Looking for airbrushing hints and tips

[Olis]

So, long story short, I've been coveting an airbrush for a while and now I've gone and ordered one. It's just a lowly beginner's piece but, imho, it's a rather large step to take for someone who's only used brushes for the last twenty years. ^_^

 

I'm looking for general advice from the painting community here on B&C regarding such a bit of kit. For example - Should I stick with the paints I already have or should I invest in some Vallejo Model Air (or a similar product)? Just how quickly does a the tip dry? What pressure(s) should I be aiming for? Is there anything you can suggest that could help me avoid any newbie mistakes?

[Guest Azrael275]

Check out Awesomepaintjob.com He has lots of good tips especially his mix for thinning your paints. I personally used GW paint with my airbrush. Or check out this page for more info:

http://www.akaranseth.com/blog/tutorials/airbrushing-for-figurine.htm

[Warhead01]

I started messing with the airbrush about 3 years ago now. In the beginning I was fixated with prethined paints and had no end of issues getting it ll to work. I learned a lot in the first year. Small stuff like thinning my paints with windex and what to look for when cleaning my airbrush. It isn't all that hard to learn to use. Another resource you might find of use is the WGC. http://www.wgconsortium.com/ Just have a look around the forum and their are also youtube videos. APJ less form Awesomepaintjob.com does some stuff with WGC. 

[Olis]

Thank you brothers. Any information is good, I'd say.

[Bartali]

You can use any acrylics through your airbrush with an appropiate thinner. Vallejo sell an airbrush thinner, and also an airbrush cleaner, which are both well worth picking up

[Kilofix]

To avoid buying different sets of paints for brush and airbrush, I just use GW paints for everything.

 

I mix GW paints with Windex for my Airbrush. Amount varies depending on the paint but I usually start with 1:1 (then add more Windex for thicker colors like Leadbealcher). I mix in a separate plastic cup before pouring into my Gravity Cup or Siphon Feed Jar. I use the Gravity when doing less painting and the Siphon when doing more painting of the same color. I know when the consistency is right when I tilt my mixing cup and only a thin layer of paint still sticks to the sides.

 

I run between 25 and 35 psi depending on how 'solid' I want my paint coat.

 

I use a simple single action airbursh (Paache) as it is easier to clean up and I don't need to control the flow on the fly. It's easy enough for me to adjust the nozzle if I need to. That way I also don't need to be fiddling with two different things while painting.

 

I also use a piece of cardboard as a make-shift stencil (i.e. to cover certain parts). I've also seen people cover their models with latex gloves with a hole cut out for the part to be painted but I just prefer my cardboard.

 

I have spare jars to store unused paint that I've mixed.

 

Usually I airbrush parts before assembly. E.g. I'll airbrush armor, separate from weapons, separate from other parts that have different colors, etc. before assembling my models.

 

I'll also airbrush different layers to create centennial (zenith?) highlights - i.e. first airbush the whole model with a base color, then airbrush the whole model with the airbrush overhead and pointing down with a lighter shade, then airbrush just thetip  top most parts of the model with an even lighter shade.

 

Airbrushing batches of models cuts down on paint swapping of course.

 

What else, what else.... I'll post more if I think of more stuff.