Advice for Painting Ceiling

[Shara]

I'm brand new to airbrushing and I'm going to paint a sunset on a ceiling. Any advice on what type of paint to use? I ordered Createx (opaques), but I'm wondering if I should have bought Createx Illustration instead.

Also, how many ounces of paint will I need to cover a whole ceiling? The room is the size of a normal bedroom.

Thanks, in advance!

 

[Patch]

Hi Shara, I'm assuming your ceiling is smooth and doesn't have the stipple on it. That's a big room. It would depend on what you drawing looks like. Me personally, I would paint the ceiling with normal interior house paint (much cheaper) and I would go semi-gloss. The colour would be the most dominant colour than airbrush the sunset. Do a light scuffing before you start and wipe clean. Createx is good that should do the work. I see you joined today, where are you from?
Patch

 

[Shara]

Thanks for the advice! The ceiling is smooth and I've already painted two sunsets on it with a paint brush and normal latex paint, but I hated both of the finished products. It's hard to blend and fade with thick paint and a brush. So... I'm going to airbrush it and hope for the best! At least I'll have a new hobby after I'm done. The picture I had fades from daytime with white clouds on one side of the room into sunset clouds in the middle and the moon & a few stars on the other side.

Yes, I'm new to the forum and I think I'll need a lot of tips on getting started. I'm from Atlanta.

 

[RebelAir]

Honestly you may just be better off using house paint and a hairy brush..Not the best application for an airbrush, gravity can be a bugger ..Also standard createx is more a fabric paint, can be used in others non fabric area's but often isnt a fun paint, especially for starting out..As to how much paint such would use its one of those how long is a piece of string questions..I'd personally minimise the use of the airbrush paint itself and use a cheaper variety acrylic and brush or roller to do most of the hard work and just use the airbrush to touch up and give the base some oomph, painting the whole thing with the airbrush will take a crap load of time..Good luck with airbrushing upside down, you'll need it LOL

 

[Shara]

Thanks! You guys are definitely talking me into using normal paint for the base (again). Definitely nervous about the gravity issue!!

 

[Patch]

Thanks! You guys are definitely talking me into using normal paint for the base (again). Definitely nervous about the gravity issue!!

If you don't paint it thick, you'll be fine. Send us some before, during and after pictures

 

[Malky]

Thanks! You guys are definitely talking me into using normal paint for the base (again). Definitely nervous about the gravity issue!!

If you were doing something intricate that was suitable for requiring an airbrush a side feed would been your best choice of brush since you can paint at any angle and doing thin layers would help overcome the gravity problem, but what you want paint would be better with ordinary house paints as RebelAir says or even tube acrylics would do, either way it sounds like a mammoth task, I would love to see it when it's done and I hope you don't put your back out

 

[Shara]

So far, I've spent 3 weeks on this beautiful disaster and at this point, I don't care how long it takes. I just want it to look good. The first attempt ended up looking psychedelic and the second attempt showed too many brush strokes in the clouds. An airbrush is my last hope!

 

[Shara]

And I bought the Badger Anthem 155 siphon-fed airbrush that was recommended in the Equipment Guide for large surfaces. I hope it works!!

 

[Ronald art]

A siphon feed airbrush is the only airbrush besides a side feed that would work for painting a ceiling so that was a good choice and like the others already said use the normal brush or roller for the basic painting and finish it with the airbrush

 

[Squishy]

If I was going to do this, I would go for a mini hvlp gun over an airbrush I think. Have no idea about how much paint to use I'm afraid, my usual volume is measured in drops

 

[RebelAir]

And I bought the Badger Anthem 155 siphon-fed airbrush that was recommended in the Equipment Guide for large surfaces. I hope it works!!

Prob one of the few brushes that may do that kinda job well..Side cup as Malky mentioned above and a way to make yourself comfortable to paint it, from a ladder may hurt a bit LOL..Honeslty i'd be inclined to roll a black base on the roof and then things like planets etc can be painted on some light MDG or plasterboard and then when finished, cut out and secured to the roof as an easy alternative..but post some pics as you go, will be an interesting WIP..Good luck

 

[Shara]

Thanks for all of the replies! I'm excited to get started. Any tips on how to breathe safely? Is it really necessary to buy a ventilation kit or can I just open the window and wear a mask while I work on the ceiling? My 5-year-old sleeps in the room next to it, so I want to make sure her little lungs are safe. It'll probably take a couple of weeks to complete. I'll definitely post pics if it's not a complete disaster.