I read your “State of the Airbrush Union” piece.  Nope, print is not dead. Not everything can be had on the internet, son.  I’ve always understood the advertising in a magazine is what foots the bill, so you’ve never heard me complain about seeing a lot of ads.  The info in Airbrush Action is almost always vital…and just plain fun to look at.  The how-tos seem like they appeal to a broad spectrum of airbrush users…from beginners to pros of all kinds.  Stay with what you do best. Keep it “visual.”  The readers love the photos.

In the current issue, I loved the “Weathered Signage” article by John Hannukaine.  FUN stuff!

The issues I receive from Airbrush Action are usually doled out to airbrush enthusiasts here on the island after I’ve read them (though some I keep).  A few are beginners, others pros. One is an ex-con.  So a lot of readers are seeing your stuff here on the rock, not just me.  Sometimes these individuals end up at Airbrush Getaways.  And some will end up at Getaways in the future. So, my friend, best of luck going forward.  As we say in music, “Straight ahead & strive for tone.”  Keep up the good work.  Thanks for keeping us all up to speed.

Cheers, Michael Cacy

For those of you who are planning to attend the Getaway or are already registered, the hotel’s absolute cut-off date for reserving your room at the NEW Tropicana Las Vegas is September 14. Normally , the hotel would extend the deadline, but we were just informed that because they are overbooked, the cut-off must stand. So even if you haven’t registered yet, please book your hotel by Friday, 9/14- we can always make room for you at the workshops. You may also book at a nearby hotel, but it is always best to stay in the host property. See you there! If you require further information please call us at 732-223-7878.

I spoke to Jaime Rodriguez’s wife, Crystal, and she’s doing well.  Crystal is extremely grateful for the enormous emotional support of her family and friends, and strangers who gave so generously in her darkest moment.  We talked about further fund-raising ideas with Airbrush Action’s backing, including the release of all of Jaime’s videos on DVD, and a digital book of all of Rodriguez’s striking T-shirt designs.  Stay tuned for updates.  Crystal deserves much credit for her great strength in the wake of such a tragedy, and for being the terrific mother that she is.

I look forward to seeing everyone at the Airbrush Getaway, October 8-12. For those of you who plan to attend but haven’t registered yet, there are still seats available for what’s shaping up to be one our best Getaways ever. Here are my random thoughts on some of the classes:

• The new Plotter Mastery with Scott Mackay is superbly run; the students from Disney at the Orlando Getaway, experienced plotter users themselves, were blown away by Mackay’s knowledge and groundbreaking techniques.

• Terry Hill’s Ultimate Airbrush F/X is on fire; it’s the new automotive graphics course with water-based automotive colors.

• Airbrush Mastery has become the Getaway’s flagship course featuring Gary Worthington and Cheryl Vaughan; they’re awesome!

• Dru Blair’s Achieving Photorealism is one of the Airbrush Getaway’s elite training courses offering unparalleled instruction on color theory and, well, achieving photorealistic art.

• Kustom Paint Lab, with Brian Lynch and Armando Serrano, has built a strong buzz as one of the Getaway’s best-kept secrets, teaching top pro spray-gun handling techniques and cutting-edge graphics using kandies, pearls, flakes, striping, and clear-coating.

• Pin-Up Art, conducted by World-class pinup artist Lorenzo Sperlonga, will help you render a professional-caliber portfolio piece in 4 days!!

• Get personal one-on-one instruction from Javier Soto who is trending stronger than any artist. The NEW Power Portraits class is smokin’ hot.

• Automotive greats Jonathan Pantaleon (Automotive Murals on Steel) and reality TV star Ryno (Automotive Cheap Tricks & Special F/X), will conduct their signature courses. They’re super dedicated and ready to share some new information.

• Creating Killer Skulls with Eddie Davis has developed a strong loyal following and continues to evolve as a leading class.

• T-Shirt Lettering Bootcamp, the 1-day hands-on course with Gary Worthington (to date, his DVD of the same name is by far the best ever made), may be the greatest bang for the buck as you’ll learn how to add thousands of dollars to your annual bottom line for only $150!!!

• Dynamic Body Art with Pashur includes Airbrush Tattoos, Body Paint Basics/Biker Event & Nightclub Body Painting, Airbrush Lingerie, and Airbrush Zombie F/X.

• The rest of the lineup includes 5 other one-day classes (Intro Airbrushing, Intro to Auto Graphics, Intro Murals on Steel) and 4-day T-Shirt Airbrushing. For more information, visit www.airbrushaction.com/airbrush-getaway-workshops or call me at 800-876-2472 (732-223-7878 for international callers). Also, a reminder that I’m treating all Canadian attendees to Canadian Thanksgiving dinner.

I received the following response from airbrush great and old friend, Mark Rush:  “Eddie Davis was NOT the first airbrush artist to use this technique. Mark Rush and Tim Mitchell used this exact technique almost 15 years ago at Big Airbrush.I believe Terry Hill also has used this technique before Eddie Davis. No disrespect to Eddie at all. He is an innovator in his own right. FACT check this if you doubt it. The C02 laser is the new tool for this and much simpler and cuts thicker material in half the time with out any tearing.”

First, I’d like to thank Mark for offering his insight. It’s important to note, however, that Eddie was very quick to credit Terry Hill for teaching him this method, and at no time in my previous blog did I state that Davis was the originator.  If anything, I’m to blame for omitting some information in the spirit of keeping my blog posts to a minimum length. If anything, Eddie deserves great credit for sharing his techniques, and for always being there when I need editorial help and ideas.  The very same can be said of Terry Hill and Gary Worthington.

Mark Rush was on the ground floor of the whole Miracle Mile evolution in Ft. Walton Beach/Destin, Florida in the late 1970s and 1980s; a phenom of an airbrush colony of hundreds of terrific T-shirt artists that we’ll unlikley see again. We really need to pick Mark’s brain for vintage and new techniques. Stay tuned.

To cut stencils on a plotter, Eddie Davis, leading T-shirt airbrush artist from Destin, Florida, sandwiches two pieces of .005 Mylar with the aid of spray adhesive.  The second piece acts as a backing sheet.  He puts that through the plotter with just enough down force (cutting pressure) to cut through the top sheet and only score the bottom, or backing, sheet.  Each plotter’s cutting strength and settings may vary, so experiment until you dial in your machine’s sweet spot.  After cutting, carefully and slowly separate the two sheets and your stencil is ready.  These, and tons of other top pro plotter tips and tricks will be taught at the Las Vegas Airbrush Getaway, October 8-12 at the New Tropicana.  For more information go to http://www.airbrushaction.com/airbrush-getaway-workshops

I have found that I can achieve absolutely straight lines with soft edges by gliding my airbrush along a ruler affixed with adhesive clay. This is otherwise difficult to do with freehand airbrush or with masks.