Were you confident about your purchase? I've been thinking about it, but it seems so scary for me. I mean, how do I learn how to use it, and what if I just can't seem to get the hang of it? Do you have to be naturally artistic? Has anyone purchased one and regretted it?

Hi: I just purchased one a couple of months ago. I sprayed a cake I had made after getting it but that has been the last time. I still don't know much about using it. I am going to purchase Ron Weinblecker's books and see it they can help. I don't regret buying the airbrush, just want to learn how to use it more. Vicki0052.

That's what makes me nervous too, Vicki. There is no place here to take lessons. Everyone who has one seems to know instinctively how to use it...and I greatly admire that. But I don't know how I would be at it.

I don't have one, but I just wanted to say, maybe PM MelC, she has one and loves it....she uses it on quite a few of her cakes.....any info you need I am sure she would love to help!!

Thanks, I will do just that, sometime soon.

I have been nervous myself about getting an airbrush...has anyone played with the mist stuff that Wilton sells? Is it the same affect?

I don't own one, but I use one at work. At first I was terrified by the thing, knowing I was going to screw up the cake, but I didn't. By the end , I was infatuated with the thing. It only took me a few minutes to get the hang of using different pressures to get different effects. If you enjoy decorating, I think you'll have fun with your airbrush... just experiment! I'm not sure who it was on this site that does this, but, someone uses their airbrush to spray their cakes red instead of having to use a ton of paste...what a great idea!!!
~Leslie

i feel the same way..... not sure if i should buy the karoma or the airmaster.... i hear that the airmaster is great....however do i really want to spend $215.00 for one, the price is not the question... the problem is will i use it that much...I like.the price for the karoma $160.00 since i am not a cake expert..... what if i out grow the karoma... i like that fact the u can adjust the air with the airmaster, but not with the karoma.....as far as overspay.... the airmaster will not give u as much then why am i still hestiant to buy the airmaster.....
I have been buying this machine for the month or so...i just feel really nervous about buying one......o well i have to buy something soon

Oh, my goodness! Don't hesitate any longer! Once you get it you will be so in LOVE with it! I got mine for Christmas, but I had a cake making neighbor who shared hers with me, so I knew what I was getting into. I just used mine about 1/2 hour ago to yellow some call lily stamens instead of chalking them! I make up bunches of plain white roses and other little flowers and just paint them when I need them (out of gum paste and royal!) I have a box full of all sized leaves, beautifully colored, and just ready to go!

See the little piggy to the left? She started out as copper colored buttrcream and I cooked her with the airbrush! I used brown on most of her, and singed her ears, rump, and tail.

I have one in the naughty gallery, which would've been impossible to get that effect without it!

It's just so versatile! I just learned that you can spray luster dust through it!!!! I have the basic Kopycake Kroma and I love it. And if you outgrow it, even used ones get great prices on ebay if you want to unload it!!!

I LOVE MY AIRMASTER!!!

Seriously... it's a lot of fun to use! It does take a bit of practice, but it's not hard! Don't waste your $$ with anything else, you'll just wish you bought the Airmaster after a while anyhow (IMHO! LOL)

I used a few pieces of (white) cardboard to get the hang of it, and I haven't had any real problems.

A few tips...

*** spray lightly and many coats rather than one heavy coat for darker colours (otherwise it will drip!)

It's me who uses my airbrush for red and other dark colours... just tint your sugarpaste or BC to a lighter shade of the colour you want, then airbrush over it! You use a lot less colour this way! And tinting the icing first means you won't have any bright white patches if you aren't 100% even in your coverage!

You can use it for covering entire cakes (see my ruby anniversary cake, or any of my darth vader heads) or you can use it for getting a gorgeous graduated colour effect (see my baby cake with the footprints)

Use it with stencils for great effect!

If you're trying to make black, use chocolate icing or sugarpaste, then airbrush over that.

That's good advice, MelC, especially about practicing on cardboard. How did you go about learning to use it and how long did it take to get good at it?

I just played with it... try to make different patterns, use stencils (with multiple colours), try getting even coverage on an area... use a pen to draw some shapes and try to fill the shapes (without too much overspray) then draw some more and try to fill around it (but not in it)

After that, just play on cake! There are some really talented artists who actually "paint" with the airbrush here, but you can make some fairly simple backgrounds without needing a whole lot of that kind of talent!

Combine it with other techniques... use it to do a background for a FBCT, use it to make clouds or graduated colours... JUST USE IT!!!

Where do you get the stencils?
Btw..I am really appreciating this advice.

Use ANY stencils (clean of course!) Get them at Walmart or any craft store or a paint store... even teh dolalr stores! Look in the scrapbooking sections as well as the crafts and painting sections... make your own cut out of mylar or transparencies(sp?)... there are LOTs of options...

use leaves or other found objects to get an outline (lay it down then spray over it... when you lift it you'll have the shape)

And something I found out recently (here of course) is that you can mix lustre powders with clear alcohol and use them in your airbrush too!!!

It didn't take very long to get the hang of it, but I never stop learning!!!

Flesh tones are SOOO realistic with the airbrush too!!

Ok now you guys have me itching to buy one! How do you convince your husband? hahaha!

Yes!! MelC, I just looked at your gallery and I remember the red anniversary cake... your cakes are beautiful! I saw that AFTER I made my son's hot pink firetruck. IMBC and an entire bottle of Wilton red and I was calling it the firetruck from Fairyland. My youngest son and my husband couldn't even eat it!! That's why that stuck in my head .

Thanks!! Getting those intense colours was the whole reason I wanted the airbrush in the first place!

My airbrush was a b-day/Xmas gift from DH one year (I told him it was the ONLY thing I wanted!!!)

I tried the sprays once... EWWW!!! I had bought black and the best I could get out of it was a mid grey shade. It had an odd minty smell and a really broad spray pattern (= no control!)