Practicing freehanding airbrushed camo

Just my opinion, but they guys at the store are right - don't use Indian ink

Always practice with what you're going to use.

You need to practice with the actual paint your are going to use.   A big part of air brushing is the correct thinning of the paint and compressor setting.   All these variables will change depending on the paint.

The cleanup was one of the reasons I went with acrylics over Enamels.   Keep your Windex handy.

If you just want to practice brush handling and trigger control, ink or food colors work well on paper or paper towels.  I've found that coloring in comic strips with food colors is a good exercise, and it's super cheap and easy to clean up.  But, it's not the same as painting on plastic.  Decanted spray paint is cheap, but you have to deal with the fumes.  I've heard of people spraying craft acrylics, but I've never tried it myself.

Don

I'm still in my earliest stages of using an air brush, too.  The best advice I've seen is to pratice with what you'll use.  You don't prep for a pistol competition by using a water gun.  You shoot your competition piece at the distances used in the match using match loads.

Check out Fine Scale Modeling's special issues on air brush painting.  There's a ;ot of tips there regarding compressor settings and paint mix ratios.  Probably a good idea to keep notes on settings and mix ratios everytime you paint.  That way you won't make the same mistakes over and over again.  With my 4th air brush effort, things are looking better.

I am currently working on my second model. My first model, that I built and painted, was a hasegawa 109. To prepare for painting I bought parts of models and partial kits at yard sales. Then I bought a few bottles of Tamiya paint and Tamiya lacquer. The lacquer allowed me to thin the paint and also make it last longer. Then I practiced painting and cleaning my airbrush. I did this for a couple of weeks, until I felt very confident in using the brush. Now I am pretty good at free hand and mottling. It is like the guys here are saying, pratice until you are confident and at home cleaning and using your brush. At that point the paint you used for practice will pay off by allowing you not to make very many mistakes. Here is my '109... all free hand.

  BTW...I did not free hand the white stripes or propeller 

MAJ Mike

You don't prep for a pistol competition by using a water gun.  You shoot your competition piece at the distances used in the match using match loads.

Maybe not a water gun, but I bet you spent a lot of time with other firearms learning the basics before you touched that competition piece or those expensive match loads. 

There are stages in any learning process.  Trying to jump too far ahead can cause major frustration.  Ink and food colors are the easiest thing to shoot.  When you are comfortable with them, and have problems later with model paint, you'll know it's due to the paint and not you or your airbrush.

Just my opinion.

Don

A sheet of styrene is a good thing to practice on. Good thinking.  I do that sometimes too but mainly use it for color testing. I'll shoot the whole thing in a basecoat and then mask and shoot squares of different colors and lighten or darken to different degrees to see how they work together.

I mainly use a pad of watercolor paper for practice. No, it isn't plastic and it's flat but right now it's just about practicing control of the brush. And shooting on white it's easy to see how I'm controlling the overspray. I also use a small easel. I can set down in a chair and use both hands if I want. You get rusty if you don't use an airbrush everyday. It's good to take a little time to warm up and practice.

Generally I practice with the paints I use. I'm already familiar with them. And, I'm using them very thin so a little goes a long ways. Some of those craft paints will drive you nuts with tip dry and some will bead up or run. But they are cheap and may work for you.  Sometimes you can get them for under a dollar. I've intended to pick up some ink to try just never have.

The way I see it, if you already have a grasp on paint and how to deal with it and you're looking to gain more control of the brush then practice on and with whatever you like. As long as your realize the differences. But even a small, 10ml bottle of Tamiya will go a long way. I could easily turn that into 80 - 90ml and that's a lot of practice.

Tony

Sarge

Practice with what you intend to use (seems to be the general concensus). This is the only  true way to wet your feet in preparation for your model. Even if you would burn through your $2.50 bottle (doubtful but depends on how much you practice).....   drop another $2.50. I would rather spend the little bit of cash than take a chance on the finished kit.

PS

Yes, airbush cleaning is not very difficult.

Good luck with your efforts and we'll be waiting to view the final results............  All the best

I agree that practicing with what you are going to use is best. As stated before, each paint brand has their own way of behaving and thinning issues. Just for the basics and to become familiriar with your AB you can also use craft acrylics. As  a matter of fact, I use them all the time specially on large projects that require multiple coats. They are cheap and work as good as the more expensive model paints. Recently Michael's had them on sale for .25 for each med. size bottle. I bought a ton of them. Usually they are .69 to under $1.50 depending on the brand. I  thin them with Future and add a couple of drops of W&N Flow Improver. Sprays smooth as silk and depending how much Future you add you can also control the sheen.

Another good thing to use for practice is poster board. It's a big bright surface and it's cheap, plus it holds up well to all kinds of paint.

Enjoy!

mike

Just purchase some cheap craft acylic paint, practice on paper. You don't need to master the technique on plastic. Its more about control and application, something you can do on paper. I tell airbrush newbies to get a coloring book and use pages removed from it. Find one with airplanes and paint the plane using your airbrush. You only need a couple of colors.

good post alot of good ideas i think i will try some .

Ron

Many people, including me, spray craft paints.

However, as others have said, craft paints can be difficult to thin properly.

If you are a beginner airbrusher you certainly do not want to introduce the paint itself as a possible problem.

I second the idea to buy several bottles of the paint you are going to be using to practice with.