Rhythmistic Airbrush

with Turtel Onli
PAINTING & DRAWING 679 001 | 3 credits | $175 Lab Fee
June 1–14, 2025

Taught by an airbrush master and legend of the Chicago-based Wearable Art Movement in the 1970’s, students who enroll in this class have a unique opportunity to enhance their technique with an exciting and versatile tool while considering the radicality of the medium. At the heart of the Wearable Art Movement was the rejection of traditional hierarchies that elevated fine art over craft. With this in mind, students will survey the fundamentals, care, and accessories related to the airbrush to create exceptional wearable and 2D artworks. This is a project based course designed to expand the skills of the beginner and experienced airbrush user. Proper handling, studio safety, and water based methods will be demonstrated for a more errorless experience. We will glean inspiration from the airbrush greats including Terry Hill, Olivia De Berardinis, H. R. Giger, and Pamela Shanteau and available texts will include The Complete Airbrush Book by Ralph Maurello, The Ultimate Airbrush Handbook by Pamela Shanteau. Assignments will familiarize students with both stencils and a freehand technique to achieve an expressive result. Our most complex project will involve precise registration techniques, with multiple colors and spray patterns to achieve an excellent collection of designed 2D and wearable artworks. T-shirts and other fabric will be provided, but students should also bring their own pieces that they imagine could be involved in their final, wearable, presentation.

Turtel Onli (Mr/him/he) was a major-market illustrator for the likes of Holt, Rinehart & Winston, Chicago Magazine, Capital Records, MODE Avant-Garde Magazine, and more after graduating from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in BFA in Art Ed & M.A.A.T. in Clinical Art Therapy. Onli taught Air-Brush on fabrics / textiles at the Textile Art Center and Fashion Illustration at Columbia College in Chicago plus had an amazing run producing limited-edition fashionably versatile wearable art and dynamic fashion shows at the Limelight Club. All due to the air-brush. Onli uses it still in doing Rhythmistic Fine Art for his thematic visual art gallery exhibitions, custom murals, and l Illustrations for his break-out limited edition Graphic Novels.

Turtel Onli