airbrushedgranite

#1
Start off by applying a neutral gray base. You can make the neutral gray by using white paint and start adding small amounts of black until you get the desired tone you want. For small surfaces you can use a airbrush to apply the gray base. For larger are's like the example in the picture above, Use a Detail Spray Gun to paint the base/background.

The Granite Special Effect has been around for decades. It is still a favorite among custom painters and airbrushartists to create a neutral background that will make any design look three dimensional. This is a simple technique and only takes minutes to do. There are many ways of achieving this effect and a multitude of designs it can be applied to. This is how I prefer to do it and hopefully someone just learning can find this useful.

#2
To make the "splatter effect" with the airbrush you can use almost any rigid flat object. Here I'm using a wood tongue depressor. Hold the tongue depressor at a upward angle and fairly close to the surface. Spray the black paint directly onto the tip of the tongue depressor. What you are wanting to do here is, have the paint load up on the end of the stick. The air that is released form the airbrushed will push the paint off of the stick and splatter onto the surface.

#3
When applying the black "splatter" dots don't just move the airbrush left to right or just up and down. Apply the "splatter" by moving in all directions. You want to achieve a semi-uniform pattern and avoid producing a streaking effect. The dot size in the splatter effect can be controlled by the distance the stick (tongue depressor) is held from the surface.

#4
Apply white "splatter" dots over the black. Do not add as many as you did with the black. Too much white will take away from the speckled look you want to produce.

#5
This is the effect you want to achieve. You could cover the neutral base with fewer dots, but if you are going to add drop shadows and /or cracks, they will become too dominate. If you apply too many dots, they will fill the background and any drop shadow will blend in with the "splatter"dots.

#6
Adding Cracks. Freehand thin black lines in a jagged pattern. The mistake I see most people do is make the cracks too thick and overbearing. The thickness can be increased as you go by making another pass with the black over the line. Add a shadow to the bottom edge of what would be perceived as a broken piece of the granite rock. Make sure you pick a light source (top/left or top/right) before adding the shadows.

#7
Add over-reduced white highlights to the bottom side of the cracks. This would actually simulate light reflecting off the top of the broken pieces of the granite.

Steven Craig is the owner and head painter of SKC CUSTOMZ in Lake Havasu City, AZ. In the past Steven has won the House of Kolor Prestigeous Painter Award and was a 1st Place winner of Dupont's Hot Hues Awards. He most recently was awarded the Matrix System's FX Grand Prize Award. Steve paints a wide range
of jobs from guitars to large off shore boats. Visit his web site at

Airbrush : Iwata HP-BH, Custom Micron B
Spray Guns: Iwata LPH400 and Iwata LPH300
Paint Media: PPG, Xotic Colours, Dupont and Matrix Systems
Surface Media: Everything I can get paint to stick to.
Masking : R-Tape and 3M Masking Tapes
Projector: Artograph
Lighting : Natural and Florescent. Spray-Line and Spray King Paint Booths