Fine lines!

[Mia's Ink]

Ok, so I have a cheap kit off eBay. I have 3 needles, 0.2, 0.5 and 0.35. Now I been using the 0.2 but I still can't achieve a 'pen like' line. I'm getting lines like a fat felt tip marker.

Im doing a lot of work lately for 'customers' last one was a guitar and this one is a RC shell which is around 20 inches long, very thin light plastic material. Running around 15-18psi, each time I take the needle cover off and go close up I'm finding my lines are spidering.

I'm also using wicked paints.

Could anyone tell where I'm going wrong or any tips??

Thanks

 

[Strictly Attitude]

you need to find a happy medium between psi and thinning hopefully the ebay special will atomize the paint at the low psi you need to get those pen size lines

 

[Seamonkey]

Reduce your paint 10 to 1 or more and put your pressure about 8psi, but John is right. You new to find a happy medium but if your airbrush can't atomize the paint, you will always have troubles trying to do it.


Josh
"Sometimes you have to let one slip......just to remind people your $#!+ really does stink

 

[Madbrush]

Good advice here above however, I would imagine you are trying to create your pen like lines in one pass over your plastic shell, part of your problem is that it is plastic, I also paint model aircraft, some parts of which the same plastic material as your lexan bodies and that is where the rules change, plastic is completely non porous, you can introduce a certain amount of porosity by introducing a mat primer, but it will still remain to extent non porous, therefore working up close with thinned paint even at low pressure, spidering will almost always be an issue.

I would suggest a different approach, instead of more thinning and less pressure, try less or no thinning, a larger nozzle (0.35 minimum) and more pressure, the other alternative would be to do as I do and do it all with stencils and/or strategic masking, this also makes for incredible sharpness of lines and precision, therefore making your model pleasing to the eye.

I'm guessing that like most of us when you first got your stuff you practiced a little on paper and decided to move on when some success was achieved, but it is important to remember that all surfaces, e.g. canvas, paper, plastic, steel and aluminium to name but a few all behave differently at the front of an airbrush.

There are a few guys on here who paint x-box controllers and consoles, I think they could offer you some good advice on how to go about it, it's a simple case of having a quick look through the forum archives or hoping these guys read this thread.

 

[Mithrand]

I was going to ask my own question but seeing this one it seems the right place.
I have been airbrushing models for about ten years and for the past twelve months have started to remove the end nozzle that acts as a guard for the needle.
Is this method ok for art work, as I seem to be getting a much finer line.
I do have to be careful with how close I get to the work but it's just a matter of practice

 

[Lowrider]

I think you hit the nail in the wood. Here is a good trick to practice. Take the paint and reduce it 1 to 1 and grab three different painting mediums. For example 1 art paper, and 1 canvas and one metal with primer. Then paint a line on all three with the same pressure and from the same distance. Reduce the paint 1 to 5 and do the same again. Reduce it 1 to 10 and do the same again. You will get very different results. Sometimes we need to experience this firsthand to "feel" the difference. When I paint a non porous material, I use tape and reduce very little. Some professionals use urethanes at 50 psi and shoot thin lines. I found this out when I would test the lines on a scrap piece of paper and then wouldn't get the same result on a canvas. Test your lines on a canvas if you paint on a canvas. So I have a scrap canvas for this. I hope this helps.

 

[Madbrush]

I was going to ask my own question but seeing this one it seems the right place.
I have been airbrushing models for about ten years and for the past twelve months have started to remove the end nozzle that acts as a guard for the needle.
Is this method ok for art work, as I seem to be getting a much finer line.
I do have to be careful with how close I get to the work but it's just a matter of practice

If your having success doing your models you will certainly have no problem doing it with art work, but it's a case of avoiding needle contact just as with your models to avoid bending your needle, so yes it's ok for artwork, we all do it, although when I do my models I leave it on since they are almost always harder surfaces and more likely to bend the needle.

