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Touching up with a brush after using an airbrush


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I've slowly started to transition painting with a brush to using an Airbrush for bigger models. I am definitely happy with the smoother finishes on large flat surfaces. But the problem is when I was trying to paint a shoulder plate for my knight I sprayed the base coat and then brushes on the metallic trim, I made mistakes and when I tried to go over them with a brush to finish it off, the result is noticeable as it isn't as smooth as the original spray.

 

I did the same with a Razorback I painted. Does anyone have any tips to make the touch up blend in better?

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Hi,

 

Try applying a thin layer of gloss varnish after you've done your airbrush work, once it's cured this will let you correct small mistakes with a small brush and some "airbrush cleaner" or "acrylic thinner" used sparingly you should be able to remove the offending over-painted bit and get your airbrush work back.

 

Rik

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I've tried maskol, but as with masking tape, it'll still work better over a light coat of varnish, then the adhesive can't lift the previous layer of paint.

 

If you're not sure about the varnish, get a spare model and try it. I wasn't convinced when I was first told. It will change your hobby life.

 

Rik

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You need to be very careful in the application of maskol.  You can't control its flow as well as regular paint, so if you're trying to get in nooks and crannies, it can be tough to get a good line and not either over- or under-cover your previous work.  Secondly, since you brush it on, it's not as good for straight lines as tape.  Thirdly, because it often stands higher off the painted surface than tape would, I've found it sadly easy to get excessive buildup of the top coat around the edge of my mask, which either leads to paint peeling or a very stark edge.

 

It has its uses, and I use it pretty often, but it's not the easiest thing to work with, IMO, and has its limitations.  I agree with varnishing and then attempting cleanup as the easiest practice, coupled with good masking tape like Tamiya.

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Dam airbrushes, they entice you in with their sexy even coats but they are a lot of work. So do further coats on top of the varnish stick? I was thinking of masking and spraying one side white then the other black. Then varnish and go over the varnish with the metallic? 

 

Also to get better smoother coats is it just a matter of thinning the paint even more?

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Apply battle damage, dirt or weathering powders to the areas where the mistakes occur.

 

If you're not a fan of that, then use a dry brush technique to apply the pigment to the area with the mistake on it, it'll help smooth the finish by gradually building up the pigment rather than leaving brush marks

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Dam airbrushes, they entice you in with their sexy even coats but they are a lot of work. So do further coats on top of the varnish stick? I was thinking of masking and spraying one side white then the other black. Then varnish and go over the varnish with the metallic? 

 

Also to get better smoother coats is it just a matter of thinning the paint even more?

 

Yeah you can paint over the varnish, you'll notice that your paints and especially washes do behave a bit differently - they tend to contract more rather than spread, but as this is helpful to most painters few people complain-.

 

For your black/white/metallic scheme then if you're masking some of the areas you'll likely benefit from varnishing in between, it doesn't have to be a thick coat, just enough to seal the work you've done and to give a smooth even surface to work on going forwards.

 

Smoother coats are generally about more and thinner coats, but making sure your paint is dry between stages is also important. My best hobby purchase to date was a small hairdryer that I use to get paint completely dry so I can start on the next stage.

 

Rik

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Thanks for all the suggestions, I was about to buy varnish so there doesn't seem to be a better time to.  I will come back in a while when I've done the shoulders. Might be a while though :)

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Medium and retarder mixed in to thin and slow the dry time. You can make it transparent enough to to correct by layer. The retarder is amazing because it makes acrylics behave almost like oil and really great to blend.

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