vehicle painting vs infantry painting

[minigun762]

So the majority of the tutorials I've seen online are for infantry models. Is there a good video or guide for vehicles? Something that discusses what to look out for with all those flat panels and far bigger model size.

[Cpt Lazarus]

Miniwargaming.com has some great tutorials, but it's a paid membership to access the majority of them

[lhg033]

I think jawaballs had a few youtube guides for things like speeders etc - been a long time since I've looked though and youtube is blocked at work

[MordentHex]

best bet is to look on youtube for a tutorial. thye may even have one or two for the exact vehicle your wanting to paint.

[Trevak Dal]

Unfortunately, I tend to see a whole lot of Airbrush stuff.  That's cool that people have more money than me, but to use Videogame terminology, the tutorials of how to use their Cheatcode Paintbrush isn't helping me on Normal over here.

[minigun762]

Unfortunately, I tend to see a whole lot of Airbrush stuff. That's cool that people have more money than me, but to use Videogame terminology, the tutorials of how to use their Cheatcode Paintbrush isn't helping me on Normal over here.

Exactly my experience as well.

They speak in hushed tones of the danger of brush strokes but don't talk about fixing the problem.

[Kilofix]

TBH, I paint my vehicles exactly like I paint my infantry except that I apply my washes to more specific areas.

 

I.e.

 

Primer completely

Apply Basecoats - e.g. main body color, tracks color, weapon color, etc.

Drybrush edges of main body

Washes only to recesses

Apply further 'line' Highlights to edges

Apply Weathering with sponge, powder, etc.

[MordentHex]

TBH, I paint my vehicles exactly like I paint my infantry except that I apply my washes to more specific areas.

 

I.e.

 

Primer completely

Apply Basecoats - e.g. main body color, tracks color, weapon color, etc.

Drybrush edges of main body

Washes only to recesses

Apply further 'line' Highlights to edges

Apply Weathering with sponge, powder, etc.

what he said, but i dont drybrush, I do thinned down minimalistic highlighting

[MagicMan]

Ive also stumbled against the myriad of tutorials that primarily use airbrushes.

 

I tackled my first vehicle the other day, approaching it as i would any normal model but with a bigger brush, and it worked the same way. Just gotta be careful not to let washes pool in the middle of big flat sections. Move them around more.

[Trevak Dal]

Not that I have room to speak because I shoot for "rough tabletop quality" but I don't think competitions like Golden Daemon should allow people to use Airbrushes.  It's the Mark of Nurgle for painting (Mark of the Bitch)

[deathspectersgt7]

Not that I have room to speak because I shoot for "rough tabletop quality" but I don't think competitions like Golden Daemon should allow people to use Airbrushes.  It's the Mark of Nurgle for painting (Mark of the Bitch)

Thanks I feel out of the chair laughing.

[minigun762]

So same types of paints, same types of shades or whatever just use a bigger brush?

[Aspecti]

Pretty much yeah. And paint whole sections at once, don't paint half of some armor panel and let it dry and then paint the other half, it will look bad. Like with infantry models, it's always better to lay down multiple thin layers than one too thick layer ;)

[SW1]

A good flat undercoat is most important. So out of a can will help doesn't need an airbrush. Doesn't have to be an expensive purchase. The local pound shop does a can for £1 it's sold as car spray but works wonders. Lol ... Especially on vehicles!

[MagicMan]

Not that I have room to speak because I shoot for "rough tabletop quality" but I don't think competitions like Golden Daemon should allow people to use Airbrushes. It's the Mark of Nurgle for painting (Mark of the Bitch)

Lol i'm sure it takes some skill to use an airbrush... But i always feel like screaming ''CHEAT!!'' at people who do.

[Kilofix]

Pretty much yeah. And paint whole sections at once, don't paint half of some armor panel and let it dry and then paint the other half, it will look bad. Like with infantry models, it's always better to lay down multiple thin layers than one too thick layer

Yes this.

Same paint, same washes, bigger brush (I acutally use the GW Large Drybrush for painting regular basecoat / layers).

Thin layers will make sure it is smooth.

For large panels paint in one direction with pressure all the way through then reverse direction and smooth.

This is for wall painting but same technique. - see starting 1:40

[S.k.i.t.t.l.e]

Airbrushing is a skill.. a one I wish I had...

 

Using an airbrush to paint a larger area isn't 'cheating' it merely makes more sense to use one over a relatively small brush. If you can't use one yet, buy one and learn, or choose not to, it's up to you, but don't complain that someone is using a tool that makes the job easier... A carpenter cutting wood with a power saw instead of a hand saw isn't cheating is he? :)

[MagicMan]

No definitely not, i meant it in a jokey way. :)

 

If i had an airbrush i'd probably use it too. 

