HobbyHammer Posted June 8, 2016 Share Posted June 8, 2016 Hi! So I have finally done it and got myself an airbrush. Its very pretty to look at but I'm scared of actually using it! I want to make sure I use it right, so first things first, what paint sets do people use for airbrushing. and what ratio of thinner do you use to thin paints down. I have heard good things about Scale 75 and want to know if anyone has any experience of airbrushing with these paints. Up until this point I have only used GW paints but I gather, due to the thickness of these they won't be very good for airbrushing. Love to know peoples thoughts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dangermouse425 Posted June 8, 2016 Share Posted June 8, 2016 Scale 75 make some really nice paint, but are quite technically tricky. If you're just starting out into the world of airbrushes, I can really recommend Vallejo Game Air (or Model Air for more colour variation). The Game Air range has many advantages: Pre-thinned and designed for airbrush use Colours match Citadel range as close as possible Paint is in dropper bottles, enabling easy airbrush use Mix really easily and also react well with most thinning agents, or water. I would personally avoid the Citadel Air range purely because they're not in dropper bottles. It's just an unnecessary faff using pipettes or "spooning" it in with a brush. I have the whole Citadel range, the whole Vallejo Game Air range and various different Model Air, Model Colour and Scale 75 paints. The Vallejo Air ranges are by far the easiest to learn with and are what I would recommend at first, and going forward. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RuneBrush Posted June 8, 2016 Share Posted June 8, 2016 You can theoretically use any paint in your airbrush with adequate thinning. Given the opportunity any paint will clog the tip of the airbrush, but certain colours are worse than others (The Fang...). Vallejo Model Air, Citadel Air and Forge World non-metallics benefit from being thinned a little bit (they just need less than a non-air paint) to get the perfect consistency. Vallejo Metal Color and the metallic Forge World airbrush paints can be used neat and are amazing for metals (don't apply metal color too thickly). Vallejo Model Air metallic are nasty to clean out the airbrush in my opinion, but the finish is OK Thinners are a huge subject of conversation and opinion and you'll likely want to experiment before committing. I personally like Vallejo Air Thinner for the VMA paints and Forge World Solution for Citadel and Forge World paints but you're going to hear a dozen differing opinions on that. If you live in a hard water area, avoid using tap water as the calcium in it does change the consistency of the paint. You can transfer any paint to a dropper bottle which is what I've done for the vast majority of my paints, I also use a very high-quality Stainless Steel ball bearing as an agitator. SnMStuff stocks empty Vallejo dropper bottles if you want to do that. Scale75 are lovely for brush painting, but I think they'd need a lot of faffing to get them through an airbrush nicely as they're the same thickness as an artists acryclic from a tube Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soulsmith Posted June 8, 2016 Share Posted June 8, 2016 Think I'll have to check out Vallejo's range for once if you guys think it's better than citadels new stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dez Posted June 8, 2016 Share Posted June 8, 2016 There's a great post on Miniwargaming on doing this, but it appears that the pics have have gone missing. Here is the YouTube video that was posted on tranferring GW paints to a dropper bottle. I'd have done it myself already...but I realized it was going to be a significant investment (paint hoarder!). I also recommend the Vallejo Game Air. I've also used some of the Reaper HD right out of the bottle and they work nicely too. . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RuneBrush Posted June 8, 2016 Share Posted June 8, 2016 39 minutes ago, Soulsmith said: Think I'll have to check out Vallejo's range for once if you guys think it's better than citadels new stuff. Wouldn't have said better beyond the fact they're already in a dropper bottle. Quick question - what are you hoping to paint initially? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soulsmith Posted June 8, 2016 Share Posted June 8, 2016 1 hour ago, RuneBrush said: Wouldn't have said better beyond the fact they're already in a dropper bottle. Quick question - what are you hoping to paint initially? I have at current been simply using my airbrush for basecoating - next on the agenda are ironjawz. I would like to try and use it for more indepth purposes on the maw krusha. I also am currently working on FW orc bosses banner bearer, and the flag on that would be doable with an airbrush. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RuneBrush Posted June 9, 2016 Share Posted June 9, 2016 15 hours ago, Soulsmith said: I have at current been simply using my airbrush for basecoating - next on the agenda are ironjawz. I would like to try and use it for more indepth purposes on the maw krusha. I also am currently working on FW orc bosses banner bearer, and the flag on that would be doable with an airbrush. Maw Krusha would be an excellent "mini" to play with To a certain extent with a model like that you could safely go for any range as you're less likely to need to match something else (Vallejo doesn't 100% match the Citadel colours for example, so one airbrushed model mixed in with three hand painted could look weird). Handful of tips I'd offer. Firstly, pick up some Tamiya masking tape - the yellow stuff that comes in different thicknesses. This is the best tape you can use for masking off on top of existing paint work without damaging it. You can use regular masking tape on top of the Tamiya but don't let that touch any existing paint. Regardless of how low-tack it is, it'll either pull paint off or leave a residue behind or not stick properly. Airbrushing Citadel shades works amazingly well on large surfaces if you build up the layers gently you can achieve a really deep and rich effect and it's a really good way of improving your skills. Mix techniques together - airbrush a base colour, shade by hand, push shadows with the airbrush, zenithal highlight with the airbrush, finish with edge highlighting for example, but experiment to what suits you. Mixing techniques is what removes that classically "airbrushed" finish that some people are very critical about. Have a hunt round on the internet for things like pre-shading once you feel you've got the airbrush under control. A light varnish between layers is a good way to "lock" in what you've done. Airbrushed layers are so thin that it's quite easy to damage them. I tend to use a vinyl glove if I'm likely to handle the miniature as it's quick to change and means I don't run the risk of scuffing the paint or getting finger grease on it. A coat of varnish is also quite good if you're looking to apply a shade as it won't taint the paint (which is more porous than when applied by hand). Finally - lots of practice, and I mean lots. Don't be afraid to redo an area if it's come out badly, the layers are so thin you aren't going to run the risk of loosing detail. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soulsmith Posted June 9, 2016 Share Posted June 9, 2016 Thanks for the tips! I'll have to give it a go soon. Been a while since I picked it up, my FW boss is too detail heavy for me to find it much use over a brush. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HobbyHammer Posted June 10, 2016 Author Share Posted June 10, 2016 I have gone down the road of Vallejo Game Air and Model Air. Will post up some results I get for first attempts! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted June 11, 2016 Share Posted June 11, 2016 On 8 June 2016 at 3:23 PM, Dez said: There's a great post on Miniwargaming on doing this, but it appears that the pics have have gone missing. Here is the YouTube video that was posted on tranferring GW paints to a dropper bottle. I'd have done it myself already...but I realized it was going to be a significant investment (paint hoarder!). I also recommend the Vallejo Game Air. I've also used some of the Reaper HD right out of the bottle and they work nicely too. . This is dedication! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silverceptor Posted June 12, 2016 Share Posted June 12, 2016 I really like the Badger Minitaire paint line. I used the ghost tint: plasma fluid on my prosecutors. http://minitaire.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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