Model Painting and Airbrushing – Techniques Bank

In this area we will aim to provide you with the information and advice necessary to choose the best paint and painting equipment within your available budget. The vices and virtues of each type of paint will be addressed and a progressive approach will be employed to help the modeller understand the basic science of painting/airbrushing; by adopting this approach you will learn how to influence the materials to produce the best outcome, rather than the materials themselves dictating the quality of the eventual finish.

Airbrushing with enamels

• Getting the mix right and spraying

Airbrushing with acrylics

• How to mix and spray water-based acrylics HD Video Demo

Airbrushing metallic finishes

• Burnt metal effects

Figure Painting

• Quick figures – Painting with Lifecolor water-based acrylics
• Ultracast SS Tiger Tank Commander 1:32

How to paint and weather cockpits

• HD Video Demo

Looking after your airbrush

• Choosing the right brushes and looking after them
• Removal of airbrush tip for cleaning

Masking

• Blu-Tac putty – using rolls of putty 2 HD Video Demos
• Creating round masks for circular windows
• Masking canopies
• Making paper masks
• Masking tape

Painting camouflage finishes

• Luftwaffe WWII camouflage mottling HD Video Demo
• Spraying acrylic camo patterns freehand HD Video Demo

Producing Gloss finishes

• Why a gloss finish? Materials you’ll need

Surface preparation

• Micromesh to get rid of paint demarcation lines
• Using Micromesh to polish the paint surface

Other

• Choosing the right source of air for your airbrush
• Paint pallet and cleaning
• Pre and post-shading
• Protecting your painted finish