#13 - Counting down the most common airbrush mistakes.

I've had the privilege of teaching airbrush art to over 6000 students, and I've been able to follow their success both in and out of the classroom. The single ingredient that makes an artist great can be summed up in one word: tenacity. It is the willingness to persevere in the face of failure, and it requires heaps of patience.

It sounds so simple in theory, doesn't it? Everyone experiences frustration with their airbrush from time to time, but the question is: how do you cope with it? Artists commonly make the mistakes of losing their cool and getting sloppy, giving up, or at best, taking a few stabs at it and calling it done.

Here are a few thoughts that are good to keep in mind when your patience wears thin and you're feeling overwhelmed:

• How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.

• “The most important thing about art is to work. Nothing else matters except sitting down every day and trying.” - the War of Art

• Quitters never win and winners never quit.

Next time you're feeling particularly frustrated, step away from the painting and chill out for a while, or work on something else. Return to your work with a new outlook - refreshing your perspective from time to time is necessary for success. Oh, and don't abuse your art or your tools just because they don't go in the direction you desire!