The Not-So-New Airbrush

This morning we were fortunate to have a representative from the Iwata Airbrush Company come and demonstrate their airbrush product line.

Airbrush Supplies are fairly new to the Cheap Joe’s family and we have several of Iwata’s most popular products available. Although I am pretty familiar with airbrushes and have used them for years, this presentation was a wonderful refresher on the new types of brushes available and the advancements in the technology.

The airbrush is not a new tool in creating art, it was actually invented in 1876 by Francis Edgar Stanley who was also the owner of the Stanley Steamer Company. It was improved later by Abner Peeler in 1879 to a design similar to what we know today. Watercolor was the first medium to be used in airbrush art, partially because it was easy to thin to a suitable consistency and also its ease of clean-up. Today’s airbrushes can use all types of mediums: acrylics, watercolor, inks and even water soluble oils. Airbrushes are being used today in multiple areas of art and industry.

Illustrations

Scrapbooking

Murals

Stenciling

T-shirts

Sign Making

Nail Art

Custom Auto Painting

Models

Body Art

Crafts

Photo Retouching

Canvas Painting

Watercolor Painting

and more…

Professionals or hobbyists can have the finest equipment at their fingertips. There are single action and dual action, siphon fed or gravity fed, ones with side cups or with bottles. Most are designed to be held like a pen, but they do have a pistol grip design for those really large jobs. There is something for everyone no matter how you work – I was already making out my Christmas list!

The most impressive product he showed us was the Iwata Smart Jet Studio Compressor. This compressor was so tiny it could almost fit in my purse! It was very quiet and surprisingly powerful! The advances made in the last few years are incredible. “Back in the day” when I used an airbrush on a regular basis i had to use earplugs while painting. The compressor I owned was huge compared to this model and had a tank so big it actually had to be rolled into place. Try putting that in your purse!

I can’t imagine going back to such a dinosaur as that with a wonderful option like the Smart Jet available.

If you’ve you toyed with the idea of purchasing an airbrush but have been sitting on the fence way too long, you might want to check out the great products from Iwata!