come summer-
time when shopkeepers catering to
~
the monied teens and twenties, as
opposed to the older conservative
Canadians and Miami Beach refu-
gees, hang out the AIRBRUSH signs,
each bigger, bolder, brassier than the
one before. Spunky Monkey, Prissy
Tailed Bunny, Big Daddy Rabbit,
Shirt Tail, Get Your Shirtogether and
just plain o l d Jimmy's Souve-
nirs . . . Entrepreneurs tied to pre-
thirty tourism either play one-ups-
man-ship in the name game or stick
with the standard as if in disdain of
clever upstarts.
Names seem of scant conse-
quence to shoppers who line up for
merchandise. Young buyers want the
Ts and shirt shopkeepers are out to
sell them, as well as such products
as personalized license plates, sun
visors, baseball caps and beer can
insulation wraps. Airbrushers such
as Rush also paint bodies, those of
bathing-suited girls and boys, as well
as Mustangs and Fieros.
Buyers don't want just any T or
related souvenir, they demand the
distinctive touch of an airbrusher. The
market is so hot this year that 34 art-
ists work just one block of The Strip
in downtown Fort Walton Beach.
That block contains Fountain Square,
a Spanish-influenced, two-story
stucco and tile complex built more
than 10 years ago to house bou-
tiques and cafes. Today the dozen
spaces are devoted to airbrushing, a
sandwich shop and an ice cream bar
the only enterprises not capitalizing
directly on the craving for "art shirts."
Harris holds court at Treasure Is-
land, a souvenir-packed emporium
that dominates T-block sizewise and
maintains sufficient diverse inven-
tory to stay open year-around, un-
like many smaller places that shut
the doors on autumn's first chill, re-
opening (often under new manage-
ment) when Easter resurrects vaca-
tion season.
Rush's latest domaine is Destin and
The Gazebo, a trendy, toney bou-
tique more Bloomingdale's than typ-
ical of the T trade. But then, the city
is Destin, the heart of Northwest
Florida's condominium industry and
separated from Fort Walton Beach
by more than six miles of Gulf-front
preserves. Destin is to Fort Walton
what the Catskills are to Coney Is-
land. The luxury leisure crowd ca-
vorts in Destin, until seven years ago
a sleepy fishingvillage and today the
second, third or fourth residence of
investors who think $1.5 million for
a penthouse reasonable if the resort
package includes a pamper parlour,
or what developers used to call a spa.
Trust Rush to be in the vanguard.
Until this year, Fort Walton Beach
had cornered the airbrush market, but
a sign by The Gazebo indicates the
kind of season airbrushers in the two
cities will experience. "Why cross
the bridge?," it reads in reference to
the congested East Pass divide that
must be braved to reach one city from
the other. "We have 2,000 shirts."
Still, that's fewer shirts than Rush
claims designs. "I have thousands,"
he boasts, and so it seems, for every
scene from the de riguer sun setting
on palmetto to a samuri ready to hack
off a head. The samuri will cost you
about $40, but average range for air-
brushing throughout Okaloosa runs
about $8 to $1 5, with several shops
offering such simple designs as a sin-
gle flower with one's name as low
as $5.
Designs run the stock to schlock
to sensational gamet, the majority
concentration, of course, on what
sells. Customers want the folks back
home to know they've been to the
beach-the tan fades, but CE and
JULY-AUGUST, 1985lAIRBRUSH ACTION
Tide won't wear away a surfer riding
waves that incorporate the loops of
the letters that spell Fort Walton
Beach and Destin.
Most airbrushers work in win-
dows, center stage surrounded by a
backdrop of available designs that at
an earlier time would have been de-
scribed as psychedelic. Day-glo is
passe. Glitter is in. Ditto for the pur-
est of pigments, with colors a more
brilliant shade than Van Gogh en-
visioned.
Palm trees don't grow in North-
west Florida. Developers import them
and most die after the season, but as
tourists don't know that, they want
to wear palm trees a-wave in the
breeze on their chests. They want
purple moonlight on sailboat silhou-
ettes, magenta sun over black
seaoats, sunbronzed muscle boys
pulled by scarlet cigarette boats over
a turquoise sea, golden lasses in cer-
ise striking bikinis under umbrellas
flashier than a Barnum and Bailey
tent. Buyers also go for balloon bou-
quets, strawberry sundaes, golden
unicorns, rainbows, and, thanks to
television's Miami vice squad show,
the ubiquitous pink flamingo.
Airbrushers pride themselves on
originality. La Somchitch at Get Your
Shirtogether meticulously brushes a
mauve and sapphire beach scene into
a butterfly's ruby outline. Debbie
Dagwell at The Shirt Tail pleases the
flyboys with silver Air Force jets
streaming across an ultramarine sky.
Tess Stevens at Rainbow T-shirts in-
cludes a drowsy fat pelican and a
modern Madonna i n abstract
impressionism among her reper-
toire.
In the main, however, variation on
the popular seaside resort theme
characterizes the airbrushed T-shirt
trade and artists openly steal from
I
1
17

for the discriminati
artist endcraftsma
each other. Copyrights cost $100
each and at the rate the airbrushers
churn out designs, no one has the
time to protect an image, much less
afford to cover a collection that
numbers in the hundreds, if not
Rush's thousands.
"This is called the most prosti-
tuted art in the world," says Rush.
"You won't see a lot of variety be-
cause a lot of people do beach
scenes. That's where the money is.
A few artists can do anything and
hate beach scenes, but. . ."
Money is one reason why 14-year-
old Keely Hall spends spare time
studying La at work in the shop
owned by her mother, Beverly Bar-
barisi, and Sharron Land. The girl says
she admires La's artistry, but admits
attraction to a profession that gives
the employee economic advantage
over the owner.
Neither airbrushers nor owners
who employ them will divulge dol-
lar specifics, but the ratio of what
the artist keeps per illustrated item
goes as high as 85-15. The owner
worries about overhead, a condition
of doing business foreign to most air-
brushers who can pack up the $1,000
to $3,000 in airbrush equipment and
walk down the street or move across
the continent with the business car-
ried in a bag.
It seemed an ideal trade to La who
found a natural inclination toward
art in high school. A Laotian immi-
grant still slightly reticent to com-
municate in English, La learned air-
brushing the same way artists of
antiquity acquired facility by study-
ing at masters' studios. La watched
the early experts along The Strip in
18 AIRBRUSH ACTION/JULY-AUGUST, 1985
the late 1970s. He's back this season
after a four-year hiatus to major in
computer sc'ience, and his a; isn't
rusty.
La's style reflects his European-
Oriental influence, but don't con-
fuse him or his art with Vietnamese
culture. Ordinarily quiet, the soft-
spoken Laotian firmly informs the
uninitiated that during the Commu-
nist invasion of his country, the fam-
ily was relocated possessions intact.
"We were what they called first-class
immigrants," he says, "not like the
Vietnamese who were just shipped
over here by the boat loads."
Many are the avenues traveled by
the airbrushers.
Stevens, an airbrusher for five
years, hails from the Cajun country
of Tibideaux. Louisiana: Fort Wal-
ton Beach, i" her opinion, the best
port for her product. Vicki Blass
picked Destin when she moved this
year from Biloxi, Mississippi to open
Little Brick Shirthouse in a former real
estate office. Her mother, Linda, es-
tablished Brick Shirthouse on the
wave of success washed in by her
Rainbow shop in Fort Walton Beach.
The Air Force brought Dagwell's
family to Fort Walton Beach where
her father retired and became her
partner in The Shirt Tail. Dagwell's
other partner i s another airbrusher-
her ex-husband, Scott. The profes-
sion evidently transcends personal
friction. Says Dagwell with a broad
smile, "We're still able to be busi-
ness partners without any problem."
Casey Jones, a petite blonde "big
mama" of airbrushers at age 35, lost
her partner in the Me and Ms. Jones
T-shirt venture when marriage to a
high-ranking Fort Walton Beach po-
lice officer ended. They remain ami-
able and Ms. Jones this summer signs
on with Sun Hot Shirts of Fountain
Square.
Singlehood opened vistas for Jones
who says she was working on MGM's
Grand Hotel in Las Vegas during the
infamous fire. Her piece de re-
sistance at M G M Grand was not the
airbrushed wearable, but a lighted
T, for which she found few buyers
in Fort Walton Beach. Here, the white
jeans and walking shorts are topped
by Ts, but the clothes conscious
consider airbrushing sufficiently
bright without lightbulbs.
Casey Jones rolls with the market.
She spent 18 months at Fort Hood,
Texas, where the soldiers cared more
for cars than clothes and commis-
sioned her to airbrush the likes of
Corvettes and TransAms. Christmas
1984 found her airbrushing every-
thing with a blank surface at one of
the world's largest malls, San Jacinto
at Baytown, outside Houston, where
she plans to return when the beach
season winds down.
Rush, like most of his colleagues,
also subscribes to the motto, "Have
airbrush, will travel." You might find
him at Orlando's DisneyWorld or
Anaheim's Disney Land, at Sea World
or Busch Gardens further sourth in
Florida, on Key West or Hawaii or
St. Thomas, in Colorado this winter
and Beach Mountain, North Caro-
lina, next summer.
The gypsy life an airbrusher must
live, he says. "You can't stay here
all the time and make any money."
Harris thinks differently, but then
Harris is marketing airbrushed prints
of the Columbia at lift-off through
NASA as Kennedy Space Center
souvenirs and garnering media pub-
licity by presenting straight flatwork
to such dignitaries as U.S. Senator
Paula Hawkins of Florida.
Not that Rush is a slouch about
business. He says he's design con-
sultant to other airbrushers and such
companies as Magna Graphics and
Air Nouveau. He also consults on
equipment design and assesses items
not yet in production. Primarily,
however, Rush by his own descrip-
tion is his own person, the quintess-
ence of the imaginative maverick.
Tracking him down for this article
was as tricky as finding the Panhan-
dle official who years back decided
to deposit county funds in a Belize
account.
"I've been partying to get ready
for the season," Rush nonchalantly
explains.
No doubt about it, airbrushers are
different, but not necessarily deserv-
ing of the reputation the three-piece
suit crowd would give them as more
high on coke than creativity.
"Look at Ernest Hemingway, any-
body who writes books or paints or
composes music," Rush advises.
"You could say they were or are all
doing drugs or booze. But, 'Ama-
deus' is a perfect example: You don't
have to do drugs, you can be crazy
in other ways. Being crazy helps you
survive. As an airbrusher, you don't
have to be a multi-personality per-
son, but you need insight into the
person buying your design to give
him his money's worth."
Daisy would say you don't glean
that insight in the suburbs.
 Cor Colors.
TI.>
-

