Airbrush Shirts & T-shirts: Name Design, Stencils And Custom Airbrushed Shirts

Airbrush shirts can be purchased in stores, online and theme parks around the country where you can watch the artist at work. They range from simple name designs and cartoons to custom artwork. Most artists choose t- shirts as their canvas but any kind of clothing will do. Airbrushing has recently branched out to jeans, shoes, hats as well as helmets.

For those who prefer to do-it-yourself, stencils are the way to go. To make your own custom stencil, start out by drawing a design on tracing paper (a name design may be a good first project). To transfer the design, first trace the design on the back of the tracing paper. Next, flip it back over and place it on a piece of poster board. Lastly, re-trace the original drawing onto the poster board. Carefully cut the stencil out with an Xacto knife. Your homemade stencil is now fit for airbrushing t- shirts.

To begin, simply secure the stencil to the t-shirt with tape (masking tape works well). Make sure to keep the airbrush gun straight otherwise streaking and smearing may occur. Then apply all the colors, starting with the lightest and ending with the darkest. Remember to hold the airbrush gun like a pen and to push down on the trigger for air and pull back on the trigger for paint.

To purchase airbrushed shirts visit the following sites.

• Urbanstreetz.com has a variety of artwork to choose from including custom designs, black and white designs and cartoons.
• Airmagination.com not only sells t-shirts but airbrushed shoes as well.
• Airwearnyc.com specializes in hip-hop portraits and has been around since 1980.
• Bigphatdesigns.com has hip hop portraits but also has cartoons like Marvin the Martian, Mickey Mouse and Tweety Bird.

After purchasing your airbrush shirts, it will be necessary to heat set them. This helps the paint to adhere to the fabric better, according to Bigphatdesigns.com. This requires wax paper and iron. Do not let the iron touch any part of the paint. Instead, place the sheet of wax paper between the two and apply heat for twenty to thirty seconds.

Airbrushed shirts require specialized attention when washing. It is suggested that an airbrush shirt should not be washed for a few months to let the paint set better. When it is time to wash your shirt, hand wash and line dry if possible. If you are going to use a machine, remember to turn you t-shirt inside out and wash with a gentle cycle.

If you're an artist looking for instructional videos or how-tos on airbrush shirts, visit the Airbrush Artist Magazine on the internet. They have an art gallery where users can post pictures, a blog to let artists know the latest trends and news, and a forum where artists can discuss topics of their choice.




Airbrush Artist Magazine. 2006. 22 November 2006. www.airbrushartistmagazine.com
Airhead Airbrush. 2006. 22 November 2006. www.airheadairbrush.com/learn.htm.
Airmagination. 2006. 22 November 2006. www.airmagination.com
Airwear. 2003. 22 November 2006. www.airwearnyc.com
Big Phat Designs. 2005. 22 November 2006. www.bigphatdesigns.com
How to Airbrush. 2006. 22 November 2006. www.howtoairbrush.com
UrbanStreetz.com. 2006. November 2005. www.urbanstreetz.com/air.html.