advice on using iwata hp please

Oh, and I would stay away from using "cheats" like trigger extensions for now. I'm of the school that thinks that if you start learning with "crutches", you're never going to develop the skills you'll need. Later, when you have a dedicated detail airbrush, and you can get the lines you're after without using the needle back-stop, extended triggers, stencils, etc, THEN you can use the trigger extension. Then, it will actually give you an advantage, instead of needing it just to work an airbrush normally. In other words, you're better off hitting the gym and getting in shape THEN using the PEDs than you would be bumping bull testosterone just so you can get that 1st pull-up.
 
I also got some good advice from a good friend regarding practice.....

the point of dots and daggers is not only muscle memory, but being able to turn the right amount of paint on, at the RIGHT place. IE - a 'free for all' page filled with arbitrary dots and daggers is all very well when you want kill the cat, but the very next exercise should have lines or blocks that require you to hit the dot on the cross hairs, and start and stop the daggers on the lines. (something I am still learning :) )

hope this helps

OHH and leave the air ON during the dots and during the daggers, - Mitch's vids show this well
 
Wow, you lot are super awesome, thanks for taking the time for sharing your advice. I've got a few hours before the wife comes home so I'll go and have a practice.
Hcp my brother is a competitive bodybuilder so if you want some bull testosterone I can point some your way lol
And fly, do you draw yourself exercises to practice painting over...?

Thanks again.
 
Wow, you lot are super awesome, thanks for taking the time for sharing your advice. I've got a few hours before the wife comes home so I'll go and have a practice.
Hcp my brother is a competitive bodybuilder so if you want some bull testosterone I can point some your way lol
And fly, do you draw yourself exercises to practice painting over...?

Thanks again.

hmmmm, well I could use a little help with those pull-ups. lol
 
Hello you wonderful people. I had a practice today just fine lining a stencil on a peice of cheap paper today taking all your hints and tips on board. I tried some creatix illustration paint and reducer I tried adjust my airbrush triger, pressure etc.
I have even done the trigger extension (sorry Hcp your advice is sound and I would like to brush withoutbonce my confidence is up)
I'm so grateful you lot took the time to help me... I thought 3:1 was paint to reducer!!! That's how green I am.
Anyway I really enjoyed my doodle below this afternoon and I know a 2 year old could probably get a straighter line but I'm happy with my progress and I had FUN :)

IMG-20130725-WA0001.jpg


Thanks for all your help and advice. I'll keep practicing.
 
just order comart paint it works really good, then fuc.. the line and spot pick up imagemake stencill and start if youwant to learn ab you have to do hardwork with it but i promiss that it will give back and i have to say i havent draw any in 20 years now lol and i love ab
 
Well, now you're doomed to a career of airbrush mediocricy. lol. Some people find that an extended trigger fits their hand better, and reduces cramping and all of that fun stuff, so they definitely have their uses. Many moons ago, I tried out a few ways of extending triggers. Some worked, some, well, not so much. On one trigger, I even cut the head of the trigger off, and brazed in a 1/4" extension. I looked like hell, but it worked great after many hours of tweaking, sanding, and polishing. As I continued airbrushing, I found that I actually preferred a shorter trigger, like most Olympos models have. The increased response gets rid of that "pulllll baaaaack, wait, waaaaait, waaaaaait, SPLAT" issue. If you modify the chuck spring to something a bit lighter, it's even nicer, IMO. BUT, I still think the needle backstops are worse than useless, and wind up giving more airbrushers bad habits than anything. I can think of exactly ONE time I used one on an actual project, and I spent more time dealing with tip dry and clogs than I did painting something I easily could have done freehand.
 
As for paint reducing, I stick with the "milk" rule, and thin it out a bit more if needed. Generally, I try to use as little reducer as I can. Especially with the Createx/Auto Air/Wicked reducers, they seem to cause more issues than they solve for me. But, I never use a set ratio for airbrushing (basecoating is another story). I'll just add a bit, mix up up good, try it out, and add a bit if I need to. Maybe it's just the infamous Wisconsin weather swings, but its seems to me like every day the "ideal" mix is different. I haven't used AA paints in years (irreconcilable differences. lol), so maybe a 3 part reducer; 1 part paint ratio IS what works best with that paint. But with Wicked Detail, I'm usually between 10-20% (1 part reducer for every 5-10 parts paint). If I need it more transparent, I'll add some transparent base instead of over-reducing (usually). I wote some mini-articles on practice drills on another forum a few years back. I'll see if I can find them and post them up here, too.
 
Nice one Dig! Looks like you're getting stuck in, and having fun is even better, the only way is up now!
 
As for paint reducing, I stick with the "milk" rule, and thin it out a bit more if needed. Generally, I try to use as little reducer as I can. Especially with the Createx/Auto Air/Wicked reducers, they seem to cause more issues than they solve for me. But, I never use a set ratio for airbrushing (basecoating is another story). I'll just add a bit, mix up up good, try it out, and add a bit if I need to. Maybe it's just the infamous Wisconsin weather swings, but its seems to me like every day the "ideal" mix is different. I haven't used AA paints in years (irreconcilable differences. lol), so maybe a 3 part reducer; 1 part paint ratio IS what works best with that paint. But with Wicked Detail, I'm usually between 10-20% (1 part reducer for every 5-10 parts paint). If I need it more transparent, I'll add some transparent base instead of over-reducing (usually). I wote some mini-articles on practice drills on another forum a few years back. I'll see if I can find them and post them up here, too.


Great stuff mate, if you have a link to those exercises I'd really appreciate it and thanks squishy It's all about the fun right :)
 
What a great thread. After spending about 6 hours with my new airbrush i was beginning to wonder if it was possible to get really fine lines.
Ill be taking all the advice and having another play tomorrow
 
Hi Mad eye,
After taking all the advice on bored i felt a lot more confident tackling/practicing fine line work.

Not sure what brush you have but With my HP I have had some great results doing the following (which you will see repeated a lot on here to us noobs lol)

Reduce the paint = with the Creatix I purchased I using 5 to 7 drops of reducer to 1 drop of paint so 5:1 (it's all about the drops)
Reduce the air Pressure = I have found my HP sprays just right around the 5 - 10psi mark for fine lines
Remove the crown cap = just be careful and get in close.
Layer up = multiple light passes have really helped me have fun with detail

I have big fat fingers so for me personally it really helped me by not scrunching my fingers up round the gun (the glue gun only cost £7 so i thought I'd give it a shot)

Having said that AB tutor had a quiet word in my ear reminding me I should be practicing my lines, dots, dagger strokes etc before I concentrate on the advanced stuff.

Either way, thanks to these guys it allowed me to have fun :)

Hope you do too.
 
Thanks mate.

I have an Iwata Eclipse HP-CS with a .3 neddle. So i cant take the crown off which kind of sucks.

I have only been reducing 50/50 so ill try reducing some more.

Thanks again
 
Back
Top