."..""
-
-
.
-

1mix.
To create airbrush magic, you need just the right chemistry: Dyes that won't fade. Opaques that won't clog.
And colors that separate true and mix with traditional media.
Com-Arttransparent dyes are permanent, pigmented, and absolutely non-fading. They can be
sprayed over or mixed with Com-Art opaques for spectacular color effects.
Com-Art's innovative dyes and opaques are so versatile they actually stabilize
and enhance the flow of acrylics.
lated to meet the specific requirements of airbrush profession-
, Com-Art colors combine the finest-ground
exclusive hydrocarbon base - a natural resin that's
non-toxic and environmentally safe.
The chemistry is just right. The results are
L dynamic. Com-Art colors are every-
thing you always wanted in air-
" brush paints. And then some.
lrCr
-.a F
 RICHARD
ROMEO
The Relaxation
Machine;

12V2 x 19;
1980;

Courtesy:

Broward Magazine.

Discus Fish;
15 x 24;
1981;

Gouache;

Courtesy:
New Florida
Magazine.

Romeo's illustrations have appeared throughout the country in all

areas of business, including: advertising, publishing, television,

packaging, pharmaceuticals, fashion, medical and cartooning.

He is extremely versatile, and works in a broad range of media

and techniques.
 ESQUIRE
VARGA GIRL
CALENDAR

In 1940, Esquire presented the Varga Girl--a vibrantly

sensual airbrushed painting by Peruvian artist Alberto
Vargas. Shortly thereafter, the magazine began printing
Varga Girl calendars in answer to unprecedented
demand. The 1945 and 1946 calendars each sold nearly
3 million copies. For soldiers, especially, the Varga
Girl represented the ultimate daydream, the perfect --
contrast to life at war.
Now Esquire, in conjunction with Harry N. Abrams, 1nc.-internationally known for its fine

-- --- I
art reproductions-is pleased to reintroduce the Varga Girl in a beautifully crafted replica of the
1946 calendar. The calendar, sure to become a collector's item, features 13 of Vargas' best paintings.
Viewed with contemporary sensibilities, these paintings -, a-
1
have multi-faceted value. They're highly aesthetic. They Send to AIRBRUSH ACTION
convey an understated eroticism. They're funny (each 1 P.O. Box 73, Lakewood, NI 08701
being accompanied by light verse) and they're nostalgic. I Please send me -copy(ies) of the I
The calendar will make a perfect gift, whether for I Esquire Varga Cirl Calendar 1986 at I
someone with a new-found appreciation for popular 1 $7.95 each I
art from the '40s or for a World War I1 veteran who
fondly remembers hanging the
I Check enclosed
I
Please add $2.00 per order for postage
original calendars by his bunk.
And it will be a fascinating I and handling
I
conversation piece and a visual ! -, . , I I
delight throughout the year. 1 I Name I
I I
SIZE: 11x 14%" $7.95 i Address i
To Order By Phone Toll Free
1-800-232-7874 State -Zip - I
(NJ Residents 1-201-364-2111)
Full Refind if not completely satisfied
(NJ residents add 6% sales tax) VCOl
L,----------J
I
JULY-AUGUST, 1985/AIRBRUSH ACTION 21
r m
IA

Fm- A-L-J Palulian

Commercial illustrator
Dickran Palulian, 46, has
used an airbrush exclusively
in his work for the last
fourteen years. Palulian
(his name is Armenian)
was born in Pontiac, Mich.,
observe
and grew up in Detroit. thinas that
Palulian's studio is on
the upper floor of the
hiwpvpen to
home he shares with
his wife and twelve-year-
me, that
old daughter in Rowayton, reflect my
Conn., a town he describes
as "just a tiny community
life, I try to
in southern Fairfield incorporate
County, which is about
as close to New York
that growth
as you can get and still
be in Connecticut."
in some
Palulian's homeistudio way in
is just a block from Long
Island Sound, close enough
what I am
for casual strolls on
the nearby beach.

22 AIRBRUSH ACTIONIIULY-AUGUST, 1985

ABA: Dick, how has your style
evolved?
Palulian: Back in the sixties, music
had a great influence on what was
going on in the art world. Pushpin
Graphics started to influence the way
people looked at art. The more tra-
ditional forms of illustration, which
we would probably categorize as
boy-girl or pocketbook, like the la-
dies' magazines and the pocketbook
art, seems almost nostalgic, even
though some terrific illustrators are
still doing this. The whole Wood-
stock thing-the music, the way
people were, the clothing, the free-
dom, and, of course, the Viet Nam
war protests4 think artwork started
to reflect that. Dyes were very pop-
ular then, Dr. Martin's, preform
shapes a la Glaser, Alcorn, and other
artists, but everyone was influenced
in some way. Even I was doing things 1974
with some very acid colors. But a Unpublished
JULY-AUGUST, 1985lAIRBRUSH ACTION 23
 decade after that, the mid-seventies,
we hit a new stride in technology.
Things were happening in the world.
Computer's came into our lives.
Technically reproduced music. As I
observe things that happen to me,
that reflect my life, I try to incorpo-
rate that growth in some way in what
I'm doing.
ABA: In terms of education, what is
your background in art?
Palulian: I only had two years of art
school in Detroit. At that time I was
a very serious painter, but I wanted
to try out commercial areas, so after
two years I thought I had learned all
I could under tutelage, and I wanted
to get out and paint and also get into
the business. My painting eventually
suffered because I got very involved
with the career. In Detroit my career
started as a car stuffer and a back-
ground painter. In those days I
24 AIRBRUSH ACTIONIJULY-AUGUST, 1985
worked primarily on car catalogs.
Every year they would pick an illus-
trator and do backgrounds for a
catalog and he would do the figures
standing around the cars and of
course stuffing the cars with happy
people. All I can say about that part
of my career is that I learned a lot of
discipline, I learned how to use a
camera, which I'm thankful for, and
I learned how to work with models.
ABA: So your background is in fine
arts. Where did you learn to use the
airbrush?
Palulian: In the Detroit studios in the
sixties. I was experimenting with
washes then. For years I had worked
with some of the best car illustrators
in the country. I used to disdain the
airbrush, they did too, because they
felt that laying down washes with a
brush was the way to do it. Later,
though, as3ignments interfered, and
- cal. If a person works in pen and ink
A and happens to use a double-zero
-
d
I anybody who's serious about a ca-
I
1 1983
h Unpublished
they couldn't take the time. With the
airbrush, they could more rapidly put
in a hood, a side, the wheels, what-
ever. Eventually, the airbrush was
kind of like a shotgun to car illustra-
tors; each had one at his board. I just
started picking it up and using it in
conjunction with the washes I was
doing, maybe making a flat back-
ground and incorporating some
clouds. And more and more I kept
using it.
ABA: Can you be any more specific
about why they didn't want to use
the airbrush?
Palulian: They considered it a crutch.
ABA: The fine arts community al-
ways looked down at airbrush as a
commercial artist's tool, but now you
tell me that certain commercial art-
ists look down on airbrush as a
crutch.
Palulian: To me it didn't seem logi-
Rapidograph instead of a crow-quill
pen, how could someone knock the
use of that pen? I mean, the end re-
sult i s what we're after. Even though
you're using an airbrush, you're sim-
ply using it as a tool.
ABA: Did you have someone there
at the studio teaching you?
Palulian: No, I just picked it up. Just
experimenting with it, saying, "Wow,
I can do things with this. I can blow
a whole sky". There was a lot of trial
and error involved. I don't know how
to count the things that you can learn:
getting an airbrush too close to the
board, using too much air pressure,
especially when you're two-thirds
through with a piece and you load
up the gun too much and it spits.
Anybody who uses an airbrush knows
what I'm talking about. At the end
of the sixties I came to New York,
and I was working almost exclu-
sively with an airbrush.
ABA: And your move here was be-
cause of the market?
Palulian: Yes. I really was frustrated
as an illustrator, and let's face it,
reer wants to try and make it in the
Apple. I always wanted to come east
anyway.
I

