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For a long time i have been avoiding airbrushes - it seemed like something that only "pros" used, and the general hassle of having a compressor etc, as well as learning a new tool, seemed like something i shouldnt bother with.

However recently i've met with a friend, who is of similar skill with me, and he showed me some of the minis he painted using his airbrush, and the quality that he achieved with that was much higher - especially with large surface covers with no brushmarks, or color blending, or tiny details etc.

That got me interested in the idea that maybe even i can benefit from it. That said, i have ZERO knowledge or experience of airbrushes.
Unfortunately i can't ask my friend (he is going to be away for a while), so i was wondering if perhaps the wonderful people here could help me out

-Is an airbrush a tool that someone like me (non-pro) can/should use?
-Is it hard to learn? To use?
-Does it require a lot of "one-time" or "over-time" money sinking? (i.e. compressor, vortex generator, void shields, etc)
-Does it excel at specific "tasks", does it suck at any? (i.e. amazing at small detail, sucks at blending, etc)
-If i was to go to a shop tomorrow (assuming it has everything in stock), how much should i expect to spend to be ready to paint by evening?

Anuything else you can think of that can help me out?

Very much appreciated!

An airbrush is just like any other tool, you need to invest in time and effort to learn it.

Depending on what you want it for, an airbrush may be used for almost anything you can do with a brush - base coating, highlights, shadows, etc.

I'd suggest you purchase a good airbrush, like a Harder & Steinbeck, and stick with it through thick and thin.

Or if you merely want to basecoat things, get a cheaper model and learn that thoroughly.

Either way, it's largely a one off cost, provided you get all the proper kit, e.g. Compressor with regulator, quick change, tank, etc.

The cost is highly variable, though. Compressor prices should be less variable, but it's still pricey. The airbrush will be the true variable component.

Thank you.

Could you possibly give some more detailed info as well please?

Is airbrush generally better for some things / worse for others?
What is the average cost i should be looking at? Saying that it's variable doesnt help me much - is it £10 or £100 or £1000 or what?

How much of a hassle/expense is the maintenance?

In theory you can use it for anything, but some things are easier and/or better with a brush.

The first thing you'll want to do with an airbrush is priming and basecoating. You can do this pretty much right away. For a lot of people this is the only thing they do with their airbrush, and in my opinion it's still worth it. You get a much thinner and more even coat than with a brush or a can.

The next thing you'll probably move on to is doing preshading and highlighting, perhaps some OSL. Search for "zenithal highlighting airbrush" on YouTube for examples. From there it's really up to you, what you want to put effort into doing, but it won't replace your brushes entirely.

Prices depend on where you are, but you should be able to get an okay compressor for about £100-150. Don't get too hung up on getting one with a tank; people will tell you it's so much better or even required, but it really isn't.

A very decent brush is about the same, but an okay one you could get for a bit less, £50 or so. If you're going to spend more than £50, go big and get a really good one (£100+). You want a gravity feed, dual action from Iwata, Paasche, Badger or Harder & Steenbeck. Don't listen to anyone who tells you any one of these is way better than the others.

If you want to start easy, get a chinese no-brand one on ebay for about £6. It'll still be able to do priming, basecoating and basic highlighting/shading, and no big deal if you break it.

You'll also want some airbrush cleaner and perhaps some thinner.

Maintenance is a bit more fuss than with brushes. After use you need to clean it out, which takes a couple of minutes. Once in a while you should break it down and clean it properly, which takes longer. Some parts need lube drom time to time.

It sounds complicated, but really isn't. If you think it sounds like fun and you can afford it, go for it.

-Is an airbrush a tool that someone like me (non-pro) can/should use?
Yes but like any tool there is a certain basic knowledge that needs to be acquired in regards to thinning and cleaning properly.

-Is it hard to learn? To use?
Relatively easy to use but with a steep learning curve. Keep some cardboard and old sprues to do the occasional test shot.

-Does it require a lot of "one-time" or "over-time" money sinking? (i.e. compressor, vortex generator, void shields, etc)
It's alot of money at first after that it's mostly paint but you would buy it anyway if you were using a brush.

-Does it excel at specific "tasks", does it suck at any? (i.e. amazing at small detail, sucks at blending, etc)
The tool does not excel at anything. YOU do. The airbrush is a tool to save time but if you suck at color theory, details or blending well you might find out the airbrush is not a magic wand.

-If i was to go to a shop tomorrow (assuming it has everything in stock), how much should i expect to spend to be ready to paint by evening?
Airbrush, hose, cleaning kit, compressor, bottles and whatnot. I say roughly $300-$350 for a good setup.

To the "specific task" question, yeah, the airbrush excels at putting down a smooth layer of paint over a large area and blending.

It does depend what army you want to paint as to how much benefit an airbrush will give you. I have not used my airbrush at all for my Orc and Goblin infantry, the details are just too fine to do easily with an airbrush. The only thing I have used it for in my O&G army is the Wolves for the Wolf Riders.

I am using the airbrush for my Lizardmen, but I'm regretting how complicated I made the scheme because the models are too small to do all the transitioning I'm trying to do, I probably could have done a version of the same scheme with a brush just as easily and with just as good results.

Space Marines love airbrushes, their armour is really well suited to the blending you can get with an airbrush (which is often only 1 or 2 colours, meaning you need minimal masking, if any).

Tanks love airbrushes, you can lay down a smooth coat of paint in a few seconds.

My IG infantry will probably only see an airbrush for their basecoat, which honestly I could do pretty fast with a hairy brush anyway.

