|
|
Post by Asyrean on Aug 8, 2016 9:10:18 GMT -6
Hello guys,
Well, I made the plunge. I invested in an airbrush (and compressor, etc.)! Super excited about it for a variety of reasons. (Really excited for it in terms of painting vehicles.) Found a super cool store here in Chicago (maybe it's well known, but I just stumbled upon it through interwebz searching). Chicago Airbrush Supply. On Elston and Fullerton, basically. Was cool to go in and actually talk to folks rather than just relying on random web searching and then ultimately rolling the dice. It's a cool store and they have tons of other art supplies in general.
Anyway, just curious if the other airbrushers on here had any basic tips for a beginner. I've been doing lots of youtube watching and research, but figured I'd reach out on here as well for any additional tips. Appreciate any advice folks can give, or resources they can point me to.
And lastly, maybe a silly question but wanted to get some opinions. When you're airbrushing, do you wear a respirator? I see varying comments out there ranging from folks advocating strongly that a respirator MUST be worn to others saying that as long as it's not aerosol, what's the big deal? So any comments would be great.
Thanks again!
-Dave
|
|
T1m
new guy
Posts: 302 
|
Post by T1m on Aug 8, 2016 9:25:20 GMT -6
I am in the camp that says you definitely want a respirator. I use this one and have never had any issues. While it's true it isn't aerosol, there are still paint particles in the air and you don't want those in your lungs. As far as any other tips go, I'd say that there is no hard and fast rule for thinning paints, it just takes time and experience. Same with finding an ideal pressure. And clean the airbrush often, that is key to having it work well and not just be a source of frustration. |
|
|
|
Post by Asyrean on Aug 8, 2016 9:42:40 GMT -6
Hey Tim, Thanks for the comments.
Regarding the respirator, I'm actually not of a mindset one way or the other, simply because I have never really thought about it, until I stumbled upon that point last night while doing research (it was a conversation on Reddit I saw.) Seemed to be a big dialogue of folks going back and forth advocating one way or the other. I'll probably get one and err on the side of caution. Thanks for the tips!
Also, thank you for mentioning the thinning of paints. Do you use a thinner? or do you just stick with water? Also, I'm a big fan of thinning my paints (when brush painting) to the point of probably over thinning. But, I've found that too thin is better than not thin enough and so, thats where I'm going to start with regards to my airbrush and then tweak as necessary. But, I am curious if plain old water is good enough, or if a thinner is preferred.
I also plan to pick up a few of the GW Air paints the next time I'm at the Dojo (I think they have the Air line...). Not going to replace my entire paint line, but maybe just get some of my staples (Abaddon Black, Leadbelcher, Macragge Blue, etc) and see how they work out.
Oh! Sorry, last question. Any thoughts on an airbrush primer? I dont think GW has one, but I saw that Vallejo has a primer especially designed for airbrushes. This any good?
|
|
|
|
Post by Nick P on Aug 8, 2016 9:47:54 GMT -6
In my very limited time using my airbrush (just about a month now), I will say the biggest difference maker was getting the right pressure/paint consistency. While using the airbrush was great from the jump, when I finally got the right paint consistency (using airbrush specific paints and just a tad of distilled water), and found the right pressure on my compressor all of the sudden it was like using a paintbrush in its simplicity, accuracy, and coverage (in terms of consistency).
So I would just say practice - and get airbrush specific paint if you don't have some already. And clean the airbrush after every use (and even in the middle of a session if its a longer session) to ensure that it stays functional and consistent.
Also on the use of a respirator - I do not have one, and have not used one...though as Tim points out, there are still paint particles in the air, so I should probably do *something* about it. I do have some basic paint masks, which I will probably start using, and they are cheap and readily available at a lot of different types of stores (I've seen them at anywhere from ACE Hardware (duh) to CVS and Walgreens).
|
|
|
|
Post by Asyrean on Aug 8, 2016 9:51:55 GMT -6
In my very limited time using my airbrush (just about a month now), I will say the biggest difference maker was getting the right pressure/paint consistency. While using the airbrush was great from the jump, when I finally got the right paint consistency (using airbrush specific paints and just a tad of distilled water), and found the right pressure on my compressor all of the sudden it was like using a paintbrush in its simplicity, accuracy, and coverage (in terms of consistency). So I would just say practice - and get airbrush specific paint if you don't have some already. And clean the airbrush after every use (and even in the middle of a session if its a longer session) to ensure that it stays functional and consistent. Also on the use of a respirator - I do not have one, and have not used one...though as Tim points out, there are still paint particles in the air, so I should probably do *something* about it. I do have some basic paint masks, which I will probably start using, and they are cheap and readily available at a lot of different types of stores (I've seen them at anywhere from ACE Hardware (duh) to CVS and Walgreens). Thanks Nick, also appreciate the comments. Thats actually one thing I'm most curious about. I.e., how precise can the AB get? I mean, in my mind I went with it from the point of view of doing larger models and base coating / priming, but I am curious exactly how precise I can get with it. Could I do the gold trim on the space marine pauldrons? (Ultramarines, remember)? Not a big deal either way, just curious how small you can go... Will be fun to play with it! |
|
T1m
new guy
Posts: 302
|
Post by T1m on Aug 8, 2016 10:46:02 GMT -6
I use an airbrush thinner from vallejo. It goes a long way and gives a very nice, flat finish. Though water does work quite well. Steer clear of Windex like a lot of people say. I also use the vallejo surface primer, which is amazing. I've used the same bottle for almost 3 years now and it still has like a third left. It's great stuff. I don't think you'll be able to do the gold trim on the space marine pauldrons, but you can get pretty good detail. It depends on the size of the needle in your brush, then how thin the paint is and how strong the pressure is. I'd say you could easily do stuff like power swords and plasma guns once you get the hang of it. Edited to add: Here is an example of some of the smaller detail I was able to do on the stairs of the Cauldron of Blood model from a while back.  |
|
|
|
Post by Asyrean on Aug 8, 2016 11:00:11 GMT -6
Dang! That is awesome! Thank you for sharing.
