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marc driver

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Hi guys very new to airbrush world I've got a compressor with tank it's a as 186s nd a crappy Chinese knock off airbrush and want to ain't on paper card and wood What paint is best? Just practicing with the valleJo paints that came with the set getting over spray and dull colour what paints are best for me to use?
 
"Best" is relative... best for what... appropriate for what you want is a water based paint that is specific for airbrushes. Com-art, Golden high flow, Createx Illustration (not straight Createx) would all be good starters. They are all good paints.
 
So firstly what kind of painting are you hoping to get into? Secondly, what surface? This can affect your choice of paint. Regular art on paper/board/metal/ or t-shirt/textiles, or automotive etc, etc. Also the style in which you like to paint may affect not only the brand, but the type of paint you choose. For example opaque, semi opaque, or transparent. It sounds to me like you are currently using opaque as that tends to give a flatter finish (and to me can also have a chalky appearance depending on the surface used). The advantage of opaques is that no matter how it is reduced, with enough layers it will completely cover any layer below, and will only ever reach the colour you see in the bottle, and once at that max saturation will not get any darker. Semi transparants take longer to build, so are easier to retain translucency, but again will reach a saturation and coverage point. Transparents have the most 'pop', and colours can be mixed on the surface (giving almost infinite colours and blends)- i.e spraying yellow over blue will become green, as the layers below will show through. It will not cover what is below, no matter how many layers are added, except that eventually the colour will continue to deepen until it reaches black.

I choose a mixture of paint types. An opaque black, white and red (as trans red looks pink until many layers are built, and sometimes I just want red) and trans primaries. With these five colours, and combination of opaque and trans I can mix everthing I need. However for laziness sake I also have a trans sepia - just because I like it, and use for underpainting also, and a trans fleshtone ( which despite the name is not going to give you a convincing skin colour, as skin is actually many different tones, but is a good base to start from), which I find useful for mixing earthy tones.

The brand you choose, and different categories of paint within that brand is down to personal choice, how you like to paint, what is most suitable/which you find you take to better, and what is easily available. To add to the popular choices listed above I will include Grex (also known as E'tac).

Some paints are suited to specific tasks eg. auto air - for automotive, createx - fabric. However createx illustration or E'tac efx are primarily used for fine art/photorealism. My particular favourite is another branch of createx, which is Wicked. I like to paint on many surfaces from fabric to auto, and anything in between, so I choose Wicked as it's an all rounder - not specialized for any particular surface, but can be used on almost anything. I believe E'tacs PS range is a similar equivalent.

You must also factor in use of additives to your brand choice. Some brands reduce with water, Createx has it's own reducer, which I thoroughly recommend as it has many other properties which aid airbrushing, such as faster drying times, harder cure, less surface tension to prevent reactions such as fish eye, flow enhancer as it emulsifies the paint, and also when reducer/paint ratios are finetuned negligible tip dry, very low chance of blackages, and used as a final spray an excellent cleaner. (If you go that route, I really recommend buying a larger bottle, you will use it, and it works out much cheaper). Also your choice of paint may want to take into account it's lighfast capabilities, some have excellent uv protection to protect work from fading.

Hope this helps you narrow down your options. It is worth contacting suppliers to ask for samples of paint - although you will have to buy any additives that are recommended, this may help you make a final decision.
 
Wow so much to learn I'm currently using the valleJo paints that came with the set says for miniatures but I want to paint on paper Board and plywood will be getting a better airbrush probably the neo or eclipse I'm heading toward sky scenes and photo/portrait maybe something like some David Mann kinda stuff what is the difference between flow improver and reducer ? Like I say lots to learn but willing too
 
I'd vote createx as well, though I favor illustration over wicked. You can always add 4030 to CI for hard surfaces. I don't do fabric much at all.
Thing is createx in general has a good range of opaque,trans, semi and a lot of effects so I think it's a great system to learn bc it is so adaptable. Also easily understood. I think some other paints could be better if all you want to do is one particular task.

Plywood, I'm assuming like mural panels? For indoors or outdoors? How long do they need to last? How refined will the final product need to be?

Those factors will determine how you prep and finish the panels. What you use for the artwork is not real crucial there.

Reducer thins the paint, think of flow improver like a lubricant...just smooths things out, reduces clogging and tip dry to some degree.
 
Thanks guys lots of research and playing around I think
 
The joy of createx 4012 reducer is all the benefits I listed above, without any need for other additives :D No need for seperate flow enhancer, cleaners etc, it does it all. So if you decide to go the createx illustration route rather than a paint that reduces with water, bear in mind that the extra cost of 4012 can be balanced somewhat by not having to buy seperate cleaning fluids etc.

Robbyrockett2 makes a good point about the 4030. That wasn't available when I first started using Wicked lol, so is a good option if you aren't bothered about painting on fabrics or too many other surfaces.

Most of the well known artists using water based paints use either Createx illustration or E'tac. I'm sure they get sponsored to do so lol, but even so they have to put their name and quality of work to them, and wouldn't jeopardise that with a bad product. But Golden, com-art, holbein, and a few others have fans too. Just need to find what works for you.

I do suggest that when you find a paint you like, stick with it, learn it really well, refine your ratios, push its limits. Chopping and changing could slow down how well you get to know your paint IMO. Later you may find there is a particular colour of another brand you prefer, (some people might use illustration, but prefer efx white for example), but getting to know your paint well will help you get the best out of it.
 
Hey Marc, the Vallejo paints are mainly for modelling and that kind of thing so that maybe why they are a bit dull. There are lots of brands of paints and everyone has their favourites. I've started using paint from the Airbrush Academy and have found them very good. Mick Neill who has developed them and sells them is very helpful with any questions about them. As for the airbrush I would go for the eclipse over the neo without blinking an eye. The Eclipse is a true iwata, but the neo is built for iwata and are not as good quality but are of course cheaper, they're ok over all but people do get bad ones.

Lee
 
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Overspray and dull color sounds like you haven't reduced enough and thus have to use too much air pressure then hold the brush farther and getting dry spray

On that note, what air pressure have you been using?

Also, whatever else may or may not be true, if you *really* want a hard edge you have to use a mask or stencil (and there are a fair few ways to use/do those things!)
 
'Keeping at it' is the right idea :) 15 to 30 psi is the right area - probably nearer the lower end if you have a gravity feed brush and somewhat more for suction types - however all this depends on how thick the paint is!
 
I set my psi at 25 but lower it down with the mac valve on my quick connect so it's between 15 and 25 somewhere..

Lee
 
Yes using a Chinese apparently its dual feed but keep getting paint when should just be air going to order the eclipse I think and defo want a different paint local shops sell tamiya so might try that first off
 
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