Airbrush practice

I always suggest practicing with food colors or ink on paper towels before trying paint.  You don't have to worry about thinning and clean up is just plain water.  It's a good way to get a feel for the brush.  Of course, it's not the same as spraying paint on plastic, but it's cheap and it will give you a head start when you switch to paint.  And, it will give you an idea of what your airbrush is capable of.  Try filling in comic strips to learn trigger control.  See what effect distance makes.  Check out YouTube for exercises.

Don

Read Don's Air Brush Tips   https://sites.google.com/site/donsairbrushtips/home 

Especially the "Practice" section. His out look is both user friendly and through.

What kind of airbrush are we talking about here? If we're talking a double-action internal mix brush with a smaller-diameter needle, those things sip paint, and if you're blowing through a ton of it you're probably doing something wrong.

Food coloring (or acrylic ink) is great for getting a  sense of how to control the airbrush, but it doesn't behave anything like paint (heck...every PAINT behaves differently). Honestly, in my opinion, the best way to practice is to paint with the paint you'll be using. Again if you're double-action with a small-diameter needle you can sip paint and a single bottle will go a LONG way. I've been back at the bench for over two years now, and the ONLY paints I've had to replace because I've used them all have been primer, black, white, and olive drab.

You can also defray the costs by buying online. Yeah there's shipping, but the discount from straight-up retail is quite steep (check out Scale Hobbyist for the best prices I've found on Testors stuff), to the point that something like six bottles are enough to overcome the shipping fee. Anything more than that - or a kit or three to take up some of the shipping cost - and you beging saving considerable money pretty fast.

You can use regular acrylics or craft enamels from craft stores- much cheaper than paint from hobby shop. Or, even buy half pint of an enamel from a hardware store.

Whatever you use, it will pay off.  Biggest problem I see with people just beginning airbrushing is lack of practice.  Too many use a new airbrush right away on an expensive kit and screw up the finish.  Airbrushing is not as easy as using an X-acto knife or gluing a part to a model.  

During your practice session try varying thinning ratios, different pressure, flats versus gloss.  Start with flat panel of plastic or whatever, move on to rods or tubes, then on to 3D shapes.  Practice large areas and also fine lines or spots.

Agree with Don on using craft enamels to get a feel for the brush. The caveat is that you WILL have problems with tip dry. But if you plan to use acrylic paint for your models then you need to get used to that also as it may become a problem. Try buying some cheap plastic "For Sale" signs and prime them for something to practice on. You want something non-absorbant since models are that type of surface.

Chris

Agree with all that has been said. As Doggs said if you are using a DA it will only use a few drops of paint to make it work with lots of thinner. Painting on paper is so not the same as plastic. If you get used to painting paper and then switch to plastic you will get runs and spiders becasue your mixture and air and distance will be way off. I say practice on the same material using the same media you will use for real. No use getting muscle memory for the wrong stuff.

I'm still not a fan of practicing with paint that you won't be using on your kits. Except to literally figure out how the airbrush works, perhaps. It's like learning to drive a car by taking a golf cart around a parking lot. Similar, but wildly different.

Same goes for what you're painting. Instead of painting for sale signs, at least go for something three-dimensional like a plastic bottle. Or pick up a cheap kit that you can use as a paint mule. You can snag Revell's P-47 Razorback for something like $11 at Hobby Lobby with the 40% off coupon. If that's too rich for your blood, hunt down the RoG 1/72 P-47, which can be found for about $6.

When you practice on something that's similar to what you will actually be painting, you get a sense for how paint goes down on contours and over details and for areas that can present problems (wingroot dusting, overspray and the like).

In the end, I still firmly believe the best way to learn - once you have the basic operation and cleaning down - is to just go for it, and try to improve a little bit with each and every build. It's easy to fall into the practice trap and put off kits that might intimidate you until you "build up your skills", but honestly modeling has one of the lowest failure costs of any hobby out there. And playing for real, beyond your comfort zone, is a great way to focus your attention on the task at hand.

My two cents. I know there are many people - even on this very thread - who would advocate tons of practice with the cheapest possible materials before you do any real work. I've found that doesn't work for me and that I get sloppy. 