ABA: What artists influenced your
career?
Palulian: There aren't too many peo-
ple around who haven't been some-
what influenced by Charlie White.
He was a pioneer in using the
airbrush commercially. I've always
liked his stuff. Of course, Salvador
Dali still looms as my greatest influ- ABA: It doesn't always come up to
ence, both cerebally and techni-
cally.
ABA: Whom do you get your assign-
ments from? An art rep?
Palulian: Some come in through my
reputation.
ABA: SO people do call YOU directly?
Palulian: Yes. Clients that I have
worked with for years, certain mag-
azines that know what I do. They
call me when they know they have
an assignment. Other assignments
ABA: Do you spend a long time
thinking and planning?
Palulian: Yes. Generally, when I get
an assignment, I sit and visualize the
piece'as done with the colors I want
to use. I see it completely finished,
and I try to match that on the board
when I render it.
11
expectations?
Palulian: No, it doesn't but I've been
fairly successful as far as getting the
color balance I want and also the
mood. The mood is important. "is-
ualizing this specific assignment and
coricept
what it's going to say, the color is
very important. Of course, the con-
is numher
cept is number one, and then the
composition. I really lean on con- one, and then
cept. I believe that the way an idea
is presented is fifty percent of a good the comp-

1 osition\\
come in through an ad in one of the illustration. I think the rendering i s
talent directories. Very few assign- secondary. If it's a terrible idea, even
ments come in through direct con- a great rendering won't save it.
tacting-going out and chasing down ABA: Suppose that after you've gone
a job, showing your book. I don't through the research, the photogra-
generally get work like that, al- - -
though it does happen.
ABA: How many years did it take
you to reach this point?
Palulian: I would say seven or eight
years.
ABA: What would you say was your
first significant job, your break-
through job?
Palulian: It was with Sports Illus-
trated, a two-color job on hockey.
At that time I was doing nostalgia-
type period pieces-you know, deco
borders and things-but I was able
to use a stylized format. Even though
the figures had to look like specific
hockey players, I was able to stylize
the dress. That was my first big-
money job.
ABA: And it was national exposure?
Palulian: Yes. But I don't know what
I got out of that.
ABA: It's hard to attribute your suc-
cess to one particular piece?
Palulian: That's right. I don't think I
could attribute it to one assignment.
ABA: How big a part does color play
in the planning of the illustration?
Palulian: A third of the illustration is
the color.

1980
Client: NEC Electronics I
JULY-AUGUST, 1985/AIRBRUSH ACTION 25
 phy, the hours of involvement, the
sketches, the client decides that they
don't seem to be able to get out of
you what they're looking for. Do they
offer you a token payment, or do you
bill them? How does that work gen-
erally?
Palulian: Generally, I think you have
to ask for it. They're not going to pay
you unless you insist.
ABA: How do you figure out what
to bill?
Palulian: That's difficult, because
there are extenuating circum-
stances. I'll use a specific example.
I was called in to do a cover for a
major national magazine to submit
the same ideas that I would be paid for. At
that time they just assumed, and so
did I, that one of my ideas was going
to be picked to go to finish. The
canvas sketches and the finished illustration
would be covered by one price. What
with oil happened was that none of the
sketches were acceptable to the ed-
itor and the art director. The assign-
would take ment was terminated. But the art di-
rector felt that what I was asking for
me much was too much money. What I took
into consideration was that thinking
too long to that this job would evolve as a fin-
ished piece of artwork, I had turned
complete.\\ down two other assignments. So I
was out not only the assignment I
was working on, but the other two
as well. 1 felt that the compensation
of a thousand dollars was accepta-
I g g t : Availco
26 AIRBRUSH ACTIONIJULY-AUGUST,1985
ble. He did not. He felt that what I
had submitted were simply doodles.
But they were my ideas, and they
took a certain amount of time.
ABA: How was it resolved?
Palulian: I settled. I didn't get what
I wanted. He absolutely refused to
pay me what I wanted.
ABA: Did you ever have to go to
court over something like that?
Palulian: No.
ABA: Are client conflicts a constant
problem?
Palulian: It's not a constant prob-
lem, but it's there. Also, sometimes
there are misunderstandings on the
client's part when you state that your
artwork must be returned. It's usu-
ally stated on the invoice and made
very clear that the artwork must be
returned.
ABA: Is there a term for one-time
specific use?
Palulian: Well, it's just that-one-
time specific use. The agreement
should be specified on the purchase
order.
ABA: Are you paid less for one-time
use than you are for a work-for-hire
piece?
Palulian: I do not accept work-for-
hire assignments. I am very com-
mitted to artist's rights and a work-
for-hire arrangement negates a crea-
tor's rights.
ABA: After the art director agrees to
a sketch, do vou have him sign - the
sketch?
Palulian: No, it's kind of a gentle-
men's agreement with a client once
the sketch is approved.
ABA: Do your sketches include any
color?
Palulian: I don't do color sketches.
I get asked from time to time, but
due to the nature of the technique,
if they require color sketches there's
an additional fee because I literally
have to do it on the board with an
airbrush and frisket.
ABA: Is it almost like doing a fin-
ished illustration?
Palulian: Yes.
ABA: Can you give me a general idea
of how you price a job?
Palulian: Generally, with maga-
zines, you almost always have to
work within the budget of the mag-
azine. Of course, this varies from
Sports Illustrated to Time to News-
week. Time pays a specific price for
its covers. You work for that price or
you don't work for Time, but you
have to take into consideration the
exposure that Time will give you, if
it's the right assignment for you.
ABA: What is that price-are you at
liberty to say?
Palulian: I think Time is still paying
between three and four thousand
dollars for a cover.
ABA: What about for an inside illus-
tration?
Palulian: I don't know.
ABA: Have you done a cover for
Time?
Palulian: I really hate talking about
this. It was for a magazine that's no
longer in business, New Times: a
cover John F. Kennedy riding in the
motorcade as the second bullet hit
his head. When I accepted this as-
signment, it was not supposed to go
beyond a certain point. I did a graphic
portrait of Kennedy, but the art di-
rector and the editor felt that there
was not enough blood in it. The art
director came to my house and
waited for me to put in more blood.
I'd come down from the studio and
he'd say, "I want more here," and
I'd go back up to the studio and put
in more. I was so angry I was doing
this that at one point I wanted to break
the painting over my leg. I kept ask-
ing myself over and over again, why
did I take this assignment? I didn't
ABA: What would your advice be to
an up-and-coming artist who doesn't
really like a project that is being of-
fered?
Palulian: It is very tough for anyone
who is starting out, trying to build a
portfolio and make a living without
selling his or her soul. Everyone has
to find their own way. I would say
that the first thing to consider when
offered an assignment is that it's a
business. If you want to be a com-
mercial artist, the word commercial
means it's a business, and you've got
to remember that. There are two
questions of importance: "Am I going
to make a living on this?" and "Am
I going to look good on this?" If the
answer to either is clearly no, you
should turn the assignment down. I
know it's very tough, especially when

assignment, too. If it's a gorgeous as-

signment, you can make a cost ad-
justment. I do not mean that you
should cut your price in half, but you
can make an adjustment.
ABA: What about an editorial illus-

Palulian: I would say probably a two-

page spread would be twenty-five
hundred to three thousand, a single

ABA: Have you ever won any art

Palulian: A regional award when I

lived in Detroit, but I exhibit in just
about every annual there is. I haven't
won any golds or silvers in the So-
ciety of Illustrators show. But I've
exhibited Graphis and CA.
ABA: What was the most controver-
sial painting you've ever done?

