Commercial Uses of the Airbrush:Commercial use of the airbrush is as big now as it has ever been. Despite the downturn in its use in illustration and photo retouching after the 1980’s, most other industries have been unaffected, or have in fact grown significantly.

The biggest growth has been in commercial Custom Painting. The use of the airbrush to paint cars, motorcycles, helmets, bicycles, boats, surfboards, jet skiis, windsurfers, snow boards, fridges, furniture, computer bodies, and even letterboxes, is bigger now than ever before.

There is still a considerable number of illustrators / artists still using the airbrush, as you will see in industry web sites such as for the Illustrators Association of Aust (see www.illustratorsaustralia.com/) and the Australian Cartoonists Association (www.abwac.org.au/). In fact the use of the airbrush has gone through a resurgence, as artists increasingly become frustrated with the digital versions of the tool on software programs like Photoshop, Corel Draw and many more.

The use of the airbrush by signwriters and painters + decorators has grown rather than declined. The airbrush was always only a small part of these industries and while the use of traditional tools such as brushes for signwriting has plummeted, the use of the airbrush has grown alongside the development of the computer - (just google “airbrush signwriting” to see the hundreds of entries).

The airbrush is still used as a manufacturing tool for homewares and mannequins (they are all still airbrushed). It is very widely used for shop fitting and fit outs for restaurants, retailing, gaming centres, museums, aquariums, hospitals, etc. This is one of the biggest growth areas of the future.

The airbrush continues to be used for a wide variety of specialist applications from porcelain restoration, taxidermy and museum displays, commercial model making, fine art etching plate preparation with aquatints, restoration of art and manufactured goods like cars, clocks, etc

Airbrush use within the fine art community has slowly gained more and more acceptance. The airbrush has featured in the worlds most high profile art competition, the Venice Biennale, for Australia’s entries twice in recent years, with Howard Arkly and Patricia Piccinini.

In the 1980’s the future of airbrushing was under a cloud. Everyone thought the computer was going to replace everyone’s jobs, regardless of what airbrush application. But the fears people had, never came true.

1873:The a rbrush s first nvented n the US.

1900 - 1970More and more ndustr es ncorporate the use of the a rbrush.

1860 1880 1900 1920 1940

1920 - 1929The Bauhaus schoo exper ments w de y w th the a rbrush.

1900 - 1970A rbrushed I ustrat on, & photo retouch ng flour sh.

1885:The first mass produced a rbrush made n Ch cago.

The Airbrush Venturi - VET Certificate - Fast Track Course

If the paradigm shift of the computer was going to fundamentally change any other industries associated with the use of airbrushing, like it did to photo-retouching and illustration it would have happened by now. This significant point allows us to then say with great confidence that, commercial airbrushing will grow steadily now for decades into the future.

Todays modern day techniques based on the Venturi Method allow our students to produce artworks, such as shown right, in as little as an hour or two. This artwork was done in only one hour. For industry, these new high speed methods are fundamentally changing the future of airbrushing.

The Fundamental Problems of Airbrushing in the 1980’s:The airbrush techniques prior to the 1980’s centred on the use of intricate cut stencils to then mask and spray each stage of airbrush illustration, signs, murals, etc. The process is very slow, complicated and prone to problems. No wonder the colleges axed their teaching of the tool. This teaching vacuum is what led to the founding of Airbrush Venturi, as a research organisation, to redevelop airbrushing, to provide education and technical support to nurture the future of the airbrush community in New Zealand. We have been doing this since 1986; more than 20 years now.

2007:The Ventur Method becomes the first ever VET Cert ficate n commerc a a rbrush ng methods.

1986:A rbrush Ventur s founded to deve op better a rbrush methods and mater a s.

1970’sTrad t ona use of the too peaks.

Between 1980 - 1990, the tafe and tert ary co eges axe the teach ng of the a rbrush a most comp ete y as the computer s ntroduced nto s gnwr t ng, ustrat on and photo retouch ng.

1990 >A rbrush ng rebounds wor dw de b gger and better than ever before

1940 1960 1980 2000 2020

1949 >The post war economy booms and w th t the use of the a rbrush.

• Anniversary •1986 - 2006

20 th

You don’t have to airbrush commercially. The best way to enjoy airbrushing is to just do it for yourself. Commercialising it can spoil the fun of it very easily.

The First Ever Nationally Recognised Certificate in Airbrushing:As a result of the research by Airbrush Venturi, in 2003 the first fully integrated method of airbrush rendering was developed; the Venturi Method. In 2007, the Venturi Method became the first ever nationally recognised certificate course in airbrushing in Australia . . .(VET - 21724VIC Course in Venturi Method Airbrushing). It took 17 years to develop and 21 years to establish the first ever certificate course in airbrushing. We are justifiably proud of what we have achieved.

Airbrush Venturi started out in research in Melbourne but now runs courses in the Venturi Method, across OZ & NZ.Now in its 23rd year, in 2009, there are 8 permanent schools across New Zealand, offering weekend courses.In later years we will be going for NZQA accreditation.

The Venturi Method is very unusual:The Venturi Method is an “engineered” system of rendering.As the result of the last 20+ years of research we can now teach people that when you pick up an airbrush, that there are only eight effects that you can create, that everything that is ever done with an airbrush is made of these eight strokes (see the image right). This simple fact is now accepted by the entire industry, but in the early years this was seen as very controversial.

Based on this, we have developed a written language that is very much like written music, that allows us to teach more effectively and to simplify the process of airbrushing like never before. On the right are the simple instructions on how to airbrush an eye.

