Instructor shows Fremd students they can have a career in airbrush painting

As students begin imagining a career after high school, custom airbrush painting might not always come to mind.

That might be changing at Fremd High School, though, as students got a fascinating look at the career from Tom Banks, an artist from Ohio Technical College/PSI, who demonstrated airbrush painting techniques on the hood of a car.

The goal of his visit was to introduce students to a career that is not only profitable, he claims, but also accessible with a little bit of practice.

"There is so much misinformation out there about what it takes to do this work," Banks said. "Everyone thinks you need to be an artist or you need to have an automotive background. I was no different in thinking that. I always thought this was talent as opposed to skill. That's just not true."

Banks painted the car hood over 3½ hours, with students coming and going each class period.

He emphasized that students do not need to have incredible artistic skills to master airbrush painting as many objects in his designs were created from stencils. He also demonstrated how to create different effects using colors, highlights and depth.

"At the end of the day students are able to see this process from start to finish, and the demo allows them to watch it come alive before their eyes," he said.

"They understand every single step involved. A lot of people have an interest in custom cars, rods, and custom paint, the misunderstanding keeps people from getting into this, and I like taking down those walls."

The finished car hood is currently on display at Fremd High School.