I'm looking for advice from seasoned airbrushing cake artists out there!  If you have been airbrushing cakes for a while and can offer some help, I would appreciate it!!  :)  

First question - have you ever airbrushed an entire cake before, did it work well?  What airbrush do you have, what compressor do you have?  

I have never airbrushed before and want to purchase a system and get acquainted with airbrushing before I make a 4 tier gold wedding cake later this year.  I have been researching systems for days and I'm overwhelmed.  I'm scared about a few things:  sputtering/splatter issues, even coverage, using a pearl cake color (in gold) that won't clog, and comfort for me (since I'll be holding the airbrush for an eternity).    I am also on a budget, but I don't want to go too cheap.  (you get what you pay for).

Any advice would be appreciated!  Thank you in advance for your help.  Cake people are the best!  :) 

AIs this your very first time airbrushing? Because you are going to want to pratice.

For a darker color or making lines. You want to be closer to the cake with the gun, but not to close because you can blow out the cake. You also want to lightly press back the trigger.

For a lighter color you will want to hold the gun futher from the cake, and it is easier to get the cake covered this way.

AI can't think of the brand of my compressor of the top of my head, I will go and check for you when I put the baby to bed. my brush is a 'Neo' by Iwata. it's a duel action gravity fed, and I have never had a problem with it. I have only used americolor airbrush colours, and their silver, bronze and pearl have been great (haven't used their gold yet sorry) as far as the investment goes, mine was a package with compressor, brush, a set of colours, turntable, some stencils and a DVD. it cost me $300 (Australian) but I have used it on every cake since. I actually use it on every cake once I am finished with vodka in it I spray over every to remove any left over icing sugar (powdered sugar or corn starch)

At home, I use a pegasus airbrush. It is small and lightweight. I have had it for 2 years without any problems. I use chefmaster colors. They are my favorite! I also like the colors from decopac and bakery craft. Definitely practice ahead of time on a dummy cake or a paper towel so you can get used to the airbrush and how far or close you need to be or how much pressure to use. When I am airbrushing an entire cake one color, I am usually about 4-5 inches from the cake, using almost full pressure on the trigger. I sweep the side of the cake in a back and forth motion, starting at the top of the cake and moving down as I make a line of color across the cake, You do not want to have a definite line when sweeping color across the cake, you want it to fade so that when you move to your next line below the one you just made, it melds together. As I sweep across the cake and reach the end of the side I am on, I let off of the trigger a bit. Plan to get color ALL OVER from over spray. I suggest putting the cake in a large box turned sideways to catch excess and have good ventilation. Once you have done the one side of the cake, turn it and do the other side and meld each sweep of color with the side you have already done. when it comes to splattering, a metallic/pearl color wont matter too much if it does but just wipe the nozzle of the airbrush every few sprays so it does not do this. I mix my gold dust with orange extract, it works better than vodka. It smells like orange when applying it but the taste goes away as it evaporates. http://www.globalsugarart.com/classic-gold-sterling-pearl-dust-by-gsa-p-27325.html is where I get my gold dust. one little jar will cover about a 9" cake that is about 4" high. This is all the info I have. Good luck!

Thank you everyone who posted so far!  This is a huge help!