DoogsATX

I'm still not a fan of practicing with paint that you won't be using on your kits. Except to literally figure out how the airbrush works, perhaps. It's like learning to drive a car by taking a golf cart around a parking lot. Similar, but wildly different.

Same goes for what you're painting. Instead of painting for sale signs, at least go for something three-dimensional like a plastic bottle. Or pick up a cheap kit that you can use as a paint mule. You can snag Revell's P-47 Razorback for something like $11 at Hobby Lobby with the 40% off coupon. If that's too rich for your blood, hunt down the RoG 1/72 P-47, which can be found for about $6.

When you practice on something that's similar to what you will actually be painting, you get a sense for how paint goes down on contours and over details and for areas that can present problems (wingroot dusting, overspray and the like).

In the end, I still firmly believe the best way to learn - once you have the basic operation and cleaning down - is to just go for it, and try to improve a little bit with each and every build. It's easy to fall into the practice trap and put off kits that might intimidate you until you "build up your skills", but honestly modeling has one of the lowest failure costs of any hobby out there. And playing for real, beyond your comfort zone, is a great way to focus your attention on the task at hand.

My two cents. I know there are many people - even on this very thread - who would advocate tons of practice with the cheapest possible materials before you do any real work. I've found that doesn't work for me and that I get sloppy. 

You said it way better than I did.

I agree with Doogs.  Every new technique I use is first used on a model.  I had a cheap airbrush years ago and I painted up some cardboard just to see how it worked.  Then it was straight to a model.  Now I'm back to rattle cans, but when I get a new airbrush, I will paint on cardboard to get used to a dual action, but as far as techniques go, I will be practicing on models.

As you can see, that like many things in the model building enviremont, there are several "right" ways  to do something--Dont' even go to the "correct" paint color world- it's even worse.

While some ways work for many and many ways work for some, it still boils down to YOU; trying what you can; evaluating the sucess or not, and moveing on to the next part.

As always feel free to ask questions and be prepaired to get  several veiw points.

By the way, I am the only one, that knows the correct answer to your question.

DoogsATX

My two cents. I know there are many people - even on this very thread - who would advocate tons of practice with the cheapest possible materials before you do any real work. I've found that doesn't work for me and that I get sloppy.

My two cents:  I did just what Doogs said.  I bought an airbrush and tried to use it on a kit.  Maybe you have a natural talent.  I don't.  That kit almost went in the trash after several attempts to get a decent finish.  I was ready to dump the airbrush and the hobby.  I have seen posts on this forum and others by people who have had a similar experience.  It was only after I started playing with the brush that I figured out how to use it.    I don't advocate tons of practice.  I just think it makes more sense to walk before you try to run.  I agree that a golf cart in a parking lot doesn't teach much about driving a real car.  But, a real car in an empty parking lot sounds reasonable to me.

If you want to start out with real hobby paint on a kit, go for it.  I wish you success.  But, if you run into trouble, you might want to back up a bit.

Don

All good advice so far, but come along with me into the real world of scale model airbrushing.

Start small and stay small.

Working pressure: 10-15psi

The lower the better, less overspray means less paint used.

Thinner ratio: Thin with 75 to 90% thinner.

This will force you to get in close and use multiple light coats to build color density. No running wild (Heavy trigger action).

Test subject: Hot Wheels or Matchbox cars (Small toy planes and ships work too.)

This teaches you to focus on a small target and to concentrate on your control.

Prime everything and filter everything that goes into your airbrush.

Yes it's a pain, but your models will look so much better for it.

Start small and stay small.

Welcome to the party.    

Louatwork

I'm about to use my airbrush for real the first time and before throwing paint on the model, I thought it might be a good idea to practice a bit first.  The problem is that paint is so expensive.  I guess the Testors paint in the small square bottles will do, but I was wondering if there was anything less expensive to use

Hi Louatwork.

I've just read this entire thread and lots of good info but: YOU said you thought it might be a good idea to practice a  bit first! I think everyone here would agree with that. Do it!!!

