Coat after painting?

[notflip]

I'm very new to the scene, so I only bought the needed paints, and micro set. 

Now I see a lot of brush strokes, stripes and finger prints on the hull of my poor spitfire.

 

Does a model need a coating of some sort after painting? My silver grey also looks very un-silvery

is that also something that a coat can solve?

[Jamie @ Sovereign Hobbies]

Hi,

 

Unfortunately there is very little in the way of blemishes that gets better by adding more coats on. It's just all part of building up experience.

 

Brush strokes are extremely difficult to completely eradicate. Many modellers will, eventually, decide to airbrush instead which is much faster and gives good results with much less effort. Sure there's masking but much like avoiding traffic congestion by taking a detour 3 times the distance, just getting out a paint brush gives the illusion of faster progress in that you get start applying paint sooner but the airbrush user has masked, sprayed to a high standard, cleaned up and is glugging a beer whilst the brush painter is waiting for the first thinned coat to dry.

 

The solution to brush strokes is therein - most paints need thinned for brush painting to a decent standard. The coverage will not be very good once thinned, but you just need to apply a thinned coat and let it dry fully before doing it again, and again, until it looks ok. The good news is that thinned paint dries faster than unthinned paint. It's all about evaporation rates and the applied "film thickness" of wet paint that goes on each coat.

 

Keep trying. There is no substitute for experience, although tutorial videos on Youtube etc can help you  learn faster.

[Graham Boak]

Have more than one model awaiting painting at a time.  The brush modeller can have done two whilst the airbrush user is still cleaning his tool and preparing the second colour.  Airbrushes do have a distinct advantage when working on large models, particularly monotone ones or metal finishes.    But for smaller models (1/72 and 1/144 fighters) with camouflage schemes, I find conventional brushes quicker and give better control of the patterns.  Mottles excepted, of course.  They are also a lot cheaper to buy and to operate.  For competition standard modelling, they probably are necessary except for the supreme artists, but they need a lot more faff and reduce the pleasure in modelling - at least for me.  I certainly wouldn't advise one for an absolute beginner, with much more to learn anyway.  Wait until he moves on to Luftwaffe finishes...

[Steve Noble]

Depends on the type of paints you use. Some paints are not good for brushing, others are excellent and vice versa...

[notflip]

2 hours ago, Jamie @ Sovereign Hobbies said:

Hi,

 

Unfortunately there is very little in the way of blemishes that gets better by adding more coats on. It's just all part of building up experience.

 

Brush strokes are extremely difficult to completely eradicate. Many modellers will, eventually, decide to airbrush instead which is much faster and gives good results with much less effort. Sure there's masking but much like avoiding traffic congestion by taking a detour 3 times the distance, just getting out a paint brush gives the illusion of faster progress in that you get start applying paint sooner but the airbrush user has masked, sprayed to a high standard, cleaned up and is glugging a beer whilst the brush painter is waiting for the first thinned coat to dry.

 

The solution to brush strokes is therein - most paints need thinned for brush painting to a decent standard. The coverage will not be very good once thinned, but you just need to apply a thinned coat and let it dry fully before doing it again, and again, until it looks ok. The good news is that thinned paint dries faster than unthinned paint. It's all about evaporation rates and the applied "film thickness" of wet paint that goes on each coat.

 

Keep trying. There is no substitute for experience, although tutorial videos on Youtube etc can help you  learn faster.

Thanks for your reply, I'm in serious doubt as to move on to airbrush or not, the only thing stopping me is the cost, at the moment.

Is there a big learning curve with airbrushes? Since with normal brushes there's the brush brand, types of hair, thinning of paint, but I guess these technicalities will be around with airbrushing as well. How does the airbrush learning curve compare to brush painting?

1 hour ago, Steve Noble said:

Depends on the type of paints you use. Some paints are not good for brushing, others are excellent and vice versa...

I'm using Revell Aqua paints at the moment. It's my first kit so just went with what the store offered me.

[sapperastro]

Thin your aqua more I would say. Or try Model Master Acrylic that is so easy to brush paint successfully a baby could do it without brush strokes.

[Jamie @ Sovereign Hobbies]

I may have mis-communicated!

 

Don't move to an airbrush - at least not yet. Brush painting can be a real chore for some people but there are some things that can only be done with a brush so you need to earn your proverbial wings there and just get that skill learned.

 

Once your construction is all straight, seams good, no glue fingerprints, you can solve minor fit issues without making a mess etc etc and then IF you get to the stage where you suspect it's paint brushes that are holding you back only then consider getting an airbrush.

 

I only mentioned airbrushes because getting a good finish with paint brushes is a very slow process and you need to expect to be making slow progress with colour build-up if you want to avoid brush strokes. It takes a very good brush painter to equal the sort of finish a donkey could manage with an airbrush.

[notflip]

1 minute ago, Jamie @ Sovereign Hobbies said:

I may have mis-communicated!

 

Don't move to an airbrush - at least not yet. Brush painting can be a real chore for some people but there are some things that can only be done with a brush so you need to earn your proverbial wings there and just get that skill learned.

 

Once your construction is all straight, seams good, no glue fingerprints, you can solve minor fit issues without making a mess etc etc and then IF you get to the stage where you suspect it's paint brushes that are holding you back only then consider getting an airbrush.

 

I only mentioned airbrushes because getting a good finish with paint brushes is a very slow process and you need to expect to be making slow progress with colour build-up if you want to avoid brush strokes. It takes a very good brush painter to equal the sort of finish a donkey could manage with an airbrush.

Well said, You're right, it would be a silly to skip brush painting alltogether. I'll just rewatch some video's with tips on how to layer thin enough to avoid brush strokes, thanks!

[sapperastro]

Much like brush painting, 'a donkey' will find airbrushing an aggravating, and time consuming experience. I have ruined just as many kits using an airbrush as I have with a paint brush. They both take time, experience and money to sort out your personal preferences and what works for you.

 

 

For both areas it took me years to get things 'down pat', and many different paint brands! And then some swine changes paint formulas, or a line of paints/varnishes is discontinued, and it is back to the drawing board....

 

As Jamie said, get your construction technique downpat, and find 'your' paint and brushes. Then enjoy the ongoing imrpovement.

 

Just a quick word on varnishes, as this has caused me pain...when you watch videos such as the quick kits videos, you will see many use a rattlecan varnish. An excellent idea in many respects, however, bear in mind that many paints react with rattlecan varnishes. TEST THEM FIRST BEFORE USING THEM ON YOUR FRESHLY PAINTED MODEL. One paint will not react at all, while another will bubble and ruin your masterpiece. Ask on the forum, and test on painted scrap objects before committing.

 

Brushing gloss coats are fairly forgiving with brushes, use the same system as you use with your paint. 

 

Brushing Matt and satin is another story. I have had brush success with Humbrol matt cote (oil based varnish) and model master acrylic matt varnish. Others not so much. Again, it is all trial and error.

 

If your matt coat goes frosty, recoat with gloss to elimate the problem and start again with a different product/style.

Edited July 31, 2019 by sapperastro