Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you:
No adverts like this in the forums anymore.
Times and dates in your local timezone.
Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance.
Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely.
Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net.
If you are already a member then feel free to login now.
Since the release of the new Eldar codex and models, I've decided to start a second Eldar force. I'll be painting them much differently than my first Eldar army... or at least I hope so.
I've been given the NEO for IWATA airbrush, the matching, mesh-braided hose, and the SILENT IWATA compressor. I've already got a room basically set up for safe (or as safe as it can get) brushing with good ventilation.
However... I've never really airbrushed before. I've done a little tinkering around and all I've really managed to do so far is make a mess.
My mixture so far has been too basically use 1:1 mix of Paint (Citadel 40k) and water with a very small amount of Isoproyl alcohol mixed into the water. The paint is a nice thin milky consistency. However, it always seems to bead up on the surface of what I try to paint. I first started with a nice wide surface object - the rhino dozer blade from Forge World. I've never really gotten results that I'm happy with.
My end goal is to is the Ushabti Bone color to basically "prime" my Eldar Model. I am attempting create the look of wraithbone - as if their wargear were sung form it. If you've ever used that paint you know its aweful. It's thick and tough and dries almost instantly so it always has lines and so on...
First of all, never NEVER try to paint a surface in just one coat of paint with your AB. It's like with a normal brush, thin and multiple coats are the trick. You could look Buypainted up on YouTube, his Videos have been very helpfull for me.
"What is the greatest illusion of life?"
"Innocence, brother, innocence."
d-usa wrote: "When the Internet sends its people, they're not sending their best. They're not sending you. They're not sending you. They're sending posters that have lots of problems, and they're bringing those problems with us. They're bringing strawmen. They're bringing spam. They're trolls. And some, I assume, are good people."
I recommend that you watch this video, in which the owner of Badger Airbrush explains very well everything you need to know.
I would have saved myself a lot of trouble if I had seen this introduction earlier. It's 90 minutes including questions, but I cannot praise it enough.
What I can tell you:
- Don't use alcohol to thin water-based paints (such as GW paint). Use (destilled) water or airbrush thinner, best from the manufacturer of the paints. I use Vallejo paint, thinner and so on.
- 1:1 doesn't sound right with the thick GW paints.
- You have to prime the surfaces. I recommend Vallejo Airbursh Primer, available in black, grey and white.
- airbrush colour doesn't have as much coverage (unless you make a mess flodding a surface) as brushed on paint. For lighter paints you need to have a lighter undercoat (between medium grey - light grey - white).
If 1:1 sounds wrong for GW paints, what ratio should I be looking for? I wil be more specific and say that I am using the Ushabti Bone color in case anyone has experience with that specific color.
I watched some of videos (thanks) and now I can be a little more specific. My model is a gravity feed brush with really low pressure. Using the GW paints is already kind of a pain because I have to mix the paint externally with something else. I've been just pouring a very small amount of the Paint into a small lid and then adding a similar amount of water/alchohol.
If I cut out the alchohol, how much water should I use before putting the mixture in my brush? Alternatively, would it be a disaster if I used a thinner or medium from some other company (GW doesn't make any that I can find). Could I just use Vallejo with the Citadel paints?
Thanks again.
This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2013/08/17 21:10:54
If 1:1 sounds wrong for GW paints, what ratio should I be looking for? I wil be more specific and say that I am using the Ushabti Bone color in case anyone has experience with that specific color.
I watched some of videos (thanks) and now I can be a little more specific. My model is a gravity feed brush with really low pressure. Using the GW paints is already kind of a pain because I have to mix the paint externally with something else. I've been just pouring a very small amount of the Paint
into a small lid and then adding a similar amount of water/alchohol.
If I cut out the alchohol, how much water should I use before putting the mixture in my brush?
Alternatively, would it be a disaster if I used a thinner or medium from some other company (GW doesn't make any that I can find). Could I just use Vallejo with the Citadel paints?
Thanks again.
There is no magic number when it comes to thinning ratios; different brands (even different colors within the same brand) need different amounts of thinning. Trial and error is what you need, and yes it can be annoying at first, but after a while you'll know which of your paints need what.
You don't need to mix paint and thinner externally, put your chosen thinner in the cup first followed by paint, use an old brush to give it a quick stir and that's all you need. Of course, spray little bit to test on a paper towel first to make sure the mix is good and you have paint flowing porperly.
Don't use just water. Plain water has a tendency to make paint separate (which is not what you want in your airbrush) which is why you want something that won't cause that. Yes, homemade and store-bought thinner have water in them (these are water-based acrylics we are working with) but it is the other stuff in there that makes it work: matte medium and flow improver. In Les' how to make thinner video, all that stuff is found easily in Micheal's or A.C. Moore and not very expensive.
Contrary to what you may be told inside a GW store, you can certainly mix the various brands of paints and mediums. All water-based acrylics can be freely combined with one another, none of them are inherently "special".
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2013/08/17 21:27:00
d-usa wrote: "When the Internet sends its people, they're not sending their best. They're not sending you. They're not sending you. They're sending posters that have lots of problems, and they're bringing those problems with us. They're bringing strawmen. They're bringing spam. They're trolls. And some, I assume, are good people."
As ScottyPuffJunior said, you can mix and match as long as you stay in the same paint type. Vallejo Model Air, Game Colour as well as Citadel paints are all water based acrylics.
I use Vallejo Airbrush Thinner for Vallejo and Citadel colours, works great.
What helped me (and what may be redundant as skill grows) is clear plastic shot glasses. I got those at the supermarket for 99 cent / 20 pcs. They are brilliant for mixing up small amounts of paint in. I use plastic sticks (probably meant for cheese or something) as mixing sticks. What you said about skimmed milk consistency is right, but you can only really see that if you splash a little bit of paint on the wall of your mixing container and see how it runs down from there. It is supposed to run back and leave an almost translucent sheen behind. What I do is drop some of the paint in the secondary container (the plastic shot glass). The consistency may vary even within ranges. Some paint may be older, someone may have not closed the lid right, so it isn't a constant. Then I add some airbrush thinner, just a few drops. Then I mix it, taking care not to remove the stick out of the paint while doing that since that creates bubbles. Check consistency. If not thin enough, add more thinner and repeat until happy.
Another thing to look at besides your paint viscosity is the air pressure, which may be too high or too low for your paint, airbrush nozzle size and environment (temperature/humidity). It's a good idea to grab some properly thinned paint (or just distilled water) and do some tests on (regular or kitchen) paper with different pressure settings.
