Before digital tools, before online tutorials, before Photoshop… there was the airbrush. In 1984, mine became more than just an art tool—it became the start of my creative life.
In the early 1980s, I was living in Los Angeles, still searching for the path my career would ultimately take. I did carpentry work, explored acting and set design, and bartended. Then, one day, on a whim, I purchased an airbrush. That decision became a turning point in my life. I spent every spare moment learning how to use it. This was long before the internet, so my “teachers” were the articles and tutorials I found in magazines.
In 1984, I visited Otis College of Art and Design—known then as Otis Art Institute of Parsons School of Design. I met with a counselor to discuss going back to school, and she suggested I start with a couple of classes. I enrolled in an airbrush course and a photorealistic illustration course. I absolutely loved both, as well as the instructors who taught them. Those classes gave me the skills and artistic direction that would shape the rest of my career.
During that time, I created the two illustrations you see here.
The first, Crowned Crane, was my project for the photorealistic illustration class. It’s a mix of airbrush, paint, and colored pencil, based on a photo I took of a crane at the San Diego Zoo.
The second piece was created in the airbrush class. At the time, I thought it would be fun—and a bit ironic—to create a photorealistic illustration of my own airbrush, using the airbrush itself.
Looking back, that period in my life feels magical. It set me on a creative path that has lasted decades. I will always be grateful to my instructors, Barry Farr and Judy Unger, for teaching me skills I would carry forward for years to come.