Joshua Cook posted an article on Making it as an Airbrushist - Nov 24, 2010, 2:17 pm
If you are thinking about using your airbrush to make money, chances are you'll be working with customers. Granted, some folks will be using the airbrush to create original designs they hope to sell, but those of the custom world don't have that luxury. And yes, after working with some difficult c...
Comment - Like

Joshua Cook posted an article on Making it as an Airbrushist - Nov 8, 2010, 9:24 pm
Yesterday I got the chance to get started on a new project at work. Of course, I have also been horribly sick so I didn't get as much work done as I'd wanted to. It would figure that I finally get a project in the doors and I'm too sick to get it out. I'm a trooper though and put in a few hours t...
Comment - Like

Joshua Cook posted an article on Making it as an Airbrushist - Sep 14, 2010, 1:01 pm
I have been in Pittsburgh now for about a month and a half. In fact, today it will be exactly a month and a half. I want to say that things are going exactly how I thought they would, but that isn't entirely true. Money has been tight. Everyone seems to have chosen now to pull those purse string...
Comment - Like

Joshua Cook posted an article on Making it as an Airbrushist - Sep 4, 2010, 1:58 pm
I've been in Pittsburgh now for about a month and though I have only really worked on one actual project, I have had the chance to get some stuff ready for various shows around town. I got here late in the season so they've just been little affairs. The next one is tomorrow at the Monroeville Conv...
Comment - Like

Joshua Cook posted an article on Making it as an Airbrushist - Aug 16, 2010, 4:49 pm
I finally arrived in Pittsburgh and everything seems to be going well so far. This is a pretty decent city with a lot of airbrush opportunities. There is an event this Friday that should really showcase our styles and get a good name for ourselves.I came here to work with another airbrush artist w...
Comment - Like

Joshua Cook posted an article on Making it as an Airbrushist - Jul 22, 2010, 2:35 am
I have my plane ticket booked. That, for some reason, was the most nerve wracking part. Lots of what if's coming into play. I honestly am just excited to get there and get started. To really knuckle down and get some serious experience under my belt. I'll be excited to be able to get back to po...
Comment - Like

Joshua Cook posted an article on Making it as an Airbrushist - Jul 16, 2010, 7:17 pm
So I got a job offer in Pittsburgh. Some folks that read this may remember me talking about this a while back. Well, the job is still on the table many months later. More than that, the job is just as good. How good? Well good enough that I'll be moving there sometime in the next few weeks.The ...
Comment - Like

Joshua Cook posted an article on Making it as an Airbrushist - Jul 7, 2010, 11:28 pm
I had the good pleasure to be invited along to this event out at Latus Harley-Davidson for the weekend of the 4th. The event was all about Jason and Garage 31 doing some airbrush tattoos but he was down with me putting up some of my work for people to see. Overall the event went really well. Set ...
Comment - Like

Joshua Cook posted an article on Making it as an Airbrushist - Jun 21, 2010, 3:25 pm
It's official, I am official. At least, that's what it feels like that it means. The site is pretty straight forward and very user friendly. It is also up just in time since I put it on a bunch of business cards I plan on handing out to everyone and anyone who is within hand reach. One step clos...
Comment - Like

Joshua Cook posted an article on Making it as an Airbrushist - Jun 12, 2010, 1:28 pm
During the whole Custom Bagger fiasco, things were looking a little grim. It was my first big project and my first big break (or at least, I felt like it was). Things went horribly wrong and though it looks like, for the most part, it has all worked out, it was a trying moment for me and my family...
Comment - Like

Joshua Cook posted an article on Making it as an Airbrushist - Jun 5, 2010, 3:28 pm
I again wasn't able to get anyone to show up. I'm beginning to wonder about my friends with beer and BBQ. I think it ran a little long again, but I also really liked how it turned out, so I hope that doesn't hurt me much. Thanks for watching:
Comment - Like

Joshua Cook posted an article on Making it as an Airbrushist - Jun 5, 2010, 1:15 pm
I thought it was time I made something that would act as a logo. I thought it was important to go with something that didn't just advertise Top Hat Painter, and rather my future goal of starting The Portland Airbrush Company. Just a simple design for now that I think will keep build some sort of b...
Comment - Like

Joshua Cook posted an article on Making it as an Airbrushist - Jun 3, 2010, 6:19 pm
So the custom bagger is done. I am happy with the overall out come and proud of my work. I feel I did a great job with what I had and that it is a good representation of the type of artist I am and wish to be. So imagine my surprise when I get a phone call from one of the people involved cursing ...
Comment - Like

Joshua Cook posted an article on Making it as an Airbrushist - Jun 2, 2010, 12:31 am
I've been busy. School has been sucking me dry and on top of that I was blessed with a huge Custom Bagger project. Of course I bit off more than I could chew, which is just in my nature, but more than that, the paint was giving me problems. I ran into some issues I'd never ran into before and ha...
Comment - Like