But the question you asked was if there was anything less expensive to use (for practice?) than Testors in the small bottles? The answer is Yes. Craft acrylics and enamels can be had for about $1 for 2 oz (Michaels, A.C. Moore, WalMart) and you need to dilute them at least 50/50 to spray so you get 4 oz for a buck. If you want to use lacquers, get a  bottle (not spray can) of auto touch-up paint - costs a little more than what a little bottle of Testors costs but when diluted appropriately for airbrushing, will give you enough for lots and lots of practice with lacquer. Have fun and to airbrushing,

Don Wheeler

DoogsATX

My two cents. I know there are many people - even on this very thread - who would advocate tons of practice with the cheapest possible materials before you do any real work. I've found that doesn't work for me and that I get sloppy.

My two cents:  I did just what Doogs said.  I bought an airbrush and tried to use it on a kit.  Maybe you have a natural talent.  I don't.  That kit almost went in the trash after several attempts to get a decent finish.  I was ready to dump the airbrush and the hobby.  I have seen posts on this forum and others by people who have had a similar experience.  It was only after I started playing with the brush that I figured out how to use it.    I don't advocate tons of practice.  I just think it makes more sense to walk before you try to run.  I agree that a golf cart in a parking lot doesn't teach much about driving a real car.  But, a real car in an empty parking lot sounds reasonable to me.

If you want to start out with real hobby paint on a kit, go for it.  I wish you success.  But, if you run into trouble, you might want to back up a bit.

Don

One big thing that you have to adjust to is to get over the idea that an airbrush is like a smaller spray gun.  An airbrush is almost closer to a brush than a spray gun.  Too many folks I know started out with too much distance between airbrush and model surface, trying to cover too much area in a hurry.  This leads to a bad finish.  Get close, work more like a brush with overlapping small strokes.

Forgive me but I can't let this pass without saying something...

How do you learn without practice? I've been airbrushing for a long time but don't have a lot of time to build now. When I don't get to paint on a regular basis I get rusty. I know how to thin my paints, what pressures to use and how to pull the trigger but the longer I go between sessions the longer it takes me to get in the groove. Luckily a small mistake with primer isn't that big a deal and if I'm shooting primer that generally means that color will follow soon after and that the primer sessions will prepare me for color. But, if I want to do freehand camo that isn't enough. Especially if the subject is small. Then I need to set down and practice coloring within the lines. That generally means breaking out my finest tipped airbrush and (gasp) a pad of watercolor paper, laying out a pattern and filling it in. And then I can move right to my model subject with the same paint, the same airbrush and the same pressure.

Granted, I have some experience. And that may enable me to get away with something such as switching from paper to plastic. But the fact remains that I do it. Face it, the light thin coats with low air pressure that everyone promotes don't run. And if they do, you're doing something wrong. But how will you ever know what it is or how to correct it without practice? Oh well...

So if you read between the lines a little you'll see that I usually practice with the paints I normally use. I use Tamiya acrylics a lot and they're pretty economical, cover very well and can be stripped(although not from paper) with a little shot of Windex so any mistake you may make is easily washed away. I thin Tamiya flats with denatured alcohol which is $6 -7 a quart here. 90% Iso alcohol will work also and I think it's $2 - 3 a bottle. A small 10ml bottle is $1.90 and large 23ml bottle is $3.10. A 10ml bottle of paint and a bottle of 90% Iso come to $4 - 5 and a lot of practice can be had with that. Or a little...

On the other hand, a $2, 4 ounce bottle of craft paint and a $1.50 - 2.00 gallon of distilled water will go a long way too. But the tip dry may drive you nuts.

Tony

I get a big kick out of the people on youtube who try to show how to airbrush scale models. Way off the work, pressure all jacked up and clouds of paint blowing in the wind. That's the fast way, not the right way. I like Don's view that an airbrush is a small paintbrush. You should be able to base coat a 1/48th aircraft with 3 drops of paint and 5 or 6 drops of thinner. Practice going small and you will never go big again, you won't have to.

I see the word craft paint bantered about. That stuff is not paint, at best it's a coating or covering. It will never flow at low pressure. If you thin it till it flows, all you will get is pigment and binder blowout. Practice with the medium that you intend to work in. Every paint has a system. Learn one system and your models will pop.

