Airbrushing Part 6 - Mastering Your Airbrush

AIRBRUSHING PART 6
MASTERING YOUR AIRBRUSH

Airbrushing Pt 6
Above: Mixing paint is an art not a science, but aim to achieve the consistency of skimmed milk, and ensure a smooth, lump-free mix.

Having thoroughly cleaned your airbrush, it’s about time you started using it. In this penultimate tutorial we look at the variables that must be considered when achieving a spray pattern: paint mix (viscosity), air flow (pressure) and distance.

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The airbrush is clean, the paints and parts are ready... now it’s time to get down to business and add colour to your model. Achieving any kind of spray pattern is a matter of getting the paint from the airbrush and onto the subject, which is not as straightforward as it sounds. There are three principles you must balance to accomplish this task, which we will address in turn: air flow (pressure), paint viscosity (to achieve atomisation within/outside the airbrush, dependent on whether it is an internal or external mix device) and the distance between airbrush and model.

Airbrushing Pt 6
Above: Getting the paint mix roughly correct will make it simpler to adjust the air pressure to allow successful atomisation to occur, ensuring controllable paint flow.
Airbrushing Pt 6
Above: Spraying distance is the third variable to take into consideration when trying to achieve a spray pattern. Getting in close to the model will result in a more controlled application.

Thick as mud or thin as water

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