Joshua Cook posted an article on Making it as an Airbrushist - Apr 30, 2010, 10:07 am
I found something interesting while wondering around my favorite airbrush forum site (www.theairbrushforum.com). It looks like the buys and girls over there have gotten together to create a banner for the troops. The idea is pretty simple: a canvas banner was made and is sent to the next airbrushi...
Comment - Like

Joshua Cook posted an article on Making it as an Airbrushist - Apr 26, 2010, 8:52 pm
I have the idea in my head that everyone should airbrush. At the very least, everyone should try and airbrush. This is, of course, my own opinion, but it's one that I feel strongly about. Here are some of my reasons: The more people that continue to explore this incredible tool, the more expos...
Comment - Like

Joshua Cook posted an article on Making it as an Airbrushist - Apr 17, 2010, 8:34 pm
I have only a glimpse at the moment, but it's looking like the future of paint is in waterborne paint. PPG seems to be on the American forefront in this evolution towards a cleaner paint system for automotives. Though not the first company to come out with a system of paint that is waterborne (wat...
Comment - Like

Joshua Cook posted an article on Making it as an Airbrushist - Apr 14, 2010, 11:09 am
Trompe L'oeil (pronounced nothing like it is spelled, truh-ohmp low-ee) is a French word that means something close to "trick the eye". Though most people may not know what it is, they have probably seen it. Most airbrush artists, or even the artists to be, have actually done this type of art and ...
Comment - Like

Joshua Cook posted an article on Making it as an Airbrushist - Apr 12, 2010, 11:09 am
It's been a busy week for me. I finally got Shane's bike done. Here are some pictures: It was my first time ever working this extensively on a mural and I am really happy with how it turned out. I was able to come up with a large portion of it out of my head (like the work done on the front fende...
Comment - Like

Joshua Cook posted an article on Making it as an Airbrushist - Apr 10, 2010, 8:26 pm
I am working on the basics of starting my own shop. Working with someone else is great and I am learning a lot. It's better than school because I'm sort of thrown in, sink or swim and I don't have any debt or school grades to worry about. What I am noticing is that I have some major choices to ma...
Comment - Like

Joshua Cook posted an article on Making it as an Airbrushist - Apr 5, 2010, 10:07 am
As a busy artist, I don't really get much time for human interaction. If I'm lucky, I'll get a chance to watch some TV with my wife before heading to bed. So, how do I interact with other airbrush artists? Why, I go to the forums! Which is handy, since that what this post is about. Below I talk...
Comment - Like

Joshua Cook posted an article on Making it as an Airbrushist - Apr 3, 2010, 8:51 pm
My wife was telling me a story about how she was talking to someone about how I was an airbrush artist. She told this lady, who was at least into her 60's, that I painted on bikes and helmets. What she asked was "does he do fire?" This blew me away! People who aren't even into cars know about Tr...
Comment - Like

Joshua Cook posted an article on Making it as an Airbrushist - Mar 28, 2010, 8:07 pm
This isn't a list of people that are the best ever, or those that I think are better than those that are known. Most people know of Craig Fraser, or Mike Lavallee (who, by the way, doesn't just do realistic fire), or even Cory Saint Clair or Alberto Ponno but there are guys out there that should be...
Comment - Like

Joshua Cook posted an article on Making it as an Airbrushist - Mar 18, 2010, 11:03 pm
(the man of the hour, Willy) Today I picked up my friend Willy's bike from being clear coated and cut/polished. I was pretty excited to pick them up because they were going to someone who deserved it and I'd never had the opportunity to do a bike like this. It was a project that really pushed me t...
Comment - Like

Joshua Cook posted an article on Making it as an Airbrushist - Mar 16, 2010, 1:05 pm
Here's a little something I whipped up:How to Airbrush an Eagle on a Flame Background Using Auto Air and Wicked PaintsI show you how I airbrushed an eagle onto a flamed out motorcycle tank. I go over paints and color theory using Createx's line of Auto Air paint and their new Wicked colors. Realist...
Comment - Like

Joshua Cook posted an article on Making it as an Airbrushist - Mar 14, 2010, 8:43 pm
I ordered some Wicked paints the other day because I needed to try something new (I had been using Auto Air) and I had been hearing great things about the product. I went to Coast Airbrush since I found that they had a pretty good deal on a 5 color set that included the reducer. I went with the 2 ...
Comment - Like

Joshua Cook posted an article on Making it as an Airbrushist - Mar 12, 2010, 11:09 am
Wednesday I have a job interview. For the first time in my life I am actually excited about a job interview. The job is for a full time airbrush position with a prominent custom motorcycle painting shop. It's amazing to me that there would be such a job available anywhere, let alone just a fe...
Comment - Like

Joshua Cook posted an article on Making it as an Airbrushist - Mar 11, 2010, 10:07 am
Maybe you saw a video with some guy putting down the sickest skull ever with ease. Maybe you've seen that video of that one guy airbrushing that one portrait all sped up. Maybe you saw some pretty crazy airbrush graphics on some car or bike in some magazine. Maybe you saw these things or some...
Comment - Like