The speed at which our students can airbrush is faster than any airbrush community that has ever come before it. Our students have a conscious understanding of the process that is so strong, that they can render with an airbrush at unimaginable speed to peo-ple back in the 1970’s or ‘80’s.

To say that there has been a resurgence in airbrushing not quite correct. In truth there has been an all new community built, based on the Venturi Method.

The Airbrush Venturi - VET Certificate - Fast Track Course

Teaching Young People to Airbrush:We find the younger we teach people, the better. Obviously there is a limit to this. Our limit is roughly 14 years of age. We find that teaching students from about 14 - 15 years old onward is very effective. The following photos show some secondary students and their artworks.

No Previous Art or Drawing Experience is Required:Our biggest problem is explaining to people that we can teach anyone to do artworks like these. Everyone is convinced, adults and teenagers alike, that they have to have “talent” to learn to airbrush realist artworks like these.

It is very important that as you read this information pack, that you remember that Airbrush Venturi does not teach people to create “art”. We teach people a systematic rendering process to create realism, with an airbrush, nothing more nothing less. It is then up to the student to be creative with photos on Photoshop before they begin the airbrush rendering process.

Based on the above information, it is very important that you understand that no “talent” is required, just a passionate commitment to learn, hard work and perseverance. We have a 100% success rate with students that finish the course. We even provide free training if a student has learning difficulties to ensure they complete the course successfully. We look after our students.

The Fast Track Course:2008 is a watershed year for Airbrush Venturi. Despite having offered high quality airbrush courses, that have been the benchmark for the entire education community for more than 20 years now, we are about the raise the bar, to the highest level yet. We are launching the Fast Track Course.

Students will complete the entire VET Certificate - Course in Venturi Method Airbrushing, in only 10 weekends. The Fast Track Course will be run, one weekend per month for 10 months. See over the page for extensive information about this course.

We start at the very beginning, assuming you have no prior experience and 20 days of training later and you can independently airbrush virtually anything you would like to.

The Fast Track Course usually runs over each Financial Year, not the Calendar Year. •(In some places we run both crossing over each). This means the course breaks perfectly into the first half studying B&W artworks and the second half of the course studying full colour artworks.

Everything is supplied in the course, all equipment, materials, a 380 page student manual. All you need is your lunch and a passionate commitment to learn a genuine system of airbrush rendering.

• All artworks shown were created by 15 17 year secondary students

• Rendering methods like this are NOT being taught at the tafe and tertiary education level

Our courses teach you to create the hardest subject matter there is, realist portraits. The logic is that if we can teach you the hardest image type there is, then everything else is

going to be easy in comparison. If you can create a portrait that is realist as below then doing wildlife, cartooning, fantasy images, landscape, etc will be easy in comparison.

Weekend 1. Unit A - Part 1

• Fundamental skills & building blocks• Foundation Modules / Octave System Scales• Stencil Illustration / Batman artwork

• July •

Weekend 2. Unit A - Part 2

• Fundamental skills & building blocks• Octave System Scales / Error Correction• Eddy & Miles Davis Artworks.

• August •

Weekend 3. Unit B - Part 1

• B&W Focal Form and Image Deconstruction• Focal Analysis / Focal Shorthand• Start the Audrey

• September •

Weekend 4. Unit B - Part 2.

• B&W Focal Form and Image Deconstruction• The Focal Flow Chart• Complete the Audrey

• October •

Weekend 5. Unit B - Part 3

• B&W Focal Form and Image Deconstruction• Advanced Focal Analysis• Sinatra artwork

• November •

• All artworks shown here are part of Unit A

• All artworks shown left and below are part of Unit B It is the most important unit of the entire course

The Airbrush Venturi - VET Certificate - Fast Track Course

Teaching the hardest images first, makes everything else easy:

Weekend 6. Unit C - Part 1

• B&W Textural Form• Texture packages and variations• Gollum artwork

• February •

Weekend 7. Unit D - Part 1

• Colour Focal Form• Colour mixing & artwork palette packages• Start the Drew Barrymore artwork.

• March •

Weekend 8. Unit D - Part 2

• Colour Focal Form• Expanding Layers / colour error correcting• Finish the Drew Barrymore artwork.

• April •

Weekend 9. Unit E - Part 1.

• Colour Texture Form• Density stacking and transparent stacking • Start the Terminator artwork.

• May •

Weekend 10. Unit E - Part 2.

• Colour Texture Form• Colour Texture Error correcting• Finish the Terminator artwork.

• June •

• The Gollum artworks are Unit C

The Drew Barrymore artworks are Unit D

• The Terminatorartworks are Unit E

The lowest cost course in Australia - making training affordable:Payable over 4 months at $580.00 per month $2320.00 for non students (Only $15.45 p/h)Payable over 4 months at $530.00 per month $2120.00 for full time students (Only $14.15 p/h) • It is a point of pride by Airbrush Venturi, that this is the cheapest airbrush course, per hour.

The One Day Introduction to Airbrushing Programs:Every three months we offer you the chance to try out airbrushing. These One Day Introduction to Airbrushing programs are designed to help you to decide whether you would like to learn to airbrushproperly, to become an independent airbrush artist. At $115.00 for the day, it is fun and cheap

Once you become a student of Airbrush Venturi you will be given a User ID and Password to gain access to everything you see below. We provide a huge array of FREE support.

The monthly online airbrush competition is very popular with the students from all over OZ & NZ.

. . . Ring 1300 AIRBRUSH for more information.