 

[Madbrush]

I think you hit the nail in the wood. Here is a good trick to practice. Take the paint and reduce it 1 to 1 and grab three different painting mediums. For example 1 art paper, and 1 canvas and one metal with primer. Then paint a line on all three with the same pressure and from the same distance. Reduce the paint 1 to 5 and do the same again. Reduce it 1 to 10 and do the same again. You will get very different results. Sometimes we need to experience this firsthand to "feel" the difference. When I paint a non porous material, I use tape and reduce very little. Some professionals use urethanes at 50 psi and shoot thin lines. I found this out when I would test the lines on a scrap piece of paper and then wouldn't get the same result on a canvas. Test your lines on a canvas if you paint on a canvas. So I have a scrap canvas for this. I hope this helps.

Smart tips Lowrider, I could have done with this advice when I first started instead of finding out the hard way,

 

[Mithrand]

like you say, I have to be careful how close I get to the work.
But it is a matter of practice, I started off using an old airbrush for this and now i'm getting pretty good at judging the distance.
I'm currently looking to get one of the new two prong guards that are coming onto the market, I've heard good things about them so only time will tell.
currently finishing of two large 1/6 - 1/4 figure/bust and have been able to paint all with just an airbrush and have only needed to use oil for the over tone of the skin of the bust.
Normally this would have taken me months to complete both using my old style of layers of acrylic washes.
Airbrushing is so much more fun

 

[Madbrush]

like you say, I have to be careful how close I get to the work.
But it is a matter of practice, I started off using an old airbrush for this and now i'm getting pretty good at judging the distance.
I'm currently looking to get one of the new two prong guards that are coming onto the market, I've heard good things about them so only time will tell.
currently finishing of two large 1/6 - 1/4 figure/bust and have been able to paint all with just an airbrush and have only needed to use oil for the over tone of the skin of the bust.
Normally this would have taken me months to complete both using my old style of layers of acrylic washes.
Airbrushing is so much more fun

The two prong guard is definitely the safest option especially working up close to harder surfaces since all but eliminates the risk of bending your needle.

Your work sounds interesting, why not post some photos, and you'll be surprised what amazing results you can get by mixing mediums, airbrush, hairy brush, sponge dabbing etc. I tend to work between airbrush and hairy brush with pleasing results (to me anyway), but thanks to checking out some of Visual Realm's works and videos I'm keen to try out some erasing and scratching, I prepared some MDF panels a while back with 6 coats of primer for this purpose.

 

[Mithrand]

 

[Mithrand]

just getting used to new forum and windows 8 at same time so hence no txt with above pictures.
Neo is a 54mm figure and base with the matrix made of plaster card
The other two are both 1/700 scale.
90% painted using airbrush

Roy

 

[Madbrush]

View attachment 13964View attachment 13965View attachment 13966

Impressive work and cool models, I love the US coastguard ship, I just watched a documentary 2 nights ago on discovery about their biggest ship used to combat drug smuggling on the Panama Canal and surrounding areas, very impressive indeed.

I still have Windows Vista, I was planning and up grade but I,ve read a lot of negative feed back on Windows 8, so I'll wait until it's a year old and give them time to iron out the problem, I had problems with Vista too but these were sorted out immediately with a service pack update.

One of my friends at the flying field has a scale US coastguard Jayhawk helicopter which is 5ft long, damn cool machine and beautiful to watch as it flies.

I have a lot of interest in the stuff that your doing so please do post more as and when you do it, we all start airbrushing for different reasons, I started also for my models but also enjoy some art, animals in particular.

Thanks for posting your photos so quickly, excellent stuff and well done too.

 

[Mithrand]

cheers, glad you like them.
The USCG ship is the Tamaroa, and was the ship involved in the great storm that was later made into the film "perfect storm" although they messed up and CGI,ed the wrong ship.

 

[Mia's Ink]

thnaks for all the help guys really appreciate it. i managed to complete the shell in the end and the customer wasd that happy he has sent me another shell, 2 sets of wheels and even his controller to do! Happy Days.

Once again, thanks for all the help!

 

[Lowrider]

If the coast guard ship would of had somw rust and didn't look so perfect, I would have thought it was a picture taken at sea. Excellent work. Did you take the red or the blue pill to get this good?

 

[Seamonkey]

Awesome work!!!!! Very impressed!!!

Josh
Yesterday is history and tomorrow is a mystery. Treat today as a gift, because that's why they call it "THE PRESENT!"

 

[Mr.Micron]

Outstanding modeling skills and Loved the Matrix...

 

[Mithrand]

Red or blue pill, actually I think it was either rum or er rum.