About Gerald Mendez - Aerogafika

Born in Mexico City, Gerald Mendez grew up surrounded by an artistic environment, all his life he was introduced to different aspects of art because of his father, who was an architectural model maker and also loved art. Gerald eventually worked on personal art projects when he started developing some artistic talents of his own at a young age.

After his Graphic Design education in Mexico city, and a few jobs as a Technical Draftsman he discovered something that to him was a "magic tool" unlike any he had ever used: "the airbrush". He was intrigued about how this instrument could render such smooth blends and perfect detail that couldn't be matched by the tools he knew at the time. He tried different mediums like Oils, Acrylics, and Watercolors using basic techiques, but with no results compared with the Airbrush effects.

Unfortunately in Mexico there was very little information about Airbrush techniques and even less available equipment, and it was very expensive for his budget, he didn't have a reliable air compressor and if it would break, it was very hard to get it fixed. "I was determined to learn how to airbrush, at first I experimented by blowing paint between two pieces of plastic just to get the illusion, and I would use newspaper and rubber cement for masks".

In 1986, he moved to California and got a job as an Architectura Draftsman in Pasadena, California, he spent his first paycheck on a "Pashe VL"airbrush, and his first airbrush book: "Airbrush, the complete studio handbook by Radu Vero". He spent arduos hours trying to discover how to handle this "magic tool" and improve his technique, trying to read and understand the book in english was hard for him since he didn't know the language. It was a struggle, at first he used the wrong paint, wrong airbrushes, and wrong techiques, because there was no one he could ask questions about airbrushing, "everything was wrong...ja,ja" , he learned the hard way, he spent the first couple of years learning by making mistakes. He must have been doing something right though, because one time he tried to take a begginners airbrush course at a local high school and the instructor thought he was too advanced for the class.

At first he began practicing with illustrations, trying to apply these new applications to his old fashioned Graphic Design knowledge, next he learned how to airbrush on t-shirts, he opened his own business where he stayed for five years, learning how to work fast, accurately, and how to fix mistakes, this experience led him to work on metal, such as car hoods and motorcycles.

It wasn't until Gerald met Ted Cordts a professional automotive painter that he was introduced into the proper use of automotive paint; like pearls, kandies, and urethane's. Since then they both started a new business called GM Bootleg, in which they specialize in custom Harley motorcycle paint jobs. They have been working together since 1992, and keep progressing each and every day.

In 1997 Gerald started working for a new customer called Olaes Design Marketing (ODM, one of the largest apparel design company in USA ). Where he started doing manual airbrush illustrations. After six months they introduced him into digital illustration. Opening new doors for him in this field. Ever since that day, he continues working as a freelance digital illustrator and he keeps very bussy as a creative automotive airbrush artist. His goals are to perfect his techniques and to collect a series of personal pieces that convey his own style, for which he is highly recognized