binbrook87 Posted October 1, 2019 Share Posted October 1, 2019 Hi I'm a fairly new member and thought I'd share a trial of airbrushing camouflage a different way. I've traditionally been a brush painter but have recently bought an airbrush. For plain colours schemes it's been a revolution, but I've been struggling to find a method for camouflage. I've tried white tack, masking tape, maskol, panzer putty...you name it...but all with mixed results or the masking was so tricky and long winded i ended up losing interest! Today however i tried a new method which combines both brush painting and airbrushing which some of you may find useful. First the paint. I use Vallejo acrylics either Model Air straight from the bottle or Model Color thinned 50/50 or so with Vallejo thinners and a drop or two of flow improver. I first airbrush the base coat or lighter colour of the camouflage and leave this to dry. Then for the secondary darker colour. I take a small brush and carefully hand paint the outline of the camouflage pattern leaving no more than a 5mm painted 'edge'. Once this is dry i then infill the remaining areas with the airbrush. I use a Sparmax SP20 with 0.2mm needle so i can keep a small spray pattern to infill and blend between the lines. Air pressure is not too low as i find the needle can clog but i have a brush dipped in Vallejo airbrush cleaner to hand to clean the tip of the needle every now and then. It takes time and practice to avoid overspray but with the hand painted line already there this gives a margin for error and alleviates the need to achieve a perfect smooth edge to the camo. Just a few thoughts of mine...... Hope it's useful. Cheers😀 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Posted October 1, 2019 Share Posted October 1, 2019 I think sometimes it's a case of using what works for you, but in general I've used the techniques that you previously described as not working for you. I prefer painting without masks because it's quicker, but when a hard edge is needed, I mask up. When a soft(ish) edge is needed, I sometimes airbrush without masks, other times have used blutak. If you're laying down paint quite thickly though, any masking will be a place to build up thickness of paint that can cause a lip or cause paint to creep under any gaps in the masks. Avoid those issues by painting in thin layers, which will in turn give you practice in needle control. Then you can work on modulation, mottle and all those other techniques that work best with practice. I've just remembered that I once brush-painted some camo on a little FT-17 tank. I brushed on highly diluted paint in a successive layer of coats, then filled in the weaker areas with an airbrush. Came out ok really 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
binbrook87 Posted October 1, 2019 Author Share Posted October 1, 2019 Thanks for the feedback! Yes i agree with what works for one may not work for another. I do love the airbrush though for most jobs (even mottling I've tackled relatively successfully), it's just the camo that's testing my patience at times. The result may not be as good as a complete masked up job but by the time I've clear and flat varnished and weathered you shouldn't notice too much difference hopefully. The FT17 tank looks great by the way! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thorfinn Posted October 1, 2019 Share Posted October 1, 2019 When I first started airbrushing, my favorite method was cutting masks from stiff paper or thin card (junk mail provides a never-dwindling supply!) which could then be 'tacked' in place with Silly Putty, white-tack or even little rolls of masking tape. Obviously tricky on compound curves and in tight 'crease' areas like wing roots...but it let me concentrate on getting the spraying process right, without so much having to worry about where the paint was going 'accidentally' from over-spray or an uncertain trigger-finger. Like Mike, I mostly freehand spray these days...but there are times when some form of 'fixed' mask is a project-saver! Bottom line is...whatever works for you is 'golden!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OutcastJoel Posted November 27, 2019 Share Posted November 27, 2019 As another newbie I am keen to know what works for you so please keep us posted! I like that suggestion of brushing on the edges with thin washes and filling in the middle with airbrush! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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