And thanks for the tips on the primer. Do you know if the Dojo carries the Vallejo surface primer? I've never looked at non GW paints, so I dont know off the top of my head. But glad to hear that it is good stuff!
And also thank you for the tips on thinning. Actually, I hadn't come across anyone saying Windex yet... But I'm glad to know off hand to avoid it. I actually have a bottle of the Liquitex airbrush thinner coming in today that I ordered off Amazon, which I'll try first and see how it works out.
Again, thanks for all the tips, I really appreciate it!
|
|
|
|
Post by Nick P on Aug 8, 2016 12:57:24 GMT -6
I've heard people rave about the liquitex airbrush thinner so that's a good purchase. I just use distilled water, but have heard people use regular tap water just fine. Lahmian medium would also be a decent thinner I would think, since its basically just the medium that GW uses as the carrier for all of their pigments.
I echo what tim said in regards to detail - its perfect for doing fast base coats/some details on larger models, but its not great for fine detail work. Not that you *couldnt* do it - it would honestly be a matter of ease at that point, and at that level of detail it seriously is just easier and faster to use a brush. But for getting models to the point of "ready for detail work" airbrushing is insanely easy and quick.
It took me about 2 hours to get my Thousand Sons Spartan 100% ready for detail work - and, frankly, as it stands its 100% game ready; I just want to add rust effects, dust, and do a proper job of painting lenses and gemstones.
In about an hour, I can take a unit of 10 marines (primed black) and have their armor 100% done. Not as game ready as a tank, but another hour or two with a detail brush and my leadbelcher/gehennas gold paints (and a layer of thinned agrax) and they'll be table ready too.
Think of it like a shortcut tool, rather than a 1-stop shop.
|
|
dex
neophyte
STATUS
Posts: 739
|
Post by dex on Aug 8, 2016 13:28:49 GMT -6
1-Get a mask.
2-I use airbrush medium from Vallejo when needed, but almost exclusively use dedicated airbrush paints.
|
|
|
|
Post by Asyrean on Aug 8, 2016 14:02:42 GMT -6
I've heard people rave about the liquitex airbrush thinner so that's a good purchase. I just use distilled water, but have heard people use regular tap water just fine. Lahmian medium would also be a decent thinner I would think, since its basically just the medium that GW uses as the carrier for all of their pigments. I echo what tim said in regards to detail - its perfect for doing fast base coats/some details on larger models, but its not great for fine detail work. Not that you *couldnt* do it - it would honestly be a matter of ease at that point, and at that level of detail it seriously is just easier and faster to use a brush. But for getting models to the point of "ready for detail work" airbrushing is insanely easy and quick. It took me about 2 hours to get my Thousand Sons Spartan 100% ready for detail work - and, frankly, as it stands its 100% game ready; I just want to add rust effects, dust, and do a proper job of painting lenses and gemstones. In about an hour, I can take a unit of 10 marines (primed black) and have their armor 100% done. Not as game ready as a tank, but another hour or two with a detail brush and my leadbelcher/gehennas gold paints (and a layer of thinned agrax) and they'll be table ready too. Think of it like a shortcut tool, rather than a 1-stop shop. Awesome! Thanks for the pointers. And yes, as you said I do look at the airbrush as more of a short cut tool rather than an end all / be all. Basically what I was saying about fine detail work was more just expressing a curiosity about whether its even possible or not. Frankly, I dont mind using a brush and rather enjoy it (and prefer it). I'm just excited for the airbrush to provide a smoother finish, especially on larger models. Actually, when I get my next two imperial knights put together, I can't wait to use the airbrush rather than a brush for getting the whole skeleton based coated in leadbelcher. Man that took a long time getting every nook and cranny on my first one, using a brush. Again, thanks everyone for the tips. Once I have something photo-worthy I'll be sure to post it up here for ridicule. |
|
cj
neophyte
Posts: 734
|
Post by cj on Aug 8, 2016 15:43:25 GMT -6
What air pressure do you all like to use?
|
|
T1m
new guy
Posts: 302
|
Post by T1m on Aug 9, 2016 7:15:01 GMT -6
I usually use around 30, but if I want to do something smaller I might go down to around 10.
|
|
|
|
Post by Nick P on Aug 9, 2016 8:18:15 GMT -6
My compressor has no gauge (you can tell I really splurged), so I have no idea. But...50% of my compressors full power lol
|
|
|
|
Post by Asyrean on Aug 9, 2016 9:14:05 GMT -6
My compressor has no gauge (you can tell I really splurged), so I have no idea. But...50% of my compressors full power lol Mine is the same... which I just noticed as I was pulling it out of the box. No gauge, and no way to adjust PSI. But, according to the box, it runs at 20 - 35PSI (If it has no gauge, I wonder how it decides what PSI it runs at? Not to mention, that's an awful big window. hmmm...) Anyway, I'm not psyched about that, but I will still give it a shot and see if I have any issues with it. In a worst case, I'll return it and get a different compressor. But, I'm assuming for my uses, at least initially, it will probably end up being fine. |
|
|
|
Post by Nick P on Aug 9, 2016 9:34:03 GMT -6
Yeah mine just has a valve (basically a nut on a threaded valve at the top) that I can tighten to increase pressure or loosen to decrease pressure. I've found that keeping it roughly where it was when I opened the box (about 50% tightened), is perfect - from what I've seen of youtube videos etc, it appears to be right around the 30 PSI that people recommend (same type of flow, coverage as in their vids).
|
|
