What you should understand about an airbrush artist

[team3six]

Understanding your airbrush artist.

I wanted to stop by and let you all in on a little information that I don't think the common RC'er realizes when approaching an airbrush artist for a paint job.

Being an Airbrush artist takes allot of patience and time and I think that people are a little oblivious to how long it takes to actually put out a product. There are several different ways to airbrush shells and some are complex while others are a little less difficult depending on the style and type of job being done. Many artists use different methods to airbrush a shell, Some use internal decals, some use stencils, and some do things old school with masking off the entire shell and cutting out the images being painted. I think people along the way miss the point that either way of doing it, there is a lot of preparation and tasking involved to get a shell to the point of being a blank canvas to the point of being a piece of art. I myself charge anywhere in the neighborhood of $80.00 to $200.00 depending on the work and at the higher end of the spectrum a potential customer who wants an extravagant design thinks an airbrush artists is somehow being unrealistic or to say the least, ripping the customer off! realize that painting something that takes literally hours of work from the inside out is much harder to do and far below the national minimum wage to create. Most first steps in say like a replica work requires being able to have good images to copy. If we are unable to create those images, Either they are guessed and drawn out or they are not done at all. The other thing that I should emphasize on is that time is an issue. Some airbrush artists have the time to work on a shell and take on the work while others are swamped with work to the point they have to either pencil in the time or turn it away. I make it a point to let my customers know what my schedule reflects so they are aware of the availability to getting some work done or I will point them to someone who can do the work. I say this because on many occasions I have been asked to do work, but when I tell my potential customer a time until I can get and finish the work. I generally never hear back from them. If you are wanting work done and done by a specific person It is imperative that a customer realize that some artists are very busy with other jobs. As a customer you have to realize that you may have to plan ahead to get a paint job done, save your money and schedule enough time so you can get your shell finished for a specific race or season. This way you are not without and feeling pushed off by a painter. If someone can do the work right away, that's great! Just be sure that your painter of choice can do the work you require. but don't misunderstand a painter when they have to fit your work in and then wonder why your job is going to take so long. If its June and a painter cant fit you in until April. realize that when you contact a painter back in April and he/she has no openings until 2 months later. that is because they are setting scheduled work. Payment is another point. I know there are some painters out there that are dishonest and it angers me that they have in the past ripped people off or have given less then desirable work. Take the time to check a painters website out, look at thier work, ask around and see what other peoples opinions are of that painter. It only benifits you if you can trust the person you are choosing as a painter. But realize you may be required to pay before services are started. You dont go to Burger King and order a meal, and then pay for it after words or dont pay for it at all if it wasnt to your liking? Please dont expect the same from a painter! Another issue I should point out is it is a fact that many people wanting paint work have and generally do, The average RC'er will spend about $300 - $1000.00 a year on one RC minus the actual cost of the RC. In that effect that RC'er 50% of potential customers believe a $150.00 paint job is expensive. Now if you are the average carnage basher who just is super rough and tumble with your RC, it absolutly make complete sence to not purchase a paintjob and stick to the stocker shells Your priority should be placed on purchasing stock parts and enjoying the RC for your intended use. beat it and buy parts to replace it, simple as that! If you are a racer who needs multiple shells, realize that racing season for just about everyone is ALWAYS the same time of year with the exception of a few organizations and with the thousands of professional painters out there, you have to realize they are getting swamped by everyone and taking on work. Plan your work so you get your shells complete before the season starts. If you are wanting replica work or work that requires duplication. It will take time, it will cost money, it does require patience, and you will need a good artist to recreate that! Don't expect to get quality work for cheap. And finally the costs involved as stated by a painter usually will go towards keeping up on stock so that painter can continue painting for future customers. There is allot of initial cost to start the business but past that paint supplies and equipment isn't cheap! your general artist has over a hundred different colors each with a cost of $4.50 - $6.99 for a 2oz. bottle that can last between 2 and 20 shells depending on the work, a large bottle of mask can generally do 7-10 bodies at a cost of $10.99 a bottle and $6.99 a roll of tape, There is required maintenance of airbrushes and compressors that does cost time and sometimes requires money but it costs and creates downtime. Filters for airbrush masks, filters for airbrush booths, cleaning supplies, brushes, tracing paper, pencils, shipping boxes, business cards, and the website to advertise our work. Even the free decals that are sent along with the shells. All of these things cost money. In the end a painter is lucky to have a few bucks for thier work.