Client: Penthouse

Client: Litton, Inc.

JULY-AUGUST, 1985lAIRBRUSH ACTION 27

 do it, some other artist will. These
young artists subsidize these maga-
zines. If a magazine can't pay a fair
rate, it shouldn't be in business. And
it shouldn't make money off of you.
You enhance the magazine; you
make the magazine look good.
ABA: So, your advice is to be dis-
criminating without overstepping
principles.
Palulian: That's right. But everyone
has to find their own way. 1 don't
know of any artist who hasn't gone
through this kind of tempering and
learning how to price themselves to
make a living and do something
good. A good rep can circumvent
that trial.
ABA: How do you find a good rep?
Palulian: I wish someone could tell
me, (laughs).
ABA: How do you find a rep, good
or bad?
Palulian: Talent directories andlor the
Society of Photographer's and Art-
ist's Representatives. (Editor's Note:
Society of Photographer's and Art-
28 AIRBRUSH ACTIONIJULY-AUGUST, 1985
ist's Representatives, 1123 Broad-
way, Room 914, New York, New
York, 10010, 212-924-6012). Or,
you can even ask other artists. I don't
know many artists that have not gone
through several reps, Ultimately it's
a marriage; either it works or it
doesn't. A rep has to understand what
you're doing and what you want to
do. The merger also has to be prof-
itable.
ABA: What's the usual commission
arrangement?
Palulian: Generally between twenty-
five and thirty percent. If you are out
of town, the rep will usually require
thirty percent because of the costs of
doing business by phone and expe-
diting artwork.
ABA: Do you feel the commission is
justified?
Palulian: Oh yes. My wife has been
an artist's representative for the past
seven years or so. But I've been able
to see how much work she does,
sending portfolios out to agencies and
designers across the country. Some-
times the portfolios aren't returned
when they should be, and follow-up
phone calls are necessary. Yes, the
reps fee is justified. Reps do work
hard.
One more good thing about reps:
There are many artists who are not
good at showing their own work.
They don't know how to negotiate.
They might have a price in mind,
but when an art director or account
rep comes in and says, "This is all
we havew-which may or may not
be true--if the artist is not a good
negotiator, he's his own worst en-
emy. A good rep will of course ne-
gotiate for the highest price.
ABA: Do they negotiate more than
just price?
Palulii: Yes, negotiating usage rights
is as important as negotiating the
price. Most agency assignments in-
volve buyout+the artwork and the
reproduction rights.
ABA: Does a buyout cost more?
Palulian: Usually double. It always
seems to be a shocker when you
double your price, but you explain
to them that it really is a bargain be-
cause they have both physical own-
ership of the original art and all re-
production rights.
ABA: Are buyouts common?
Palulian: More so than you might
think. A lot of artists just do an as-
signment and don't worry whether
they're going to get the piece back
or not.
ABA: The client has possession of
the piece and keeps it.
Palulian: Exactly. Once a work-for-
hire purchase order is signed, the
piece is gone. Since the inception of
the Graphic Artists Guild has there
been more interest in artists' retain-
ing usage rights and their artwork.
Also in the last ten years, there's been
a great interest in illustration itself,
in the collecting of illustrative art
going back to J.C. Leyendecker,
Norman Rockwell, and JamesMont-
gomery Flagg.
ABA: How do you get your work
back?Writing on the back that you
request its return? Do you have it
written in your contract?
1982
Client: Hoffman-
La Roche Laboratories
Palulian: Both. But many times you
have to follow through, call the art
director, ask if it's back from the en-
graver and if you can pick it up or
have it sent. You have to stay in touch
with artwork that hasn't been re-
turned to you, if that's in fact what
is supposed to happen.
ABA: Who pays for its return? Do
you?
Palulian: Generally, yes. Or I would
arrange to have it picked up. The
longer it stays out there, the more
chances there are for it to disappear.
ABA: You mentioned the Graphic
Artists Guild before. What is it?
Palulian: Several years ago, a num-
ber of artists and illustrators with na-
tional reputations met in New York
and decided that artists really needed
some sort of guild that would give
them recognition and clout in ne-
gotiating with agencies concerning
usage rights and ownership of their
artwork and would also lobby to
make these rights law. The guild also
publishes ethical guidelines and
pricing structures. (Editor's Note-
address of Graphic Artists Guild is
30 East 20th Street, New York, New
York 10003, 21 2-777-7353.).
ABA: I see. So if you run into a prob-
lem that you can't resolve . . .
Palulian: . . . they can refer you to
an attorney, or you can take your
grievance to their joint ethics com-
by nine-thirty and generally work
until about noon. I like to go for a
five-mile run, come back with my
head full of oxygen and take a
shower, and work until maybe five-
thirty. If the schedule demands it,
then I might work a couple of hours
at night.
ABA: What about weekends?
Palulian: I'm generally on a seven-
day schedule unless my wife and
daughter have something planned.
ABA: What's the most time you ever
put into a painting?
Palulian: I think about two and a half
to three weeks.
ABA: What's the average time?
Palulian: Ten to twelve days.
ABA: How do you deliver these
pieces? Are they shipped, or do you
hand-deliver them?
Palulian: They're shipped to out-of-
town clients. To nearby clients, my
wifelrep hand-delivers them. Mes-
sengers make her nervous, but in a
pinch we'll use a local company.
ABA: How do you advise artists to
send their work?
Palulian: Federal Express is one of
the best at expediting and getting
there on time. I've used everybody.
-
ABA: I notice you have a respirator.
How often do you use it and when:
Palulian: I generally use a mask when
I'm laying down large expanses of
color, because of the dust. I should
really have an exhaust fan, but I
don't. In fact, anyone who uses an
airbrush should have an exhaust fan.
ABA: You use gouache, and you mix
it on a white porcelain tray. Why do
you use a porcelain tray, rather than
color cups?
Palulian: I think it's easier, espe-
cially when you're using small
amounts of color. Even if it's dry, I
can just use a little water to rewet it.
ABA: You always load it into your
airbrush with a brush?
Palulian: Yes.
ABA: And you use CO, tanks rather
than a small compressor. Why?
Palulian: I keep thinking I'm going
to get a compressor, but I don't. The
tanks have become a habit.
ABA: I see you use a spray box, a
cardboard box with a hole in it to
spray into when cleaning the air-
brush. Is that something of your own
design?
Palulian: Some of the car men in
Detroit use that. I picked it up from

I
mittee.
ABA: In other words, they are the
Better Business Bureau for the graphic
arts industry. How about the Vol-
unteer Lawyers for the Arts? Do you
use their services?
Palulian: I haven't, but I do know of
their existence. I do retain an attor-
ney who is well versed in dealing
with specific problems that confront
artists. He understands that artists
aren't just people who sit around in
their attics and paint because they
love to paint, at least in a business
sense.
ABA: What's your daily schedule
like? Is it set?
Palulian: No, I'm really terrible when
it comes to discipline. I'm very loose.
If I'm busy, I like to be in the studio

