Airbrushing, new to me, looking for help advice

[rwtdiver]

David,

Would this be a fairly good starting point for weathering the Russian Alfa boat?



Rob
"Firemen can stand the heat"

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

Had an epiphany while sleeping. Happens a lot. My thoughts are this. I'm brushing on the paint in a wide pattern then streaking it down the hull. I should be dabbing the paint in a narrow splotch then streaking it down. Also, I've been thinning the acrylic 1:1 with reducer. Maybe leaving it thicker and brushing it down would make it look more like 'proper' streaking.


Maybe not apply the paint the width of the brush. OR! Do it this way as a first light layer, then go back a second time with the brush held vertically to create more pronounced narrow vertical streaks.



The wash should look more like what I highlighted with the arrow. Here demonstrating how I perhaps should position the brush for a narrow streak instead of a wide wash.


David puts the paint on in small streaks. Not like a full wash like I was doing.


This looks like a combination of a full wash with streaking applied on top of the full wash. Layered effect. This picture sticks in my mind a lot!!!


Time to change the technique. Thoughts?

Keep playing with it. A major league pitcher has more than one pitch in his bag of tricks. Explore. Experiment. Try weird stuff (streak with steel-wool, streak vertically with dry scouring powder, streak with sand, etc.). Go nuts!

David

[Ken_NJ]

Had an epiphany while sleeping. Happens a lot. My thoughts are this. I'm brushing on the paint in a wide pattern then streaking it down the hull. I should be dabbing the paint in a narrow splotch then streaking it down. Also, I've been thinning the acrylic 1:1 with reducer. Maybe leaving it thicker and brushing it down would make it look more like 'proper' streaking.


Maybe not apply the paint the width of the brush. OR! Do it this way as a first light layer, then go back a second time with the brush held vertically to create more pronounced narrow vertical streaks.



The wash should look more like what I highlighted with the arrow. Here demonstrating how I perhaps should position the brush for a narrow streak instead of a wide wash.


David puts the paint on in small streaks. Not like a full wash like I was doing.


This looks like a combination of a full wash with streaking applied on top of the full wash. Layered effect. This picture sticks in my mind a lot!!!


Time to change the technique. Thoughts?

[Ken_NJ]

Nick, the scallop shape at the bottom is the end of stretching out the paint which is applied at the top.

Its seems if I apply more pressure at the top it removes most of the paint there and makes it thinner, lighter at the top. I'm swinging away at it!

Wednesday going to start on the dive planes.

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

Press at the top of the stroke. Back off half-way down the stroke. Keep swinging, Tiger. You're almost there.

Get to work!

David

[Monahan Steam Models]

It looks good to me in the second photo. The curve at the bottom that isn’t noticeable in the second photo, is that from a change of applied pressure to the brush perhaps? Anyways I think your work is looking good and always getting better.

[Ken_NJ]

Bought a pack of cheap kids brushes and cut one short to make it stiffer. Did the same with a cheapo 1 inch brush. Used those to hope make it scratchier. In this experiment it did come out scratchier, I think. Seems how I apply the paint always results in always having a curve at the bottom. I dunno, not feeling confident on the results.


Before top coating


After top coating

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

First attempt on test hull. Hard to get a good picture with light glare.

Now use a brush with stiffer bristles -- you want a 'scratchier' looking array of streaks. Experiment, experiment... experiment!

[Ken_NJ]

First attempt on test hull. Hard to get a good picture with light glare.

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

Alrighty on those techniques. Starting today, practice on the test article.

For the sail planes, top would be non skid surface, bottom side oil caning? For the stern planes and rudder, oil canning on all sides?

Yes. Yes. And... yes.













David

[Ken_NJ]

Alrighty on those techniques. Starting today, practice on the test article.

For the sail planes, top would be non skid surface, bottom side oil caning? For the stern planes and rudder, oil canning on all sides?

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

Keep experimenting with various sized, bristle strength, and shape of the brush. And shake out and rub out even more paint from the brush before doing the streaking thing.

Craft is not invented. Craft is only refined and passed on from one to another, and another, and...

David

[Ken_NJ]

Your approach to learning the process is much more methodical and structured than mine, Ken. You're taking ME back to school! Wonderful stuff. You'll be there in no time.

David

I'm just doing what you have been showing us all this time with your posts. If it wasn't for you, I probably would not be attempting this. Same as your encouragement to get me scribing on the Marlin. Always fun to acquire more skills and do something you haven't done before, as apprehensive as you may be with starting the unknown to yourself.

On another note. The bottom one of that last attempt I did. How can I get less paint on the subject? Was trying to figure what to do on that matter. Or don't worry about it and it will be covered by the over spray of the topcoat? May try more practicing tomorrow on that.

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

I am done for now. Used a triangle and a different brush. Going to use multiple brushes on the test article. The triangle does guide the brush better for vertical strokes but slows the process down some. Patience is all I can say. In the previous post I think I applied the paint on too heavy. Here I lightened it up. This has the base coat applied. It appears lighter in the picture than in person. My Skipjack is going to look great!

Your approach to learning the process is much more methodical and structured than mine, Ken. You're taking ME back to school! Wonderful stuff. You'll be there in no time.

David

[Ken_NJ]

Thanks Nick. I'm curious what you will be doing with your VIIc. That would be a whole different type of weathering than my Skipjack.