When it comes to finding a unique T-Shirt, there are many options out there: Silk-screen, Transfer, Tie-dye; but few methods of decorating your fabric will produce the high-quality, customisable look and feel of an airbrushed t-shirt;
If you are wondering what the possibilities of air-brush art are, just do a quick online image search for some examples: from brilliantly rendered cartoon characters to depictions of scenes so realistic you might have to do a ‘double-take’, this medium produces some seriously eye-popping results.
Artists like H.R. Giger and Syd Brak are famous for producing iconic airbrush images that have the power to haunt and captivate the viewer: these artists have proven that, in skilled hands, the airbrush can be a powerful tool indeed;
What Exactly Is An Airbrush?
An airbrush is a small, pen-like device which is hooked upto an air supply and paint reservoir; as air shoots through the device, paint is expelled as a fine mist, which is controlled via a trigger;
The fine spray which these devices produce allow for a range of special blending effects to be achieved, with soft, seamless joins and colour graduations being the hallmarks of airbrushed designs.
Airbrushed T-Shirts
Unlike mass-produced transfer-based t-shirts, or woven decal tees, an airbrushed t shirt is one way to really stand out from the crowd;
Each airbrushed article has to be made from scratch: from initial design to the finished product; typically, this will involve visiting a shop which specialises in airbrushed designs: there, you will be able to look at some past examples of their work to see what kind of styles they specialise in.
Often, airbrush artists will produce artwork for many different media: guitars, motorcycles, trainers, posters and more: t-shirt design is just one further area that some artists may be able to cover.
When enlisting the services of an airbrush artist to produce a custom design for you, have a think about the kind of imagery you would like to have featured on your t-shirt: if possible, grab some sample images from the internet or sketch out your ideas on a drawing pad (even if you are not very good at drawing, a quick scribble can be all it takes to help your artist to get started on a custom masterpiece).
The Cost of Airbrushed T-Shirts
Enlisting the services of an artist to produce a custom airbrush t-shirt can be a very costly exercise: the more complex the design, the more time this is likely to take to produce; as with many things in life, time is money; therefore, to minimise the cost of getting your custom t-shirt made, it is important to have a clear idea about what you are looking for and to ask your artist for an estimate.
Jonathan Bryant is an airbrush artist who specialises in gothic-themed novelty t-shirts
Over the years I’ve ordered dozens of t-shirts that were printed with less than expected quality. Last year my company in Stuart, FL printed some t-shirts with PCA Delta, and they were great. I’ve been printing with them ever since. If you need t-shirts or other apparel printed go to http://www.pcadeltaprinting.com/ I strongly recommend them.