Artist enjoys creating out of thin air

What can Brown do for you? Not as much as the vivid palette of an airbrush artist, George Robert Roybal has found.

“I quit a high-paying job with UPS to do this,” said Roybal, who has been a professional airbrush artist since 1990, “and my quality of life has improved 100 fold.”

Airbrushing is the application of a fine spray of paint by compressed air.

Roybal loves what he does and it shows in his work. At first, it was hard to build a customer base, but by word of mouth, his talent has become recognized. There is no better advertising than seeing his creations live and in color – on street rods, motorcycles and in airbrush magazines.

In 1992, he opened Illustrated Air, an airbrushing shop at 1511 S. Pines Road.

In 1996, McDonald’s corporation commissioned Roybal to airbrush seven murals in their play areas. Later, a McDonald’s corporate employee asked him to paint a motorcycle for him. With an eagle-in-flight theme, that motorcycle went on to win many awards (which go to the owner of the bike, not the artist).

Roybal saw his first airbrush illustration as a sophomore in high school. It was a Humpty Dumpty poster by Charles White III. He immediately bought himself an airbrush and compressor, and began the long learning process.

“One of the biggest hurdles as an airbrush artist,” said Roybal, “is learning how to thin the paint so it goes through the gun.”

It is also difficult to get used to the idea that you aren’t touching the piece that you are working on, because the airbrush is held off of the surface.

There are many steps that an airbrush artist takes before completing a piece. Besides the many layers of paint, the artist must also prep, mask off, cut, buff and clear-coat the work.

Roybal teaches these techniques and more to aspiring airbrush artists at Spokane Art Supply in the Valley. He also performs airbrush demonstrations for high school students, or “new customers” as Roybal calls them.

“Exposing them to this art form lays the groundwork for my business… they will be back.”

Roybal provides technical support to other artists, as well as donates several pieces a year to charity. One such piece, an airbrushed motorcycle, fetched $52,000 for Make-A-Wish Foundation.

You can see Roybal’s work on walls, hot rods, at hot rod shows, trailers, and even airplanes. One client, a man intent on flying over Mount Everest without oxygen, had Tibetan snow leopards and Chinese dragons airbrushed on his plane.

Roybal also does airbrushed pieces that you can hang on the wall, as well as helmets and other smaller items. They also take hours to complete, but are slightly more affordable.

“I love creating something out of thin air, and the wow factor that much of my work produces,” he said.