1984
Client: Discover Magazine
I
 then it goes out the window because
a printer can't match it. I've been
accused I don't know how many
times by printers of using an acid or
a Day-Glo color. I don't use any ar-
tificial brighteners or anything. i use
a mixture of tones to get that bright-
ness. For example, when I wanted
an intense red, I put a pale tone of
, cadmium yellow under it and then
went back over it very lightly with
even the most intense opaques-af-
fects the color around it. If you want
a hot spot, you're going to cloud the
area around it, and you're going to
get a different cast. But the air eraser
will give you the surface of the board;
it will give you a more realistic burn-
out if it's on chrome. However, it's
messy because it sprays an abrasive
powder and it's terrible to breath.
ABA: How do you protect yourself

keep a plain red or scarlet. This gave me a

very intense red. Well, they couldn't
match it. They couldn't bring it out.
when you do use that?
Palulian: I use the mask, and I try to
vacuum right after. But I would rec-
pretty good But that's what happens with print-
ers. You just have to look the other
ommend anybody using it to have a
booth and an exhaust fan. Everyone
scrap file. way. Younger artists who are trying
to get their stuff in print to build a
should have an exhaust fan.
ABA: Dick, how many airbrushes do
I'm a'mad portfolio ought to know this. They
get their proofs, then they get the
you have?What kinds are they?
Palulian: I have a total of six air-
magazine and look at the tearsheet, brushes. I still lean to the Thayer &
and say "what happened?" Chandler Model A, but I am trying
ABA: They should stand and mourn the Olympos out, and I have two
then? Paasche's. I have the AB, which is
Palulian: No, it's a fact of life. You probably one of the finest on the
them. It works. You can hang a rag have to realize that you're dealing market, but I'm not happy using it.
in there and then throw the rag out with someone in a different area al- I really look for a versatile brush that
when its saturated. together. He's not concerned that has a certain amount of fineness to
ABA: That's a good idea. Do you much with reproduction. He has a it but also lets me open it up and
clean your airbrush just by dunking contract to print x number of mag- cover a broader expanse. I'm really
it in a bowl of water and spraying it azines. Some of them might come terrible about changing things over
through? out good. Some of them come out and moving from one brush to the
Palulian: Yes. I try to put about two bad. Most of the time they come out other. I'm lazy when it comes to that.
cups of water through it before I'm not so good. I want to spend all my time on the
going to hang it up. If it's really ABA: What's so special about the particular piece I'm working on and
clogged, I'll run some acetone airbrush to you? You use it almost not experimenting with brushes.
through it. exclusively. ABA: Do you generally spray at
ABA: Your lighting-l notice you Palulian: Yes, I do use it exclusively. twenty-five to thirty pounds pres-
have a mixture of flourescent tubes I think it's because as a tool it can sure?
here. Is this specific lighting? do things for me that I couldn't do Palulian: Right.
Palulian: Yes. It's warm and cool. It otherwise. To get the same feeling ABA: Do you have any equipment
will give you about the best mix. You on canvas with oil would take me horror stories, things that went wrong?
take your work out in the light and much too long to complete. Most as- Palulian: Yes, probably the worst
it's going to look different. 1 would signments allow you only two weeks thing for me since I use CO, tanks
love to be able to say I care about from sketch to finish. was leaving a valve open on Satur-
what it looks like in natural light, but ABA: So among other things, it's a day night and discovering the leak
that's not where ,lople see it. Peo- time saver? whtn I came up to finish the piece
ple look at it in , : , office. Palulian: Yes. I think I would say on Sunday. Luckily, I was able to
ABA: What abet,, ,~hotomechanical that's number one, because if you're borrow a tank from a friend and fin-
reproduction? going to make a living in a realistic ish the piece by the Monday morn-
Palulian: They could use quartz, or style and work within the bounda- ing deadline.
it could be studio strobes. Strobe is ries of the advertising business, time ABA: What mechanical problems
balanced to daylight. You don't know is essential. Clients will not give you have you had with airbrushes and
if they're using it so the best thing is two or three months to complete a airbrushing? And what solutions to
to look at a chrome after it's been painting. The airbrush affords me the these problems have you come up
shot, and compare. If there's a var- luxury of doing a slick piece of work with?
iance of more than ten percent, we've in ten to fourteen days, and that's Palulian: Well, the first thing is to
got problems. important. keep your airbrush clean. All you
ABA: Where do you compare it? ABA: I noticed you work with an air need do is rinse it out every time you
Here? Under these lights? eraser. How do you use it? use it and pay attention to cleaning:
Palulian: Usually on a light box. The Palulian: I use it not for mistakes but take the needle out and take a very,
frustrating thing about reproduction usually to highlight certain areas in- very fins-say, quadruple-zer-
i s that you work so hard to get a spe- stead of using a zinc white. Zinc steel-wool pad and just run it along
cific tone or color to a piece, and white--in fact all whites I've used, the needle to get any of the excess

30 AIRBRUSH ACTIONIJULY-AUGUST, 1985

 Palulian's
Studio
off. If you use acrylics or gouache
like I do, it's mandatory. You
shouldn't have too many problems,
but, of course, airbrushes do wear,
and from time to time you have to
replace the nozzle. As a safety valve,
I always keep one good airbrush in
the wings in case one quits on me.
ABA: And a spare CO, tank?
Palulian: And a CO, tank, right.
ABA: Can you tell us what you know
about working with friskets and sten-
cils? Cutting and removing them?
Palulian: I make my own friskets. I
use a medium frisket paper on which
I put probably five or six very thin
watery coats of rubber cement. I let
one dry and put the next one on. I
brush it on using a wide brush, and
if there is any residue I can always
gently pick it up with a rubber ce-
ment pickup. The only hazard in us-
ing a frisket that you prepare your-
self is that if you've got a crucial area
that you have frisketed off and you're
blowing in a rather heavy or dense
background, you've got to seal the
frisket with the rubber cement and
apply a thinner with cotton around
the edges. Otherwise it will bleed
and cause problems. You will find
yourself opaquing the edges.
ABA: Is the frisket paper you use like
glassine paper?
Palulian: Yes.
ABA: Is it translucent?
INTENSIFIED EDUCATION
IS PLEASED TO OFFER
Palulian: Semitranslucent.
ABA: What kind of frisket knife do
you use?
Palulian: I use just the average X-
HOT
Acto knife, number eleven.
ABA: Do you use a swivel?
Palulian: No, I hate the swivel. It just
doesn't work for me for some rea-
OFF
THE
son. But the templates I use are gen-
erally mat acetate, which I cut.
ABA: And you hold it down with
weights?
Palulian: No, I generally tape it to
the top and lift it. If I want a soft
edge. I will lift it and blow so that
some of the pigment will drift un-
derneath. But you have to be careful
of the pressure and the amount of
paint that is coming out of the noz-
1 PRESS -I
ATA VERY SPECIAL PRICE
--------------
zle so you don't get too much of a I LEARNSHOPS I
soft edge. In other words, you can I COMMUNICATIONS DIVISION I
get a duplicate edge.
ABA: How much do you pay atten-
tion to edges? Very often airbrushed
work has that frisketed appearance.
Palulian: 1 pay a lot of attention to
edges because that is one of the pit- I
falls of the technique.
ABA: I am glad to hear you say that.
,
I Check
MONEY ORDER
I 4-6 week delivery
I have always thought that if you don't
1 Name
pay enough attention to those edges,
it ruins the impact. I Address
I I
Palulian: Exactly. It does look like city
I I
it's been frisketed and something has I State Z
pi-
been blown either in back of it or in I Please make payable to
LEARNSHOPSCOMMUNICATIONS,121 Hidden
front of it. I think that's what some- I Oaks Drive, Barrington. IL 60010
I
I
L - - - - - - - - - - - -AL-ROBERTS- DESIGNJ
JULY-AUGUST, 1985lAIRBRUSH ACTION 31
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times gives art directors a negative working out the concept?
feeling about the technique. It looks Palulian: If my rep hands me a lay-
as if it were airbrushed. out and says, "Here it is. Call the
ABA: Do you keep your edges at- guy tomorr?~", I have the luxury of
mospheric? thinking about the piece for several
Palulian: Yes, even if I have to go in hours. I can ask myself, Can I make
and very carefully touch the lines up this look good? Would I be happy
with a little opaque or whatever. with this? Would I be happy signing
ABA: With a small brush? Like a this piece when I'm through with it?
triple-zero? On the other hand, when an art di-
Palulian: Right, exactly. I think it's rector calls and says, "I have this as-
very important. I think that young signment, this is what it is, I really
artists using the airbrush have a need to know pretty quick", you've
tendency to overlook this, and ulti- really got to think quickly.
mately it shows in the work. Clean-
ness is what we are really after.
ABA: If you say you're interested,
does the art director furnish you with mately
ABA: Do you use an opaque projec-
tor?
a general concept as a sketch?
Palulian: Yes. But I think most peo- it's a
Palulian: Yes, but sparingly. I like to ple prefer the freedom of coming up
draw most of my images. I will use
it in a pinch, and to do a loose un-
with their own piece, their concept.
The ideal situation i s to have an art
marrage;
derlay, and then I will do several
other drawings from it. When draw-
director call you and say, "I have a
manuscript, would you read it, tell
either it
ing a hand, I will start with a pho-
tograph, a very tight photograph. I
me what you think about it, and if
you like the story would you like to
works or
try to get a hand with long thin fin-
gers because a normal hand is going
do a couple of sketches and then we'll
talk about it." That's the way I like it doesn't.
\\
to look.stubby, and even then I have to work. Unfortunately, that doesn't
to stretch the fingers even longer to happen as often as it should, and most
get the feeling so I will use a projec- of the time you get a call for a spe-
tor to sketch the hand out the size I
want it. Then I will make several
drawings from it, improving it fur-
ther.
ABA: Do you keep an idea file?
Palulian: Not really a file. I do keep
tissues of ideas that I want to use. It
has happened that an idea rejected
by me or by an art director has been
perfect for a later assignment. I do
keep a pretty good scrap file. I'm a
mad clipper. Everything ends up in
a pile on the floor. Months later I
will spend a whole day looking for
something I know is in there!
ABA: Is it well advised for people to
catalog their ideas?
Palulian: Absolutely.
ABA: In what size do you generally
work and why?
Palulian: It depends on the subject.
I don't like to work super large. If I
work super, super large, I'm going
to have to put in more detail than I
normally would, so I try to work in
a comfortable area. A rule of thumb
is probably anywhere from one-third
to one-half up from reproduction.
Only a subject that really needs a lot
of detail would I blow up 100 per-
cent. If it doesn't require as much
detail, perhaps 50 percent up.
ABA: What can you tell us about the
kind of creative process involved in