Joshua Cook posted an article on Making it as an Airbrushist - Mar 9, 2010, 3:50 pm
If you are an airbrush artist for fun, then you aren't worried about this, but if you are hoping that you can make some sort of living from this hobby you've acquired, well then you probably want to market your airbrush skills a little. There are some pretty easy ways to market and pretty e...
Comment - Like

Joshua Cook posted an article on Making it as an Airbrushist - Mar 8, 2010, 10:47 pm
I don't really know what the good stuff is, but I liked it for a title. I read that if I was to start and maintain a successful blog that I can't personalize it. Well, luckily I'm not trying to create a successful blog about airbrushing so much as I am trying to chronicle the fact that...
Comment - Like

Joshua Cook posted an article on Making it as an Airbrushist - Mar 6, 2010, 2:11 pm
I thought it would be a good idea to talk about what it is I am trying to do here. Not just with the blog, but, like all deep and stuff. Like HERE here. Well, maybe not so deep as that, but deep enough to cover my goals outside of being a really good husband. I'm a creative type. I have int...
Comment - Like

Joshua Cook posted an article on Making it as an Airbrushist - Mar 5, 2010, 10:33 pm
So, I've been fiddling with my little webcam and some free editing software to put together some useful tutorials on airbrushing. I'm trying to cover a wide range of topics since it seems like everyday I am seeing more and more people decide to pick up an airbrush and start painting. Recen...
Comment - Like

Joshua Cook posted an article on Making it as an Airbrushist - Mar 4, 2010, 5:45 pm
I've been getting involved with some airbrush forums lately. I was cruising around YouTube trying to find myself some airbrush videos to watch in order to get ready to do some realistic flames with Auto Air paint on a motorcycle. I found this video by a guy named Tony D who runs this Airbrush ...
Comment - Like

Joshua Cook posted an article on A Day in the Life of a Starving Artist - Mar 4, 2010, 10:57 am
It is really starting to look like I do more airbrush art than anything else. That, and I seem to be pushing myself down that career path. I will be putting my time and effort into my new blog, Making it as an Airbrushist, which can be seen here. I thank all 8 of you that read this thing on anythi...
Comment - Like

Joshua Cook posted an article on A Day in the Life of a Starving Artist - Mar 4, 2010, 10:57 am
// < ![CDATA[//
Comment - Like

Joshua Cook posted an article on A Day in the Life of a Starving Artist - Mar 1, 2010, 5:15 pm
Apparently I would go about 112 miles. For the chance to have my airbrush career jump off that is. I recently discovered a shop in Eugene Oregon (they do work for guys all over the country) that does motorcycle paint. They do only motorcycle paint. They also have some airbrush guys down there do...
Comment - Like

Joshua Cook posted an article on A Day in the Life of a Starving Artist - Mar 1, 2010, 5:15 pm
// < ![CDATA[//
Comment - Like

Joshua Cook posted an article on A Day in the Life of a Starving Artist - Feb 23, 2010, 10:07 am
// < ![CDATA[//
Comment - Like

Joshua Cook posted an article on A Day in the Life of a Starving Artist - Feb 23, 2010, 10:07 am
Because I have been leaning more and more towards my life as an airbrush artist specifically, I have been trying to figure out the best approach to marketing myself. I have come to the conclusion that putting up videos is one way. I see a lot of people become known in the custom paint world becaus...
Comment - Like

Joshua Cook posted an article on A Day in the Life of a Starving Artist - Feb 18, 2010, 12:50 pm
// < ![CDATA[//
Comment - Like

Joshua Cook posted an article on A Day in the Life of a Starving Artist - Feb 18, 2010, 12:50 pm
I went onto this forum the other day to get some information. I wont put the forum down here, because I'm not the type to cause a feud or anything like that, but I will say it was a PC modding site. If you don't know about PC modding, it's where guys and girls with a lot of time on their hands bui...
Comment - Like

Joshua Cook posted an article on A Day in the Life of a Starving Artist - Feb 3, 2010, 11:26 pm
// < ![CDATA[//
Comment - Like

Joshua Cook posted an article on A Day in the Life of a Starving Artist - Feb 3, 2010, 11:26 pm
I recently had the opportunity to airbrush on a motorcycle for money. That's right, someone payed me some money to airbrush on their motorcycle. I'm already halfway there right? Well, not completely but I sure ended up with a damn cool set of bike tins out of it. Or, at least someone else has a ...
Comment - Like

Joshua Cook posted an article on A Day in the Life of a Starving Artist - Jan 21, 2010, 11:47 am
I know I talk a lot of smack about art school. Please understand that that just wont change. I mean, to clarify, I think art school is great. It has given us many great art teachers. But going to school for a degree in fine art is sort of asking to be standing in front of a freeway off ramp with ...
Comment - Like