Dear folks and gals it is time for a first: this I like to call "Personal Insights Grotto" (or PIG). Articles in this section will accumulate with the questions and answers that I have given to various people at various points in times gone by. None of these opinions have the stamp of absolute Truth; they are merely my own thoughts and experiences on the topics dealt with that I share with you gladly!
So let's kick off!
Recently
I was asked for details about a specific piece of equipment that more and more
painters swear by : I mean the Airbrush. (If I’m honest I have been
answering questions on this subject for the best part of the last four years,
however a recent conversation prompted me to write this article.)
I do, occasionally,
use an airbrush but very rarely. I do enjoy the very gentle and supple effects
that you can create with this tool, at least once you have understood how to
control the various parameters this tool offers. As I hardly ever work on
particularly big pieces, or even a series of similar pieces, the time /
efficiency ratio is too weak really. I really only fire it up when I want to
speedily create my light sources or lay down a perfectly unified base coat in a
fraction of the time required by a paintbrush.
Of course
the major issue to start with, even before considering the technical aspects of
it’s’ use, is the cost of the setup. A decent airbrush will set you back about
£95 (110€). To that you have to add an air compressor with a “pressure reserve
tank” (this means that you will have a continual flow of air at a constant
pressure). I’m not quite sure how much these cost as mine was a Christmas
present but I do know that they are not cheap. This is your basic setup; and it
is good for custom jobs on car/bike bodywork. For miniatures you will have to
add a range of smaller nozzles, caps and needles. These things tend to wear out
and are extremely fragile, it is more than likely that you will bend at least
one needle as you master the basics of airbrush control. Take into account sets
of new washers, cleaning and maintenance fluids and you have a pretty costly
operation if you want to set up a good airbrush station in your workshop. Also
it takes up space: my compressor is the size of an average toolbox to give you
an idea.
Maintenance
can also be a pain, especially if you use your airbrush for a low yield
production. For large quantities, or chain painting, then it is fine to rinse
it out at the end of the day and return to it the next day. However as soon as
you are going to put it away for an indefinite period of time you have to take
it apart, clean every piece and lubricate all the moving parts. My own
airbrushes each have about fifteen parts and take me a good hour and a half to
clean fully, and that is using an ultra-sound machine to speed up the process.
This is one of the most common activities where needles get imperceptibly bent,
and become therefore utterly useless. While working you must clean out the
paint cup thoroughly between each colour (unless you are going for some weird
effect, that’s up to you).
When it comes
to actually mastering the contraption do not be fooled : it is in no way
comparable to what you do with a paintbrush. All you know about the behaviour
of paints, washes etc. have to be “re-learned” in effect. A good airbrush, in
fact the only decent for miniature painting, is a « dual-action »
airbrush. This mean that with the trigger you control two factors: the air
pressure running through the instrument, and the volume of paint flowing into
the chamber and being projected onto your work. And because you have that many more parameters to master there are that many more things that can go wrong while working with this tool. Single action airbrushes only
control air pressure, and should be banned from miniature painting in my
opinion: if you want to add an airbrush to your painting tools, then buy a dual
action straight away. It might be harder and longer to master but the rewards
are worth the trouble. Like all new tools, it takes time to master, but it is
quite an enjoyable process if you don’t ask too much of it to start with.
Most
acrylic paint ranges are adaptable for airbrush use. Some are specifically made
for airbrushes, others require some preparation using specifically designed fluidifiers
or other additives. This is one of those situations where you really should
read the labels and the instruction manual. There is one exception that I was
taught when I was looking to buy an airbrush and it is this: NEVER EVER EVER
put metallic paints into an airbrush unless you want to destroy it. I do not
know of this is true, but I am not willing to risk ruining one of my tools for
the benefit of painting science.
The
airbrush does have some serious advantages to it’s’ credit:
- vehicles
can be rendered faster and more realistically, I met a player who had created
some armoured battle force (so 95% tanks) of close to twenty tanks of various
types and painted them to a superb standard in a day.
- light
sources can be placed very quickly and quite accurately, this is as useful for
Zenithal Lighting as it is for Object Source Lighting.
- when
painting armies, I am reliably informed that it can halve the time necessary to
get a decent table top army finished.
- it
allows for a host of weird and wonderful effects, from the simplest to the most
complex either for showcase pieces, armies, terrain, dioramas etc. These would
be too long to list, but maybe one day I might be able to show you a few step
by step examples.
But be WARNED:
I have seen painters, believing that the airbrush is like a magic wand, run out and buy one and then wail pitifully and uncomprehendingly when their beautiful project ended up coated by a single gloopy badly prepared paint mixture. It is not a magic wand, it is more like a precision rifle with the potential of a tactical air strike. It should be used as a precision rifle – where your shot has to be perfect or is totally useless – if however you fail to make it a precision rifle it will turn into an air strike and destroy everything in its path.
That is
not to say that you should abandon the idea of airbrushing, far from it. However
please bear in mind that in the sciences and the arts, the best progression is
from the simple to the complex. Master the basics with your paintbrush, then
improve on that and carry on improving and pushing yourself. Then one day maybe
the airbrush will seem indispensable to you, then you’ll go and buy one – and all
the extra bits you need – and you will love it even above the frustration of
the beginning of a new apprenticeship. This will only happen when you have
understood what makes a good paintjob, how to treat your light sources, your
shadings and highlights, your colour choices and coordination etc. And all that
can only be achieved with a paintbrush in your hand and a faint taste of paint
on your tongue.
________________________________________________________________________
I hope that I
have not put you off airbrushing, and that this small essay will be of some
help to you in your reflexions.
Feel free to e-mail me with questions at: tinypeoplestudio@gmail.com
and who knows?: Maybe they will become one of these PIG articles!
(Wether or not they become an article I will do my very best to answer any queries via e-mail at least)
Always enjoy yourself!
(Whatever your tools are
in the end!)