JULY-AUGUST, 19851AIRBRUSH ACTION 33

 American Showcase?
Palulian: Unfortunately, it seems that
this has become the only game in
town as a way to attract new clients
or tell people where you are. In one
way it is great for new talent to be
able to buy an ad and get their faces
out into the buying community.
ABA: Should up-and-coming artists
invest in self-promotional materials,
and what should those self-prorno-
tional materials be comprised of?
Palulian: If you're not ready, you
shouldn't be taking an ad in a talent
directory really. You should be very
selective. If you're thinking about
taking a page and you don't think
you have the right pieces, wait an-
other year. Keep working. I've seen
artists jump in and put a page to-
gether and find that the page has done
more harm than good in the long run.
If they'd waited maybe another year,
their style and the subject matter
would have had a little more polish
to it. That would have meant putting
a better foot forward. Once you're
out on that page, good or bad, you're
letting it all hang out.
ABA: How does an artist know when
he's ready to make that move?
Palulian: If you're fortunate enough.
to have a rep, the two of you to-
gether should be able to work that
out. Also, it doesn't hurt to talk to
other artists who are working. I know
probably some younger artists will
be reluctant to call someone that they
think is a "star", but if you respect
someone's work, don't be hesitant.
If you're not afraid of what they're
going to say, send a book of slides
to them and ask what they think. That
will give you an indication.
ABA: That's a good gauge.
Palulian: It sure is.

34 AIRBRUSH ACTIONIJULY-AUGUST, 1985

 aysport a beachscene,lushwith palmtreesand
sea g r a s s . q m a y feature a custom car, pain
detailed, duplicated exactly from a color photo.
be a tattered, faded relic from another year, the well-
worn, well-loved victim of too much sun and soapsuds.
' is the essential souvenir, the irrefutable proof
I
that the wearer toured PANAMA CITY BEACH, FLORIDA.
36 AIRBRUSH ACTION/JULY-AUGUST,1985
 or the teenagers, that air-

F
brushed T-shirt is as much a
part of the Beach trip as the
pyramid of beer cans care-
fully stacked in the hotel room
and the broken flip-flops
abandoned in the sand. For a
scrappy colony of artists, that T-shirt
is a living.
At Panama City Beach, high-rise
condominiums spring up beside
faded mini golf courses, and homey
mom-and-pop souvenir shops vie
with new clusters of trendy bou-
tiques. The skyline is changing; the
apparel is not.
In 1974, two lone airbrush artists
held off hordes of teenagers at one
Beach shop. Now, between 250 and
300 artists ply their trade at about 60
locations here. Some are housed in
large shops with endless racks of
shirts, neon-laced displays, and bus-
tling helpers. Others operate in open-
air shacks that spring up overnight,
peering around colorful shirts that flap
in the breeze.
Sprawling beside the white sand
and shimmering waters of the Gulf
of Mexico, the Beach welcomes a
healthy dose of tourists from Ala-
bama, Georgia, Tennessee, Louisi-
ana, and Kentucky. Less exotic than
its name, Panama City Beach has
long been dubbed the Redneck Riv-
iera, to the chagrin of local tourist
officials, who tout the condo life-
style and neon lights. Regardless of
image, the ranks swell, from 1.3
million visitors in 1980 to an esti-
mated 2.5 million people this sum-
mer.
Those tourists are particularly loyal
to the airbrush art found on every
corner. While custom-airbrushed T-
shirts were a late-1970s fad that came
and went in other tourist meccas,
artists find a haven here during the
90-day summer season.
The continuing popularity of the
airbrushed designs is a mystery even
to the artists. Chris Timm has spent
11 years airbrushing at Panama City
Beach but has never believed the
boom i s real. "I'm still amazed that
all this is still here," Timm admits.
The neon-lit aura is one attraction.
"One reason is the sheer momen-
tum," Timm says. "People see 200
or so signs for airbrush, and they start
to think this is something they might
want."
The ever-increasing number of
airbrush artists is both an asset and
liability, artist Chris Kopko agrees.
"There's an excitement generated by
the competition." Other artists find
that tradition tugs their customers,
southerners with strong roots, back
to the airbrush booths. "We're get-
ting kids whose parents got a shirt
when they were young," says artist
Pat Gaines. "We get college kids who
saw their older brothers get an air-
brushed shirt on their spring break,
so they go ahead and do it too."
Still, artists fear that the increasing
competition could drive them all out.
"Just because of the quantity, you
naturally see a lot that's not very
good," says Tim Mitchell of Air-
brush Attic. "People buy from them
and it gives airbrush a bad name.
Airbrush comes to mean a rip-off."
To battle that, artists continually
seek new designs and new ways to
present their wares. The explosion
of New Wave designs several years
ago gave new life to the traditional
beach scenes. The sharp triangles and
checkerboard designs incorporate the
waves-and-sunset scenes, while other
graffitti-influenceddesigns strike more
original ground.
Timm, a popular artist at the Surf
Shak, accents hi- ' -- - - - - ' - I - - ' -

summer sun.

mark housing a restaurant and radio station. Behind the tower

is Miracle Strip Amusement Park. About every third
building on the Beach features an airbrush artist's booth.
(Left) Airbrush artists i n Panama City Beach will decorate
most anything a tourist could desire. Here, a typical Beach
design on a T-shirt.
JULY-AUGUST, 1985lAIRBRUSH ACTION 37
Airbrush artist Pat Caines
whips out tourist-oriented
designs in Trader Rick's,
a Panama City Beach shop.
Craffitti and beach scenes are
the hottest items this summer.
display with neon and flanks the
booth with televisions pulsing with
music videos. The appreciative young
audience bobs along with the beat,
watching Timm transform a basic T
into a custom creation. One lithe
young creature suggests that the wait
would be sweetened by a Bud-
weiser. "Hmm, how about an Air-
Brew shop?: Timm muses, only half
kidding. "Sip a beer, buy a shirt. In-
novation will keep the market
strong," says the artist. "To keep air-
brush alive in this area, you've got
to keep it changing, keep it cur-
rent."
The past and the present are both
dominated by visionary airbrush
painter Kenn Allbright. Allbright was
the pied piper, urging his friends to-
ward the opportunities on the Gulf
Coast in the mid-1970s' and his in-
fluence remains in the work of those
who followed him there.
The scene began at the Surf Hut,
a Beach landmark with weather-
beaten surfboards atop the roof and
sand, not linoleum, underfoot. "That
place had a kind of tradition, even
then," says airbrush artist Mark
McLaughlin. "It was a place to hang
around, trade ideas, talk." Mc-
Laughlin, a Cincinnati native, was
lured to the coast by Allbright and
faced the first horrifying Alabama
Education Association week at the
Surf Hut. During AEA, all high school
and college students in Alabama are
38 AIRBRUSH ACTIONIJULY-AUGUST,1985
Airbrush artist
Chris Kopko works on two
designs at Trader Rick's in
Panama City Beach. Kopko's
specialty is New Wave graphics, a
wild new trend i n Beach T-shirts.
set free, and tens of thousands race cepted by the Beach businessmen.
to Panama City Beach in desperate "At first, you couldn't talk people into
search of fun. putting them in a store," Mc-
"I was 19 and airbrushing at Surf Laughlin says. "Airbrush artists were
Hut," he remembers, "and I'd look transients. Now, it's become a tra-
out and there would be a sea of kids, dition. You have to have one in your
just waves of 'em coming at me. We store. "You're important to the store.
were the only ones airbrushing, I've had store owners come to my
then." Timm was at his side. "Peo- door and get me up in the morning
ple were so unfamiliar with air- to go to work."
brush, they'd just hand, you $5 or The artists add a personal touch,
$10 and say, 'Paint me a shirt,' " he not only to a shirt but to the store
says with a laugh. "They had noth- itself. "A lot of times, people buy
ing to compare it to." from you because they like you,"
Rob Oakes was also 19, a car- Timm says. But the customer con-
toonist recently booted from art tact can be frustrating. "A lot of peo-
school, when McLaughlin dragged ple make fun of tourists," he con-
him to the Surf Hut. "He told the fesses. "But I've been a tourist." Still,
owner I was a bit rusty," Oakes "they'll come up and point to a dis-
laughed. "I'd never done airbrush play and say, 'Well, that shirt has
before. It was trial by fire, basic Diane written on it. Can I put my
training." A disc jockey broadcast- name on it instead?' and I have to
ing live from the store coined the wonder if I ever say things that are
nickname, Robo, that has remained so . . . ,"Timm trails off with a rue-
with Oakes for ten years. ful laugh.
The artists continued trickling in, Oakes, a friendly, funny man, chats
two or three at a time, with their vans, with customers to dispel any awk-
campers, and airbrushes. Facing a wardness the conservative southern
short tourist season, many of the art- tourists feel about his long, unkempt
ists traveled south in the winter, hair. But the conversation is not an
catching tourist seasons in Key West effort. "They're happy, they're on
and the islands. At Panama City vacation," Robo says. "You're seeing
Beach, artists hopped from one store people at their best." His thatched
to another. McLaughlin, who has booth at Shipwreck Shirts is in-
worked at ten locations in ten years, tended to foster that mood. "They're
introduces another artist as "the most looking for 'Floridaness,' " Oakes
hired and fired man on the Beach." says, waving at the Gilligan's Island
The free spirits weren't always ac- decor. "It's not like going to the mall
 Illustrated by Keith Harmer using the IOOXF
?$~5"'-

