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Hey dakka, so i ran into a weird issue, i was mixing some black paint with an airbrush thinner to, well, airbrush with, and for some reason it came out really glossy, i mean like REALLY glossy, which was weird because normaly citadels black goes on pretty flat, any idea what causes this? to much thinner to paint? to much paint to thinner? i have mixed with this before with out much issue like this.

Could be something as simple as the black having settled and not been shaken well enough.

you mean the black in the bottle? or the mixed paint?

What kind of thinner? Some of the golden brands, and other airbrush specific thinner do have a sheen to them. If you cut the thinner with water it will reduce the effect. Alternatively, you can make your own thinner using a matte medium, that is what I do.

Im using liquidex airbrush medium, could it also me im using to much paint?

I would say;

Shake the paint really well.
Try again.

If you still get a result inconsistent with previous results then maybe your paint or airbrush medium has gone bad.
While its highly unlikely (especially if stored in a temp controlled environment - never store your paints in the garage....) could be.

Also, try the same batch of thinner with another flat paint, and see if it has gone "glossy" as well.

Finally, did you change primers? The sheen of the primer I have found can affect the upper layers of paint - especially when airbrushing when the coats are so thin.

best of luck and let us know!!!

is this VGC black you are using?

 Backspacehacker wrote:
Im using liquidex airbrush medium, could it also me im using to much paint?

Yes, the liquitex stuff will leave a gloss finish. Off-set it by cutting it with distilled water, a matte medium or a combination of the two.

Yes my liquitex gives me a glossy finish, I actually find it useful as after a base coat the smooth surface will work better with a wash. Win win imo.

Liquitex Airbrush Medium isn't a gloss or matte medium - so it doesn't have any matting agent in it (and because of this tends towards being glossy when applied in a smooth coat).

Because it doesn't have a matte medium, when you mix in your matte paints it will tend to neutralize the effects of the matting agent in your paints and the results will then be glossier than normal.

I just tend to ignore this, move on as normal, and then matte everything down at the end with a clear matte coat.