I'm trying to do a few "how-to" posts here, because I get more and more emails asking how to do this or that. One I've gotten recently, is how to spraypaint well. There are lots of pointers that I think can be helpful, and I also made a short (only slightly helpful) video.
That's me...spraypainting. It's earth-shattering stuff, folks.
Nah, it's just that I thought the video of how I do it might help. I think one of the main problems people have with spraypaint, is that they hold the can too close to the subject. The key is that you want to stay at least a foot or so away. It's hard, because you want to get close, to get better and faster coverage, but really, staying back a bit keeps drips from happening. It also gives you lighter, thinner coats, which, in turn, adhere better in the end, and keep from giving a cloudy appearance to your finish.
Another technique you'll notice, is that I sort of shake the can as I spray, I don't just hold it straight to the subject. I never really noticed that I did that, until I started watching this video. The reason I do it, though, is so that build-up doesn't occur on my painting subject, thus resulting in drips.
Something else I try to do when spraypainting, is to think of my arm as a machine. hah. I think about how a machine that sprays paint onto something would spray it: evenly and staying at the same distance away from the subject - weird, but I think it works!
Anyway, hopefully some of these techniques help, and if you guys have questions, feel free to leave them in the comments section, and I will answer them there!
PS how do you guys feel about me doing some tutorials where I'm talking into the camera? If you like the idea, what would be helpful to know about? What are some good subjects?