NTAVE: FRANKLIN PARK,IL6

Distin Canadaby:
(Top) Artist Rob "Robo" of the T-shirts, and the artists make
Oakes displays his work their money by keeping between 70
at his shop. The and 80 percent or the cost of the air-
bamboo and thatch brush work. While some artists re-
booth, set inside alize $1,000 weeks during the peak
a typical tourist tourist season, the average is $10 to
souvenir shop, i s $50 per day. With most designs
designed to give costing $4 to $6, that income comes
visitors a relaxed from steady work. A custom shirt
tropical feeling, featuring a portrait, car, or other de-
Oakes said. tailed art will bring about $50 but
will take two to three hours. Ten
(Center) Along this minutes, a quick artist can produce
colorful tourist three beach scenes for the same
strip is Trader amount of money. "You like to do
Rick's, where artists custom work, and try to give it your
ply their trade best shot, to show how good you
during the 90-day are," Mitchell explains, "but the time
summer season. it takes and the griping about the price
make you shy away from it."
(Bottom) "Robo" Oakes The relaxed Gulf Coast atmo-
advertises his sphere has led to a less competitive
trade with an eye- climate in Panama City Beach, art-
catching sign outside ists say. The secretive, design-
Shipwreck Shirts hoarding attitude is seldom seen here.
on Panama City Beach. "Everybody gets along so well,"
Many of the artists Timm says. "There's plenty for
are given free rein everybody, so nobody feels threat-
to decorate the ened." The give-and-take of ideas
shops that they leads to a better product for all the
work in. artists, Gaines feels. "We share our
ideas and techniques," he says.
"That's why the airbrush here is bet-
ter than in other towns."
Early designs were closer to the
work typically performed at carni-
vals-cartoons, bubble letters, cars,
trucks. "We did quick, bright, col-
orful designs," says Oakes. Looking
over his display, a spread ranging
from funky cartoons to Japanese-style
minimalist patterns, Oakes recalls the
design pinnacle in the early years.
"The most exotic display on the
beach would have a day scene and
a night scene," he said.
For inspiration, artists check mag-
azines, fashions, music videos, and
each others' work. "If anybody thinks
people are plagiarizing, they're kid-
ding themselves," Kopko offers.
"Ultimately, it's two palm trees, a
boat, and a bird." By requesting
combinations of various design ele-
ments, customers also create new
designs.
Kopko and Gaines share space and
ideas at Trader Rick's. "We work off
one another," Kopko says. "Some-
times I'll do a design and Pat will
work off of it. It's not a set process."
Kopko and Gaines put a twist on the
traditional; for example, they feature
beach scenes with small squares
40 AIRBRUSH ACTIONIJULY-AUGUST, 1985
 falling off. "You can add all the New commercial art and advertising a business, but you have to hit a
Wave graphics," Kopko says, "but projects and designs and paints signs. happy medium."
for making money there's nothing like Even as the summer season began to Kopko, a 29-year-old California
the beach scenes." heat up, he was working on a poster native, echoes the sentiment. "You
Most Beach artists use a combi- and a calendar. "There's so much have to strike a balance between
nation of stencils and freehand opportunity here, so many ave- seeking an aesthetic effect and mak-
drawing. "Freehand is time-con- nues," Timm says. "Airbrush is just ing a living." Up until the past win-
suming, and that means money," another thing I do. It's opened doors ter, Kopko traveled in the winter,
Gaines says. "It might look great, but for me, time after time after time." working ten-day gigs in malls and T-
if it costs too much and takes too Timm has perhaps perfected the shirt shops. A relative newcomer to
long, it's no good. I could do all these skill of painting a dozen designs at the scene, Kopko has made his mark
little things to make it look better, once, starting with dark colors and with modern designs in the past five
but then I'd turn around and they'd working toward the white high- years. "Personally, I'm a New Wave
be going nuts waiting for me to fin- lights. He talked one afternoon as he enthusiast," Kopko says. "Some of
ish. They want to get out to the simultaneously painted four T-shirts, my better creations are in the New
beach." And tourists still want the two sun visors, a sand dollar, and a Wave realm." Working on custom
tropical scenes. Mac Bibby, of Air- velcro-clasp cooler. But he strives for designs from people who want an
brush Attack, spreads his arms wide, quality as well as quantity. "I hate a exact copy of a photo, Kopko says
aiming imaginary arcs of paint at an hack attitude," Timm professes. "It's continued on page 44
unsuspecting shirt. "I could give you
a work of art. But there's no call for
that. That's not what people want."
During the winter, Bibby designs silk-
screened shirts for a local firm. "I'm
the epitome of an artist's dream," he
says. "I work with art all year."
As a hedge against the day that
people decide they no longer want
airbrush art, some artists have begun
investing in other projects. With his
long ponytail, beret and goatee, and
paint-spattered clothes, McLaughlin
scarcely looks like a budding busi-
nessman, but his airbrush equip-
ment supply company flourishes year-
round in a cartoon-bedecked Beach
shop. Four years ago, he noted the
explosion of artists and a lack of lo-
cal suppliers and began The Air-
brush Outlet. Expanding into cata-
log sales, McLaughlin combined
good business sense with a sense of
humor. The low prices are adver- Airbrush artists provide a free show, as well as a
tised nationally, but Oakes is given personalized T-shirt, to Panama City Beach tourists.
free rein with the catalog. The result The artists at Trader Rick's enhance their booths with
is steady sales and goofy drawings neon, music and benches for weary shoppers.
featuring the antics of Artie, a beret-
topped artist.
McLaughlin now paints at a small
shop, the Party Shak. "I'm tired of
dealing with families at those big
stores," he says. "You try to be
friendly to the tourists, but it's a high-
pressure job. I like to go for the small
place now." Without the assembly-
line shirt painting ahead of him,
McLaughlin can step back, take time,
and contemplate art. "I'm a painter
and I can get creative," he says. "You
could call it art; you could call it folk
art. Just because it only costs fifteen
dollars doesn't mean anything. Hey,
even a teenager should be able to
buy a piece of art and wear it home."
Timm seeks art in a variety of are-
nas. During the winter he works on
JULY-AUGUST, 1985fAIRBRUSH ACTION 41
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. ~ _ offers its second
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The Fold-away II offers
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oDen. It unfolds to a start-
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when completely ex-
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Mount with either side as
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and is available in 2 sizes:
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The Fold-away II base is
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For full-color information,
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CANADA
ART COMPETITION
Pasadena, California
October 4,5,6
The International Society for Airbrush
Arts would like to announce their
first Western States Airbrush
Art Competition. Artwork will be
displayed at the Tools of the Trade
Show in Pasadena, California
October 4, 5, and 6, 1985. Winning
entries will also be printed in the
NovemberIDecember Issue of
AIRBRUSH ACTION Magazine.
A jury of distinguished airbrush artists
will judge entries in September, 1985.
Judges are Robert Anderson, Barbara
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Malone, Paula Kretschmer and David
Kimble. Cash prizes will be given
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entries in each category. Categories
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Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Arizona,
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for entries is August 31, 1985.
Work being submitted must be
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44 AIRBRUSH ACTIONIJULY-AUGUST, 1985
continued from page 4 1
the challenge is trying to
avoid too strong a style.
"You paint like you see
things, or as you'd like to
see things," he says.
Oakes's best work, like
his humor, are just slightly
off-kilter. "Cartooning is
my forte," he admits. His
cartoon characters grace
many signs on the Beach,
and he also chronicles his
friends' adventures in witty,
good-natured cartoons.
Oakes, 29, came to Pan-
ama City with $200 and an
old pink car with big fins
that wouldn't take him
back to Memphis even if
he'd wanted to return. He
remained o n the G u l f
Coast, and his loyalty stuck
w i t h striking autos-he
now drives a black 1963
Cadillac.
Gaines, 30, was se-
duced from the Ringling
School of Art in Sarasota,
Florida, by the quick air-
brushing money of the
early Panama City Beach
days. He learned that the
craft was not as easy as it
seemed. "The first five or
six shirts came back in my
face," he confesses. "At the
end of the day, I'd made
$50. That first summer, my
stuff had to be terrible, but
all of us were awful, so it
didn't matter." Last win-
ter, Gaines began working
in Colorado, with con-
tracts in two Vail shops and
a Breckenridge store. "It's
SUBSCRIBE
M A G A
CALL TOLL FREE
1-800-232-7874
a parallel season," he ex-
plains. Instead of beach
scenes, I ' m d o i n g ski
slopes. An airbrush artist
can stay busy if he'll
travel." Gaines has an eye
to the profit margin. "This
business is a dream: five
hundred dollars' worth of
materials can last you all
summer and make you
eighty thousand dollars."
After ten years of air-
brushing, Tim Mitchell, 26,
is also watching his ledger.
Mitchell learned the art
from his uncle, Beach air-
brush artist Lamar Mitch-
ell. Along with the stock
beach scenes, M i t c h e l l
displays a wide variety of
cartoon characters misbe-
having at the beach.
M i t c h e l l finds that by
working nearly 80 hours
per week during the sea-
son, he doesn't necessarily
have to work in the winter.
He often heads for the
winter tourist resorts, and
he has investments i n
Beach real estate and a
motel. "I don't think air-
brush will die," he says.
"After eleven years, it's still
going strong. If I'm wrong,
I've got other things going."
Rumblings about legaliz-
ing casino gambling in
Florida could give the
business a whole new look.
Mitchell laughs. "We'd
start new designs-rou-
lette wheels with palm
trees."
N O W TO
Z
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 AIR
1 Parmelee Welles Tollcan:
The CATS' Meow!
BY KATE SEAGO
There is, indeed, more than one way to skin a
cat-and one way is to paint it on with an
airbrush. The elaborate costume "skins" of the
characters in the Broadway musical "CATS'are
really made of Miliskin, a Spandex/nylon mix
often used for bathing suits. The white
unitards are painted with fibre-reactive
silkscreen dye, using a variety of methods

