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How to Airbrush Real Flames

Flames, a popular subject with airbrush artists, can add flash and color to cars, motorcycle gas tanks, helmets and clothing. Flames are also ideal for beginning airbrush artists because they aren't difficult to paint if you have even marginal drawing talent, and there are plenty of stencils available for beginners with no drawing ability. Adding realistic airbrushed flames to your repertoire of capabilities can bring out another layer of artistic quality to your airbrushed masterpieces.

Things You'll Need

  • Stencils
  • Air compressor
  • Airbrush gun
  • Airbrush paints (red, yellow, orange, white, black and blue)
  • Airbrush cleaning fluid
  • Needles and nozzles (0.2mm and 0.4mm)
  • Canvas
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Instructions

    • 1

      Place the stencil on a work surface and airbrush the basic flame outlines. Paint the outlines in dark red, using a 0.2-mm nozzle for the edges. If you can draw, simply airbrush the flame shapes onto your canvas the way you want them to appear. This may be a single flame, or it might be a single large flame with smaller flames trailing off.

    • 2

      Attach a 0.4-mm needle to apply yellow spray paint at the front center of the flame. Airbrush the yellow thicker at the center and have it fade as you bring it back toward the tails of the flame. Switch to red paint and spray over the lighter yellow on the tail end of the flames.

    • 3

      Paint dark blue paint at the core of each flame with even strokes until you have filled in the base of each flame with the blue paint. Leave a little of the under color showing through to give the impression of real flames and the way they burn.

    • 4

      Spray around the outline of the flame with either yellow or a very dark red to thicken the flames and to give them depth. Since flames burn at various colors, mix various shades of red and orange to give the impression of a realistic flame. Add touches of white to the ends of the flames to give them a little smoke effect. Keep the smoke lines minimal and light.

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