howtogranite

#1
You can create the Granite effect with basically and spray gun. The "yellow" graphics here indicates the normal spray pattern. To do Granite, the spray gun needs to be adjusted to produce a dot like pattern as depicted by the "blue dots".

#2
The Spray Gun that I'm using for this demonstrations is an Iwata LPH-80. Most newer spray guns have a air control valve located at the bottom of the handle. This controls the air pressure at the tip of the spray gun.

#3
To set the spray gun up for Granite, the air being feed into the tip needs to be choked off. In the old days painters used to do this by crimping the hose to cut the air flow off. Turn the air adjustment all the way in and open it back up about 1/4 of a turn.

#4
I recommend that you have an in-line air regulator hooked up. This will make it easier to control the size of the dots and keep them consistent. Set the air pressure at approximately 10psi at the gun. The less psi, the bigger the dots. (Close off the air regulator and open it back up '1/3' one third of a turn)

#5
Start by practicing very small paint (dots) droplets. Imagine if you were painting a light fade in a small graphic. Take where you would have your spray gun set for that and cut the air pressure back until the gun starts to spit paint.

#6
After a couple of passes with the spray gun this is what the pattern and paint droplet size should look like.

#7
To increase the size of the paint droplet gradually close the air regulator. Don't close it completely. What's happening when you do this is the spray gun is being delivered the same amount of paint as normal but the air which is a vehicle for the paint is being cut off. With improper air/paint mixture it causes the spray gun to spit the paint and created droplets. (Close off the air regulator and open it back up '1/4' one quarter of a turn.)

#8
Never pull the trigger on the spray gun all the way back or hold it open for a long period of time. With the air pressure being cut off the spray gun will need a few seconds to build enough pressure to push the paint out. Barely pull the trigger back and make one pass over the surface and then let off to build air pressure back up.

#9
With the air pressure cut back a little from the first test, practice making medium size droplets. You can see the medium droplets over the smaller droplets in this picture.

#10
To make the large droplets start by shutting off the air regulator and just slightly opening it back up. For thi there will be alnmost no air delivery through the spray gun. (Close off the air regulator and open it back up '1/8' one eighth of a turn.)

#11. Practice doing the large dots on paper before attempting to apply them to a project. If too much air is shut off an excessive amount of paint will be delivered and it will produce elongated droplets.

#11
When applying the large droplets pull the trigger on the spray gun approximately half way back. Thiswill force what little air pressure it has into the tip. Make fast passes over the surface with the spray gun and apply short bursts of paint.

#1
Paint the overall surface that will have the Granite Effect with a neutral gray tone. After you have practiced the different gun settings you should be able to do all the Granite with the medium droplet setting. The size of the droplets can be controlled by how far back the spray gun trigger is pulled back. Start by covering the surface with small droplets.

#2
Gradually pull the trigger back and increase the distance away from the surface to create medium sized droplets. Turn the air pressure down and do short bursts of paint to create the large droplets.

#3
Move fast and in all directions when applying the droplets. Be careful not to get too much coverage over the neutral gray base.

#4
Clean out the spray gun and a white paint. Start by applying small droplets of white. The small droplets will help give a grain and textured look.

#5
Cut the air pressure down with the regulator and make a few passes add the medium sized white droplets. Once again, be careful not to get too much coverage that will kill out the neutral gray background.

#6
With white being the dominate color in this process only add a few large droplets of it. Too many large white droplets will be overbearing on the design.

#7
This step does not have to be done but, I like to add a medium purple droplet to give the Granite a little color.

#1
Using a Iwata HP-BH and black paint creat a fine jagged design to simulate cracks in the surface. Pick a light source and shadow the bottoms of the cracks.

#2
Using a over reduced white add highlights to what would be the top of each broken piece of granite.

#3
If there on any graphics on the project a 3-D effect can be created by using a over reduced black to add drop shadows. Using a over reduced black is done the drop shadow does not dominate or blend in with the cracks. See the photo at the top of this page to see what the finished granite and over all design looked like. Notice how using a neutral "granite" background with drop shadows give a three dimensional look to a simple two color job.

The Granite Special Effect has been around for decades. It is still a favorite among custom painters 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.

Airbrush : Iwata HP-BH, Custom Micron B
Spray Guns: Iwata LPH400 and Iwata LPH300
Paint Media: PPG, X-Otic and Matrix Systems
Surface Media: Everything I can get paint to stick to.
Masking : Metalflake Spray Mask, Artool Strtch Mask, R-Tape and 3M Masking Tapes
Projector: Artograph
Lighting : Natural and Florescent. Artool Pro Light Box, Spray-Line and Spray King Paint Booths

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

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