Market for airbrushing disappearing?

Hello..l
I'm new here... been playing around with airbrushes over the years, mostly airbrushing t-shirts at parties, leather jackets for friends, as well as on theater backdrops and have done a little pinstriping on cars, hand-lettered vehicle signage etc and a couple of art pieces on bikes. I'm certainly no expert but at least I know the front end from the back end of an airbrush.

I'm considering pursuing airbrushing on motorcycles as a way of supplementing my income. Haven't done it for years and I'm assuming the paints etc have really changed so I know I have LOTS of catching up to do.

My question is this... do you think that the market for airbrushing on bikes and cars etc will be disappearing as the technology of vinyl "car wraps" (the kind used primarily now for advertising) increases?

I'm not 18 any more and I don't want to waste time learning the ropes of yet another art form that might be replaced by computers.

Any thoughts?
Thanks

Like hell. I put one little ad on craigslist and get 15-20 responses. The market for giant wizards on the sides of vans may be gone, but bikes is still going strong, guaranteed.

welcome to the family
as for the market,yes the world is in a bit of a downturn at the moment,but as i see it its an advantage...it gives us time to refine our skills and when things do pick up(as they will ) we will then be in a better position to service the customers every need....
as for new paints and techniques...then ask away..theres a wealth of free information here....


do you have any photos of previous work?

later....

Great question!

I have pondered this myself alot. I've also done a ton of research into this.

The subject of Vinyl wraps vs airbrushing is an awesome discussion.

I'm like you, no expert airbrusher, but I sneak by by using tricks I pick up from all the pros. I have a pretty solid graphic arts background, which helps.

I consider myself a kind of a new age thinker when it comes to this subject.

I think the next big thing is going to be a mix of both worlds, print graphics and custom paint.

Wraps will be king of the superfast big graphics for a while but it still has some serious limitations. Vinyl has some serious problems around complex curves and tight spaces. Paint doesn't have this problem. I think what you'll see in the near future is custom painted backgrounds with a super thin overlaid printed graphics covered with a buffable clearcoat paint layer.

I think this would be the ultimate custom looking job.

Paint can still do things that print cannot. Specifically flames for example. Print will not be able to match airbrushed flames for a while in my opinion.

I think you be fine jumping into any aspect of the custom world. You'll learn all the tricks of both worlds by just doing it.

I'd love to hear what the pros have to say about this.

Tony D.

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what goes around,comes around....
at the moment im doing a comission for a guy doing a uk tour raising money for the royal legion..and its gonna be published in all the major mags,since i have another one for a themed harley...
if your good enough then people will get in touch....

The full vinyl wraps are pretty cool, but they're not a custom paint job!

The wraps are good for creative advertising (in most cases) or someone who wants a quick(?) eye catching design on their vehicle I guess, but they're not as durable or true in colour as a paint job, and definitely no shine to it.

For those serious about a custom bike or car, there will be no alternative to custom paint. IMHO

OH! ...and welcome aboard by the way!

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