Lacquer Head

<snip>

I see the word craft paint bantered about. That stuff is not paint, at best it's a coating or covering. It will never flow at low pressure. If you thin it till it flows, all you will get is pigment and binder blowout. Practice with the medium that you intend to work in. Every paint has a system. Learn one system and your models will pop.

Paint of any kind is a coating/covering. Try thinning craft acrylic with airbrush medium and add a couple of drops of GAC200 for adhesion - no binder or pigment blowout. Add a little retarder if it dries too fast, flow-aid if it doesn't 'level' like you want. Sprays and works as well as any 'branded'  acrylic  I've tried. I think acrylic paint from Model Master, Gunze, Vallejo etc are just acrylics advertised for our craft of modeling.  And, you can still clean up with Windex if that's your preference. One  likely does have to enjoy mixing colors to get what you want though some 'craft acrylics' come close - School Bus Yellow is close to aircraft Chrome Yellow for example and I'm not bothered by the name. Not trying to be argumentative but I enjoy playing/experimenting/ABing with "craft acrylic paint' and I won't be surprised if it becomes my PAINT of choice. 

No argument here Bick. Every paint has it's system and every system is workable. Some systems are more work than others.

For funny names try Light Avocado for US Interior Green, Charcoal for worn tires and anti glare panels, Golden Rod for Panzer Yellow and my all time favorite Dolphin Gray for US Navy Haze Gray.

By the way, craft paint will never measure up to Vallejo. No way, No how.

I use enamels and lacquers, I like chemicals that go BOOM!

Hi,

LOL,

Yeah, those are some colors I could have listed!! BTW. I like your handle. When you talk about chemicals that go BOOM, I was a Floquil user for years and I still think Floquil  covered with the thinnest coats of any - bar none (wasn't Diosol the most expensive thinner ever?). Then I moved onto HobbyPoxy (remember that?) then to automotive acrylic LACQUERS. Shame I can't find 'craft acrylic lacquers'. But enamels - ugh, I'm impatient and waiting a couple of days or more for total cure/drying ain't for me. But, I agree - every system is workable and to get back on topic, it just takes PRACTICE. Speaking of which, I need to go to Walmart to find some Light Avocado - didn't know that was close to interior green. Then I'll come home and practice some more - AND I need a lot of that.

Thanks for the tips, folks.  I've decided I'm going to charge ahead.  Here's the skinny.  I have a Revell 1/32 that I started a long time ago and got distracted.  I'm missing part of the instructions so it's not like this will ever go to a contest. (ok...that part looks like an engine part...oh wait, that belongs to the landing gear)  So, I'm going to start with priming with the airbrush, then on to pre-shading the panel lines and THEN...a 1944 three color paint scheme!  As Robert Heinlein said, "Everything in excess! To enjoy the flavor of life, take big bites. Moderation is for monks."  Damn the drips, orange peel, and spiders...full steam ahead!

Hi Bick, seems that you and I have had the same paint experience. It is fun to experiment. The Light  Avocado is in the Americana line, the others are Delta. I messed around with the crafts for 2 years and when they are working right, they produced a outstanding flat finish in broad coverage. But they are hard to post shade with and mottling a german fighter is an experiment in insanity.

Ah yes Floquil, remember when one of their selling points was that their pigments were ground finer than Ferrari paint pigment? It must have been true, it was a very fine paint. I still use their Reefer White. Man, that Diosol was some powerful stuff, had to open all the windows in house. What a BUZZ!

HobbyPoxy? Sorry, never heard of it. But I will look into it, Thanks.

Remember kiddies, Practice makes perfect.

Punch a hole in the sky!!!

Lacquer Head

I use enamels and lacquers, I like chemicals that go BOOM!

And don't dry in your airbrush so rapidly.  And easier to clean out if they do eventually dry there.

One other thing to add. You can purchase sheets of plastic at hobby shops and use them to practice using an air brush. This way your using the same material you'll be spraying on. If you screw up no biggy wipe up clean with a rag and mineral spirits and start over.