Eldar love airbrushes, though they are harder than Space Marines, you can get some really impressive results.

Really fine details, I wouldn't bother with an airbrush. It's fun to practice doing fine details, but it's way harder to do than using a hairy brush and not all that fast either.

I'd say that anybody can use an airbrush, but the truth is that it seems that some cannot.

I've purchased several airbrushes from people who just gave up rather than learn to properly use the tool.

If you are easily frustrated and prone to rage-quitting things that you can't master quickly then I would consider not getting an airbrush as it is a not insignificant investment.

I literally just got into this (in the uk as well). I'm finding it has sped up my army painting considerably. I've tried using a single action spray gun before with canned air, but didn't find it much fun, so I wanted to try 'real' airbrushing, where I could do more than just basecoat.

After a little research on the internet, I went for one of these.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/201015140736?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2648



It's a cheap compressor with tank and regulator, pretty quiet for use in my bedroom. The airbrush is obviously a cheap knockoff of one of the big brands, but seems to work really well, and has a lot of the features you'd expect on a much more expensive model - dual action, control over the paint lever, valve to control air throughput, etc.

At some point in the future I imagine I'd like to try a name brand (Iwata, Badger, etc) to see the difference, but this airbrush is doing me well so far, and seems fine for learning.

I also bought their cleaning pot and some nozzle cleaning brushes, and some Vallejo airbrush cleaner and Vallejo paint thinner, all from ebay. I guess my total spend was around £100.

The airbrush takes a little getting used to, but I'm not finding it that difficult. There's still stuff you have to do by hand, but I'm finding that the very small needle on my brush (0.2mm) allows me to paint swords, guns, etc and still leave the hands holding them unpainted.

The biggest challenge was actually thinning my Citadel paints to the correct consistency! I got the hang of it in the end though! I've since picked up some Vallejo model air and some Minitaire paints, both of which make life a bit easier.

The best advice I can give is watch plenty of youtube videos, particularly ones on how airbrushes actually work and how to clean them properly. - that knowledge makes it much less frustrating when you have a problem, since you already know how to fix it!

 Dullspork wrote:
I'd say that anybody can use an airbrush, but the truth is that it seems that some cannot.

I've purchased several airbrushes from people who just gave up rather than learn to properly use the tool.

If you are easily frustrated and prone to rage-quitting things that you can't master quickly then I would consider not getting an airbrush as it is a not insignificant investment.

I think a lot of people who get airbrushes are already experienced hairy brush painters. I'm not an awesome brush painter, but I've been painting long enough to know how to thin my paints reasonably well. After being told by the guy I bought it from 50 times that I need them to be really really thin... I overthinned them, lol, but after an hour or so I quickly figured out a good consistency and after a few days I could get pretty much bang on the consistency I want (though I might waste some paint getting there!).

For someone who doesn't have as much hairy brush experience, I can imagine getting the right consistency, pressure and shooting distance is a much harder task. Especially if you start with paints like Citadel, P3 or Reaper that CAN be airbrushed but are very far from the correct consistency out of the pot. Also, I don't know how true it is, but I've heard people saying that some of the cheapo chinese brushes (like the one I bought, lol) don't have as fine control over the amount of paint you're introducing. I know personally, one of the biggest most common mistakes I still make is pulling the trigger back too far and getting a spider-web-splotch as too much paint hits my target, I can imagine some people with cheaper brushes might find that difficult to manage.

Also as I mentioned, some armies really are quite hard to airbrush. Space Marines are just really well suited to airbrushing and really well suited to learning how to airbrush. Lizardmen are a much harder army to learn how to airbrush, with their skinny limbs, numerous locations for overspray and detail that hides errors until it's too late and you've already buggered up the model.

Occasionally when I'm feeling depressed about my low airbrush skills I just spray a Space Marine to make myself feel better because they're so easy

Airbrushing is just another tool in the tool belt of painting.

Small models or big an airbrush has its uses. From zynithyl priming to laying down base colors fast it can be used. Now and here is the key. It has to go hand in hand with your regular brush. Meaning that you will still need to get in there and finish your models by hand.

I detailed on my blog about the things you will need / probably should have on my blog.

1. An airbrush (duh) they range from $20 - $400+. Do some research and find one or two that fit your needs. Right now I am using a Badger Patriot 105 and its fantastic, and I am waiting on my Badger Krome which should be here anyday!)

2. Air Compressor. Again these range from $50-$400+. I have a Harbor Freight desktop version and it works well, its quiet and steady and cost $80.

3. Paint. This is a whole blog post or ten all by its self.

4. Airbrush Cleaner. Some type of solvent lots of companies make them and there are tons of tutorials out there on how to make your own. I use Vallejo Airbrush Cleaner and dilute it 1:1 with water.

5. Airbrush Thinner. Again lots of companies make it, you can make your own.

6. Pipe Cleaners and Q-Tips. For cleaning your shiny new airbrush.

7. Spray Booth. Just bite the bullet and get one, they come in at $70 from TCP Global and its worth every penny.

Here are things that I use that are not needs but definitely help.

1. Small plastic cups for mixing. I use medicine cups and get them on amazon they are $4 for 100.

2. Gloves. The plastic ones, for holding your models when you spray.

3. Respirator. For protection when shooting anything more than acrylics.

4. Gater clips and Cork, this gives you something to hold on to so you are not touching the model its self while spraying.




Automatically Appended Next Post:
Oh and here is a thread I started with tips about lessons learned. Lots of great airbrushers here on Dakka added there few cents to it as well.

http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/585290.page