What's the best way to practice airbrushing? Is there a tutorial? Should I just cover dummies with fondant and cover it repeatedly?
If I want red, should I tint it pink first? When I was done it was all shiny, will it dry matte?
Thanks guys!! I'm an airbrushing dummy. And I NEED to learn!
ps- I have a kopy kake
It is easier to get a true red when airbrushing over a pink or red base color. It can be achieved just by airbrushing with the red colorant, but you will use more colorant over white icing than over a base color.
As far as practice goes, don't waste your money on fondant and dummies!!! You can practice on plain white paper or on white posterboard. It is very inexpensive and you can save your practice as a reference for yourself, or sample to show others, if you like your work on the paper.
Give yourself some time to learn the feel of your new airbrush and you will grow to love it! I use mine to draw just like I would with a pencil. It is my absolute favorite cake toy!!!
There's a tutorial online at howtoairbrush.com (I think that was the address) I'm new to it as well and am now getting a "Cake decorating room" after turning my kitchen floors red (the wife wasn't too impressed). Make sure you cover everything well and I use foam core sheets behind and on the sides to prevent over spray.
I just start spraying like I would drawing.I find that the red needs multiple layers to get a true red.Blue looks kinda purple and then changes color....Don't layer colors or it looks like Poop!!Browny ugly color.I love my airbrush and sometimes I wish I could use it better also!!
There's a site that might help. I haven't tried this yet myself, but I did come across it when doing a search for learning about airbrushing: http://www.howtoairbrush.com/lesson%201.htm This is the one MORSELSBYMARK is referring to, I believe.
Also, I ordered a DVD a while back on airbrushing cakes. It's by Frances Kuyper (sp?), "The Cake Lady". She's credited by Colette Peters as having taught Colette how to airbrush. On her DVD she suggests practicing on paper towels and after learning how to control the airbrush enough to do thin and thick lines and dots, one of her exercises includes coloring the pattern on the paper towel, whether they have a heart shaped pattern or lines or diamond pattern, etc.
Also, something I did (I don't remember if I read it somewhere or just did it on my own), was to grab one of my kids coloring books and try to color a few pictures. Some of them I just did the outlines to practice detail work.
HTH
The howtoairbrush site has a picture of several people using a newsprint large spiral notebook to practice on. Another great use of a Michaels/Hobby Lobby/AC Moore coupon!
i bought a 5ft tall end roll of news print paper. ive used it to practice on and to cover my work area, then i just roll it up and put it into paper recycle. they are generally very very cheap just a couple of $$. if you want to practice differant techniques like using a stencil on real icing just use old buttercream and ice a cake board, practice then scrape it off.
for red do as Duff does, first yellow, then orange, finally red; it really does give you a nice vibrant color! 
I practices on cheap paper towels... my red airbrush always came out red not pink... HTH
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