The Love Gnome 2.0

Last February I made my wife “The Love Gnome” The Love Gnome and was told to make her another one after she raffled it off in a fund raiser, well it took me 11 months but I got it done.

Over the last year I made me a paint booth to use in my laser room to save me going back and forth up two flights of stairs. The booth was nice but the paint fumes were horrendous. Enter airbrushing, after many months of purchasing several airbrushes, mini-compressor and tons of paint I finally tried my hand at it. I probably should have practiced a bit to get a feel for it, but hey, I’m a dude and dudes just jump in head first.

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Cute!

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Your paint job is amazing!

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I think I like this paint job, better than the 1st. And the design is cute.

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That is adorable!

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Bet your wife is a happy camper now! Maybe you should make a backup gnome (which is so adorable!) just so you have one on hand in case she auctions this one off too!

I still haven’t tried my airbrush which I purchased two years ago, longer than that probably. I bought it before I even bought my GF. Someday…

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That’s how I have learned almost everything I know, and how I got all of my tools! The best lesson I’ve had with my airbrush is cleaning it well enough, so that the next time I use it I don’t have to tear it down.
Nice work on the gnome. :sunglasses:

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Lovely painting! I love the shading on the gnome!

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Wow! That’s an awesome paint job! May I ask what kind of airbrush system you purchased, and do you have it set up in the same room as your GF? If so, what are you doing about any stray particles from the airbrush…or does that basically eliminate all of the floating particles and fumes? I have my GF set up in my office space as well as a guest area. Would love to be able to paint in the same area due to same circumstances as you with steps.

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Thank you. Yes I paint in the same room. I built me a paint booth with an exhaust that was cheap and easy. Paint Booth / Photo Box It works great at capturing the particles and the paint is water based so there are no fumes. I have some modifications planned using an inline fan like the one I use to exhaust the GF. The majority of this was painted with an Iwata TRN1 trigger air brush, some of the finder lines I did with a Harbor Freight air brush that came with the compressor. https://www.harborfreight.com/airbrush-compressor-combo-kit-57637.html?_br_psugg_q=avanti+air+brush
The air brush is actually a really nice brush and I can’t say enough good things about the compressor. It is extremely quiet.
As soon as I get the room put back in order, I will post my setup (it’s way too cluttered to show pictures now)

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Thank you

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I was thinking the same thing as I was posting, I have tools I’ve bought for projects that are still unopened because I did a “work around” and liked the results.

@ellencadwell I bought my first airbrush about the same time and it is still in the original wrapper. Oh… and my wife has assured me that this one is staying home.

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@marthajackson1970 @CMadok @randavian @rvogt @ptodd
Thank you.

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Hate to tell you, but that trait is not exclusive to ‘dudes’. I’m one of you.

Fabulous looking paint work, there! And, a great design underneath it all.

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Same.

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Can’t wait to see your setup! Thank you for the information!!!

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Outstanding paint job.

I have an airbrush, but its first life was in a spray tanning salon. It seems pretty clapped out and despite replacing the needle, I can’t get it to work without spitting. I should probably just give up and buy a new one… Trying to learn to use the one I have is just frustrating.

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That’s adorable! Is it all one piece?

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Thank you. Each piece is cut out separately and will be glue to a backer board that is in the overall shape.

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Thank you. I’m one of those people that sees something, does endless research, buys all the required toys, lets it set for ages and then jumps in without reading the instructions. It’s a process wrought with frustration but I feel like Michelangelo if I produce anything that doesn’t go in the trash.

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