Airbrush is a tool used by photographers and commercial artists to apply color or shading to drawings, prints, and photographs. Photographers find it useful to bring out highlights and to supply backgrounds. The airbrush looks something like a pencil. It has a length of tubing at one end and a fine nozzle at the other. An electric pump or tank with a pressure gauge supplies a current of compressed air. The air enters the nozzle through the tubing and sends a stream of fine particles of liquid coloring matter out through the nozzle. The artist controls the air pressure by means of a valve to create different effects.
The spray gun is a tool that works in the same way as an airbrush, but it takes less skill to operate. Painters use it to apply coats of paint, varnish, shellac, and other finishing materials to all types of manufactured articles.
