Phil Atkinson

Name: Phil Atkinson Experience: 10+ Years Location: Longford, Ireland Speciality: Airbrushing & Custom Art Instagram: @philatkinsonartist

Airbrushing for me started through my love of mountain biking and being inspired by the work of American artist Troy Lee. I came across Troy during the mid-nineties when he was painting some of the pro guys’ biking helmets. It really sparked my curiosity so I did some research and decided to try it out for myself. I think my first airbrush was an aerograph powered by cans of compressed air which was very basic, but I was hooked from the get-go. I started painting my mates’ helmets with tinned- out artist’s acrylic paint because I didn’t know where to get airbrush-specific materials at the time. It may seem a little funny now but the way I feel about it is you have to start somewhere. Less thinking about it, just do it. I did the best I could at the time with the knowledge and materials I had.