[S.k.i.t.t.l.e]

Airbrushing is awesome, I'm not very good with mine yet, but for priming and basecoating you can't beat it. It's hellish fun too, learning the correct viscosity of paint, the correct air pressures, watching the seamless blends form... :) I love it. Best purchase I've made for my hobby yet.

[Trevak Dal]

Oh I'm not saying there isn't skill involved with Airbrushing, just like there's skill involved using a Plague Marine army.  I'm just saying it shouldn't be allowed in painting competitions.  And airbrushing gear and set-up is quite expensive-and I can't justify buying into it because I'm not-nor do I wish to be a professional Painter.  I may not be in this hobby forever, then I got a bunch of stuff lying around with nowhere to put it.  

Screwing around with mixtures and all that noise is sort of pointless in the wake of Minitair airbrushing paints.

The excess of Airbrush painting this or that is annoying, when I'm looking at how to paint stuff, it's with a brush.  If the videos/tutorials wrote what it was in the description, OR *gasp* showed techniques for doing it BOTH ways, it'd be better.  But they don't.

 

I'm not going to dumping money into this hobby when I keep getting pitted up against :cuss my guys can't fight (My Tau army has an answer to everything-but that's irrelevant).  I don't play escalation-and insist on smaller point games to AVOID said bull:cuss.  That's grand and nice people got more money to spend than me-I want an Xbone and Titanfall (just waiting a bit longer for Microsoft to cave on that backward compatibility thing),  I want a newer car.

 

That's all before I even consider owning an Airbrush (and ALL the stuff required to set it up)-OR buying more Chaos Space Marine stuff (which at this point is throwing money down a well in the face of Lords of War)

[S.k.i.t.t.l.e]

Vallejo have a range for airbrushing too, and that's not perfect either, learning the viscosity is important, as not every paint can be used straight out of the bottle, regardless of what Vallejo or Badger for that matter, say.

 

Banning an airbrush from painting competitions would be pointless, they are a tool that can be used to achieve certain effects. It is, in itself, a technique. It would be like banning wet layering from painting competitions, just because other entrants can't or won't spend the time (or in this case the money and time) to learn the technique.

 

It's fair do's if you don't want to spend money on an airbrush, but hating on the fact that other people do is a little puerile.

 

A set of good brushes (say W&N S7's) is around £40, and you are limited as to what you can do with them, you aren't going to basecoat and drybrush with them... a cheap airbrush setup can be had for about £60 - £70, it will prime, basecoat, highlight, blend etc, will last years (I've had mine for two years and I wouldn't say ive done the best job of taking care of it) and it will still go strong.

 

It's all personal preference of course. But painting a vehicle with an airbrush is way faster, easier to keep smooth and actually uses a lot less paint than a brush, it makes absolute sense to use it. You wouldn't use your GW Fine detail brush to paint your front door...

 

Personally I would like to see more brush based technique videos, wet layering, etc, I would love to have a better understanding of.

 

Hope that this doesn't make me sound like a douche, I'm not attacking anyone, just stating my opinion. I know that written text doesn't purvey emotion well, limitations of communication and all that. :)

[SW1]

It's a case of the right tool for the job. You can't get certain effects via a brush and vice versa there are things you just can't do with an airbrush.

 

If you want decent tutorials covering all aspects of painting certain featured models have a look at:

 

http://taleofpainters.blogspot.co.uk

 

Makes GWS's paint splatter look really amateur.

[Garath]

Unfortunately, I tend to see a whole lot of Airbrush stuff.  That's cool that people have more money than me, but to use Videogame terminology, the tutorials of how to use their Cheatcode Paintbrush isn't helping me on Normal over here.

  I use a standard big o' brush to paint vehicles from time to time.  It works the same way as for infantry .

1. Undercoat the model. 

2, Prime color. Add a tiny bit of GW (darker) foundation paint into your basic colour. This will help cover larger areas more evenly. 

   Take a hair dryer to speed up the process  - I'm being serious here

3. Highlight the model like you would infantry,or drybrush the highlights

4. Use thinned down gloss varnish to protect the model and make further washing,shading,weathering etc easier

5. Decals,insignias etc

6. Washing,shading,weathering 

7. Mud ,dirt, oil ,sand

[Kaedes Nex]

Airbrushing is totally legit, guys. It just feels like cheating because you get much more impressive results with less time and effort, but it still takes skill and practice.

 

Paintbrush = pain to use.

Airbrush = pain to clean.

 

Also one cheaty tip is to use Army Painter colored primer. That should really help out for large, flat things like vehicles.

[Garath]

Airbrushing is totally legit, guys. It just feels like cheating because you get much more impressive results with less time and effort, but it still takes skill and practice.

 

Paintbrush = pain to use.

Airbrush = pain to clean.

 True, true.  

 

  It also costs money to buy an airbrush.  I bought a chinese knock of on evilbay- and it serves me well with good results.

 

  As for the skill part - it's a whole new kind of a ball game