Acrylic Paints

[rgbroga]

Hi All,

Just starting out with modelling after not having done anything for lots of years and wondered if I could get some advice?
I've ordered some acrylic paints and wanted to know if there was a technique or trick to using them.
I've got brushes and an airbrush but I've never used the airbrush before.....

Trying not to wreck the model I'm starting, it's an old amt kit of a Gloster Meteor and V1 buzz bomb.

Thanks

[psmithmags]

Hello there. I've got to admit, I'm kind of a novice myself, but fortunately, you're in a good place with lots of knowledgeable people who aren't afraid to give you superb advice/tips. I would try mixing your acrylic with water until you achieve a milk/cream like consistency before use. I would also use a primer on your model before using the paint. Like you, I have had an airbrush for a bit, but I was afraid of the 'faff on' and my lack of knowledge,but have recently started using it and the difference in the finish to using a brush is incredible. Try using airbrush exercises to gain confidence, it is a game changer. There are many techniques/help videos on this site which helped me to try it. Hopefully, there'll be more experienced people answering you.

[Tomcat64]

Which brand of paints have you got?

Thinning paints for airbrushing is a bit of a dark art and often depends on the type of paint you're using as well as your airbrush setup but as a general rule of thumb people say to thin it down until it's the consistency of milk - but definitely have a look out on YouTube as there's plenty of vids out there on getting started. Don't be put off if you don't get it right first time though - for me there was a lot of trial & error (mostly error) before I hit on a setup that worked for me.

Brush painting with acrylics can be slightly frustrating as well but go for multiple thin coats rather than laying it on thick - acrylics dry quickly so one mistake is to go over an area multiple times when it's partially dry and you end up dragging the semi-dry layer below and causing streaks. Again it's just down to practise.

[rgbroga]

Thanks Paul/Neil,

I'll try some practising with the airbrush for the larger parts and do the smaller ones with a brush and thin layers then. They're Tamiya Acrylic paints.
Fingers crossed....

[MrBowcat]

Tamiya acrylics are not a true water based paint, the Tamiya X20A is the recommended thinner, although if you can stand the smell the lacquer thinner works better.

Edited to add: A 50/50 mix is a good starting point, though I tended to go 60% thinner to 40% paint when I used their acrylic range. I still do for their lacquer range. This is for airbrushing.

[KBF]

As mentioned abovw with the Tamiya X20A thinner is great. Also if you need some paints for water dialuting (maybe the wrong word) I do reccomend Vallejo´s range of paints.

I was in your shoes when I got my first airbrush too, scary as h..l and when I first dared to try it and had some varoius results I got more confident with using it. I went to a toy store and bought one of those coloring books for kids and used that for alot of practice

And youtube is loaded with great tutorials and techniques.

Just have fun and build something!