'
including airbrush. The "CATS'costumes
were created by designer John Napier, who
drew them in pencil. Most sketches were
colored in with colored pencils or fine line
felt markers, but for Rum Tum Tugger
(based on singer Mick Jagger) Napier
~ s e dan airbrush. To capture the essence
of Napier's original drawings, costume
painter Parmelee Welles Tolkan
airbrushed the dye, thinned with water,
onto the white costume base with a
DeVilbiss touchup brush. Each
character has two costumes, which are
washed after each performance.
Together, the costumes last about
seven months; they become damaged
from the stress of a very active
three-hour performance each night,
and are subject to perspiration
breakdown. Both Tugger costumes
are fitted in the same session, where
Tolkan marks the stripes, spots and
highlights directly on the costume as the actor wears
it. The shape of the leopard spots and bib are changed to suit the
body type of the specific actor, and highlights are sketched in for the upper
arms and thighs, buttocks and crotch. Once the markings are drafted the costumes
are disassembled and attached to plywood sheets. The actual spraying of both
costumes takes about 2% hours; Tolkan sprays the thinned dye at 15 to 20 Ibs.
pressure. "I used to spray it much heavier, but I fmd I have much more control at
lower pressure," she comments. Tugger first is sprayed with a black-brown base, and
highlights are applied with lighter colors. Tolkan has found that simply spraying a
lighter density to get a lighter color doesn't work with these dyes; she mixes a
lighter tone and sprays at a consistent density. Tugger is sprayed with two shades of
Original sketch green-gold, a warm gold, brown, buff-brown,grey and black The dye dries in about
of the Rum Tum 20 minutes with the use of fans. The costume is turned over, and the black areas are
Tugger costume sprayed from the back to intensify the colors. After painting, the costumes are
steamed and washed to set the color, which becomes permanent. "The costume
Color photos of CATS wears out before the color," Tolkan says. Working with the silkscreen dye has some
cast courtesy of interesting problems, according to Tolkan. She creates test swatches before working
Martha Swope on a costume, but says it is still very difficult to judge how dark the finished product
Photography, Inc. will be as she paints. The general rule of thumb, Tolkan says, is that the colors
46 AIRBRUSH ACTIONIJULY-AUGUST, 1985
 become "lighter and brighter, and yellow comes up." Yet, each costume is
individual because it is created by hand. Another problem is that, because the
fabric is stretched on plywood for painting, it does not have the same surface
appearance as it will when it is worn. "When the fabric is relaxed you don't
really see the highlights," Tolkan says. "It has to be on a body-and preferably
the one you drew it on." Tugger is the only "CATS" costume with extensive
airbrushing. Other costumes are created with traditional brush or wax-resist
techniques, using the same dye. Tugger's bib is highlighted with a squeeze bottle.

as using the DeVilbiss touchup brush for the

stumes as well. Tolkan and her staff of eight

squeeze bottle or traditional brush other

than washing her hands after
contact. "But when I'm spraying it, I
wear a respirator and try to deal
with ventilation. It's very hard, because
none of the costume shops are set up
to deal with spraying." Tolkan has
painted costumes for the New York and
Los Angeles companies of "CATS". She
says it takes about a month to complete
(above) the seven sets of costumes she is assigned.
Tugger's bib ready Designer Napier recently sent her to Vienna
to be sprayed to teach her methods there: because of her
work, the spectacular productions of "CATS"
are certainly the cats' meow.
The 'CATS Cast
1
JULY-AUGUST, 1985fAIRBRUSH ACTION 47
 BUSINESS. IT'S OUR
ONLY BUSINESS.'"

S T A T E ZIP
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ORDER INFORMATION
WE SHIP ALL ORDERS WITHIN 48 HOURS VIA
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AIRBRUSHING AND THE
COMPUTER-Can the computer
match the effect of an airbrush?
A new hybrid medium?

DAVE KIMBLE-His perspective on

illustration as a fine art and some
insight into his sought-after
technique.

WAYS THE AIRBRUSH ARTIST

CAN MAKE MONEY-Part I.

PAPER SURFACES-Robert Paschal

provides an overview.

THE GRAPHIC ARTISTS GUILD-

What you must know!

48 AIRBRUSH ACTIONIJULY-AUGUST, 1985

 Insist on F&!c.
Frisk introduce CS-10 and CS-2 illustration board to America.

.E 'Unusually fine and durable surface for our multi-media

b.S- years.
painting. I've been looking for this exact finish for eighteen
Thank you:'
z
p Dave Willardson
'I
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9 "1 have tried many illustratim boards in my time and 1 have to L~mltedEdlt~onPrlnt
say Frisk board is the best that h have ever used for airbrush
work. I
for airbrush work
It is extremely durable undek Frisket cutting and is so white and have been quite
it helps make the colors vibrant, it's great!" amazed at its unique
H Charles White I11 properties. For pen
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The ability to
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I without damaging
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other boards:
W Dave Malone
'
5 "I have never really been picky about illustration boards
before, but 1now specify Frisk CS-2 for all of my airbrush work.
I like the versatility of being able to use a regular brush and
the airbrush without having to worry about consistent qwli~y!'
H Cam DeLeon

For more information contact your local art supply dealer or write Frisk. Frisks'CS-10 and CS-2 are the most asked for
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