Airbrush Getaway in Las Vegas
Airbrush Action magazine delivered again with the Airbrush Getaway, March 5-9, 2007, at The Orleans Hotel in fabulous Las Vegas!
As some may know, we’re Las Vegas locals now, so stopping in for a visit seemed like the right thing to do. It was a great chance to catch up with some old friends and get inspired at the same time. There is a ton of talent at these events and this was no exception. And although our visit was far too short for time, we were able to peek over the sholder of some of the legiondary old school painters and new alike. If you’re into hands-on talent, and learning from some of the best airbrush artists and pinstripers anywhere, this is the place to be.
Cliff Stieglitz, Publisher and Executive Editor of Airbrush Action magazine, and crew, have pulled it all together again to create a truly-unique world-class airbrush experience. This one is bigger and better than some of past. I’ve been to a couple of these before (as an instructor mostly), so I can say with some experience that this event has come as long way since my last visit to a getaway. The larger classroom area is huge and well ventilated. Student attendance was large - Cliff says 175 students in all, so the extra space is great. Needless to say, the instructors were world-class (as always). So, all-in-all, there was plenty of room, and an abundance of talent to compliment the great work being created by airbrush students. Students and instructors alike came from everywhere to make this a successful event.
Dave Monnig from Coast Airbrush was prepared, as always, with literally everything an airhead needs to get ‘er done. Here, we take pause with a Deborah Mahan airbrushed mannequin - always a favorite.
Speaking of Deborah… and who’s better to teach the pin-up class? Answer: No one. Deborah is a fantastic airbrush artist and Associate Designer for Air Syndicate, Inc. Want more? Click here to visit Deb’s Kustom Art.
Robert Benedict aka “Black Dog” of Black Dog Custom Paint and Airbrush (located in Provo, Utah) teaches the finer points of airbrush technique (Photo © Doug Hash). It seems that Robert has painted on everything in his art career; bikes, boats, cars, helmets - even aircraft (planes and helicopters) Click here to visit Black Dog Airbrush. I like that his company was named after Robert’s all time favorite song, Led Zeppelin’s Black Dog.
Airbrush master Charles Armstrong, aka “the Kid” out of Prescott, AZ with his beautiful rendition of the classic painted babe. (Photo © Doug Hash) Of course, this one is especially hot and has a secret of her own - she comes complete with attire when needed. This guy can really paint! You’ll want to check out the very cool Auto Art Studio web site at AutoArtByTheKid.com to see for yourself.
Mark Remling stops for a quick shot with his Marilyn Monroe hood mural.
Ryno of the CMT channel “Trick My Trick” series walks through the process of working up some graphics. (Photo © Doug Hash) Check out Ryno’s Blasted web site.
Blake McCully from Cross-Eyed Airbrushing out of Calgary, Alberta, Canada was on hand teaching his style of radically detailed airbrushing, which he’s been doing strong since 1989.
Cross-eyed in teaching mode. Check their radically cool site online at Cross-EyedAir.com.
Catching up with Craig Fraser - a regular at these events, who was on hand teaching his skills to a full class of ready students. Craig’s classes are legendary, as is his work and resume among the airbrush community. Check out Craig’s site for workshop information. While you’re there, check out his airbrush forum site… the Kustom Kulture Lounge.
A.D Cook with Craig Fraser (Photo © Doug Hash).
The always talented Gary Jenson, pinstriping extraordinaire, was sharing his craft in the art of dagger strokes and painted lines (Photo © Doug Hash). Learn more about Gary and his art on his MySpace page
It was great catching up with John Hannukaine, who traveled from Tumwater, WA for his first Airbrush Action Getaway. But, by no means was this his first run at teaching. John has been instructing students in the art of old-school pinstriping through quality craftsmanship for years. In fact, the internationally known pinstripe guru has written and been included in several books on the art of pinstriping. Anyone wanting to learn pinstriping from a true master would do well to attend one of John’s workshops. Hopefully, we’ll see him back at the Getaways.
Half-artist and half-scientist — Javier Soto keeps it all together, and definitely wins the award for bringing the most Iwata airbrushes.
Still, we get him to stop for a quick pic. Click here to check out Javier Designs online.
The always-busy Jonathan Pantaleon takes a pause to show his art panels. Click out his latest projects at JPantaleon.com including portraits, motorcycle tanks, murals and some amazing airbrushed body art. Hey, what’s not to like?
The infamous Dru Blair - renown Master of hyper-realism - instructs his class on what it takes to “get real”. If you really want to learn color, check out Dru Blair’s workshops – either at his studio in NC or at one of the Airbrush Action Getaways. Mr. Blair is renown to be one of the best instructors on color anywhere, and his paintings are so realistic that they are often mistaken for photos. When you visit his site, you’ll see what we mean. star Trek fans and those of beautiful women alike will appreciate Dru’s online portfolio.
Lights, camera, paint. When Dru sets up shop, he sets up shop. The digital camera and projection system make you feel like you’re standing right over his shoulder. Color correct lights too - nice, very nice.
Click here for Dru Blair’s Color Buffer Theory™.
Ryno and ‘the’ Doug Hash, studio operations guru.
Bren Sutherand, A.D. Cook and Dave Monnig of Coast Airbrush - one last shot before hitting the road.
As we depart from the event I can’t help but be taken in by Leroy Anderson’s (of Sin City Customs) beautiful flamed rod parked outside of The Orleans entrance - a very fitting and cool way to end a great visit.
above: Cliff Stieglitz and A.D. Cook (photo by Doug Hash). The Airbrush Action Airbrush Getaways are sponsored by House of Kolor and Iwata Medea. Visit Airbrush Action online to learn more about these workshops and up your skills.
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November 21st, 2007 08:45
[…] There were plenty of beautiful cars on display parked just outside at the SEMA event. This one caught our eye and looked familiar because it was painted by Charles Armstrong aka “The Kid”. We actually broke the story on this deck lid back in our March post about the Airbrush Action Getaway where he was teaching his expertise. Here it is all put together with the rest of the ride… […]