In the history of airbrushing, few custom painting airbrush techniques have taken the industry by storm like flames. While many custom painting trends fluctuate over time, flame jobs have remained in the highest demand. For professional airbrush artists, knowing how to paint flames is a necessity--and the more realistic, the better. No matter what an artist's skill level, the need to airbrush real fire is one that will be encountered time and again.

From vehicle designs to helmets (and even to eclectic jobs like computer CPUs), those who airbrush real fire can corner the market, bringing repeat business. Airbrush artists step up to the challenge of flame creation that is both expressive and realistic, and instructional books, DVDs and flame-focused airbrush classes sharpen their skills. Classic instructional books like How to Paint Flames by MotorBooks Workshop take artists through the development process in stages, while recognized experts like the legendary Craig Fraser teach viewers how to airbrush real fire in DVD guides and demonstrations. Certain instructional guides focus on motorcycles, cars, or application on miniature hot rods.

One of the most famous flame artists in all of airbrushing, Vandemon, also has a series of must-have instructional airbrush videos. His ultimate Vandemon Complete Video Guide to Flames video starts with the simple principles of basic fire layout and design, and then guides artists through learning to airbrush real fire through the techniques of pinstriping, masking, and multi-color implementation. For those looking to master the flame trend's hottest and trickiest design, the ghost flame, Vandemon walks artists through the process of pattern transferring, spray-painting techniques, and equipment like reducers and the electro pounce machine for stunning, authentic ways to airbrush real fire.