You realize what it takes to build your RC and how much money it cost to do such. Please understand that us artists are not getting rich painting shells but it is rather and enjoyment to us to see our work being proudly displayed and enjoyed. In that being said, I do respect allot of what RC'ers do and I have been in RC for some time now, Its a joy I completely share with you. I understand that money is an issue in allot of peoples priorities of where it goes in your RC, including in today's economy.

And allot of people have been my customers for sometime and continue to return for more work. Simply because of the service and honesty I provide. I do this personally because I feel this is how I would wish to be treated if I was getting paint done. And I have been the customer at times.

So, I hope I cleared up any thoughts that may be going through your mind when you contact me or any airbrush artist. I think there is allot of misunderstanding in the time and money involved and I just wanted people to understand those issues and respect that when contacting a painter.

Good luck and please continue to support your Airbrush artist. Thank you

[BrianG]

I personally can really appreciate the time and effort involved in the designs you do. I know how long it takes for me to paint a simple 2-color fade design and it still turns out crappy.

[pedeboi364]

lol, im no artist, but no shot in the dark... although i do only used spray cans...

[maxair45]

I agree 100%. I am learning from a couple local airbrushers and all the attention to detail and time put into it is amazing. I've seen him tell people an estimate on a paint job.$80 for a $100 paint job(lower price to keep them comming around) and they just laughed at him. People really need to realize the amount of work and natural skill is put into every paint job.

Time frames are another issue I agree with you 100% on. People think you can just pop these things out of your ass like they are nothing. If you really want a good paint job it'll take some time.

[magman]

Thank you for your honesty...Something that is missing w/many business people today. I know that when I paint my bodies, it takes me quite a while and I usually only use 1 color just to simlify things.

What you charge for your work is more than fair....for those who disagree w/you, those are the customers you will never keep happy anyway

[Dafni]

word!

[plettenbergs]

I collect custom bodies and show trucks...$100 is a steel for a SEPER-CUSTOM 4 or 5 color chrome body with tears,carbon or flag design!....a killer body is icing on the cake for a killer R/C car or tuck! KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!

If people think $100 it too high...f-em!
I dont know how you do it so cheap!...I charge several hundred dollars a day for my services and i am sure a sweet body takes at least 8 hours.

[Rnemhrd]

Well put. Keep painting killer shells.

[rschoi_75]

I agree 100%. It takes me 2 days to paint up a simple 3 color job, so I can imagine how long it takes for one of your airbrush jobs. Keep rocking out those fine shells.

[lincpimp]

As a full size car painter I definately feel your pain...

I am not an airbrush guy, but I do graphics, stripe and other designs like that. I am good at laying out stripes by hand/eye, and a full car can take 8+ hours just to do that. I know people just think it involes putting some making tape on and thats it, but I have to make sure that it looks god from all angles, and make all of the curves match etc, etc.

I usually charge an extra 500 bucks for stripes, and honestly I should charge double that. A regular car paint job usually runs about 5 grand, and once they start tacking on stuff it can easily beat 7 grand. I only do one at a time, as my shop is setup for collision repairs. I get plenty of them, as the "custom" shop down the street charges 10 grand min...

Anyways, I definately understand, people just have no idea what is involved to turn out good work. Attention to detail in mandatory if the finished product needs to look good. Keep up the good work man, your shells look great! I do not have the patience to paint r/c bodies. If I ever get a few display truck I will definately get some work do by you. I love the themed MT bodies, those are my favorite works by you.

[TexasSP]

The fact you had to write this post proves how clueless most people are. Well written, and most just seems common sense to me. What isn't common sense, can be understood by simply thinking things through a little bit.

Custom work of any type takes time, time costs money. So my theory with anything custom be it cabinets for your house or painting an rc shell is going to cost money.

Shame people are so dense.

Great Post Norm!

[Finnster]

I try to keep in mind what I would want to do something like that (goes for any job.)

Its hard to see doing something for less than ~$20/hr, and that's not a ton of money at that if it involves a major part of your time.
Now how many hrs does it take to paint a decent shell? Hours, even if you rush.

Now how can you expect someone else to spend hours and hours of their skilled time to do something for you for barely anything in return? If you want a shell done for $5/hr, you are best off going to Home Depot and hiring a trabajero to do it. No one else would touch it for that price. Don't expect it to turn out pro tho.

Same thing my bro gets as a plumber. People call as they need the skills they don't have, then hit the roof when they realize that skill costs money and people can't work for free.

At the end of the day, a $150 paint job is expensive, but so is having work done to your car, your house, your teeth or anything else. I can't stand the thought of paying a mechanic $80/hr to change my brakes, so I do it myself. Now I can't fix a tranny, so if I need/want that help, you have to pay for it. I can do a crappy shell for free, but if I want a nice one, well... pay up :)