I'm using Kroma Kolor...

[createinspain]

I have just received from the UK, a set of 12 4 oz Kroma Kolor food grade airbrush colours and they are great! A milky consistency, I sprayed on paper at under 20PSI and it cleaned out with water. Lovely. I know that for pieces of artwork that I want to keep I'd have to use art grade stuff but for practice and a newbie like me it's great.

I don't have to worry about time consuming clean up or what to clean with, it does not appear to get tip dry - and, when I feel inclined, I can airbrush my home made cakes with it. (I do have a dedicated food airbrush! as well).

Other than that I have been using watercolour inks - but they are too thin to get really fine lines, even at low pressure.

My problem, here in Spain, is finding a source of paint. Vallejo are made here but looking at their website, the only country that isn't listed for suppliers is Spain! .. Pretty typical for a spanish website. I tried looking at Etac Europe but the site does not seem to be up?

My main intent is painting on paper but at some stage I 'd like to do some T shirts. I only want to use water based paints.

 

[Mr.Micron]

Rule to live by, Use the paint that is your goal.
Food coloring is great to practice with if you goal is to be a cake designer. But if you want to paint motorcycles , Cars , or canvas you want to learn the ins and outs of the paint you would use for that.
The reason I say this is mainly due to learning it the hard way. Now that I have chosen 2 main paint systems I use (waterbased and urethane)
I have learn how to reduce them for what I am painting on.
Most t-shirt artist use standard createx through a .5 set up at about 60psi. that ensures that the paint is pushed into the material .

 

[createinspain]

I quite understand that, and certainly when I decide I want to do any T shirts, I'll have to use acrylics. For the moment, until I know exactly how much I shall use and for what, I'm trying out different things. For practice sheets and general control, this isn't bad. It allows me to use odd snatches of time too, because this stuff isn't going to go hard like an acrylic will. I have previous experience of both acrylic and watercolour paints. I have no interest in painting vehicles or helmets or such And yes, I enjoy cake decorating, so what I have will not be wasted!

 

[Immortal Concepts]

Gum Arabic and honey are used in watercolor paints to thicken the consistency and is a common binder. Adding a small drop of honey would retard the drying time and thicken it up. However when you thicken watercolors, by nature they will have a sheen to them and do what's called bronzing ( metallic like sheen).Don't know how well this would airbrush but that's how it's done. If you are using a tube form, just use less water.

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[createinspain]

Justin, funny you should say about that. As a watercolorist, when I use tube paints I put them in a lidded ice cube tray. To the bottom of each well, I add a tiny amount of liquid honey, then the paint and finally water. It keeps them moist for a very long time and they are more easily reactivated for use. With the small amount I put in, I've not noticed any 'bronzing', just nice juicy paint.
For the airbrush though, I diluted a few colours in some small bottles to give it a shot (( going for milk as usual but found that even though I strained them, the pigments seem to cause a problem -I think they were sinking in the cup.

I wonder if there is a commercially available base I could add watercolour ink to? Although where I'd find it here, I have no idea. They seem to be more into oil painting in Spain than any other type!

 

[Immortal Concepts]

I'll do some thinking when I have some time and see if I can't come up with a solution. You would probably have to keep shaking the paint so that the pigments don't settle like pearls do. Their pigments aren't ground as fine as automotive paints as they were never intended to be sprayed, but doesn't mean it can't be done. Eggs whites comes to mind as a carrier base but I don't think it would spray

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[Immortal Concepts]

Oh and a friend of mine is really good friends with a well known airbrush artist in spain. I can't remember his name atm but I'll talk to her and find out where he is located. Also I believe Luca pagan is in Spain too. Not sure If he is still painting. He is known for his flower paintings and does a lot of scooters

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[createinspain]

This is my style of 'normal ' watercolour work

Thanks Justin!

 

[Immortal Concepts]

Well I did a little reading and it's pretty general to just thin the tubed watercolor with water and strain if needed. Would need to be thinner than milk, more like juice. Basically thin enough that it's pretty transparent like a kandy dye. Also you could use oils, just reduce with turpentine or any white spirit. Of course with this method a mask would be a must, especially with cadmium. You should be able to still spray watercolors even if super thin and get a fine line. Just all about control and having your brush tuned and running perfectly. I've reduced paints past their binding point where it would fail, but still pull very fine lines. What airbrush and needle setup are you using?

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[createinspain]

Thanks for your efforts! I'm using the standard Iwata HP C Plus which came with a .3 needle I believe. I'm pretty OCD about keeping it spotless and the kit is new, so condition should not be a problem. Most likely user error but I found that when using diluted watercolour there was definitely a problem with sediment, even though strained from the bottle. If it's going to be a hassle, I'll save it until I get more used to how this all works, since I have other alternatives. Am I right in thinking that the .3 needle is too big for basically water consistency ink ultra fine lines? I can't afford an alternate needle set up just yet!

I'm not going to use oils, never have been a fan of them. I can buy dedicated airbrush paints on line but have yet to find a shop I can go into....

On the plus side, I'm doing well with the control exercises.....