tips for painting with acrylics

[Guest]

I'm painting my hand, using just acrylics. I prime my planes then put a coat of acrylic then another. But it leaves small brush marks or uneven looking coat. Anyone who paints with acrylics (none aribrush) have any tips? Here are my first 2 paint jobs

[ATTACH]87349.IPB[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH]87350.IPB[/ATTACH]

[peterairfix]

Not bad for your first ones.

May i ask what acrylics you are using,and also ridding those brush marks depends on the brush as the more you spend on one the better they are as i am a decicated brusher myself (i can't do air brushes).

But you will get more tips .

Peter t

[Guest]

I don't brush paint (too much hassle!), but the old maxim of many thin coats being better than one thick one is still valid.

From the look of the splinter camo on the 109, I'd say you're putting too much paint on in one go.

Try thinning the paint more, or invest in an airbrush, it's much easier to get a good finish.

Having said that, they're still nice models

Cheers

Patrick

[ojays]

I agree with Peter.

I too am a hairy stick man, good quality brushes & thin coats.

Don't try to cover in just one coat. ( I use Vallejo Acrylics) just my own personal choice.

Gregg

[Guest]

Speaking from both sides they both have strong and weak points, intricate work is a pain in the bum with an ab but a smooth finish is very difficult with a brush (not impossible, I have seen some amazing brush car paint jobs) bit there are effects you can only get with an ab. All that said I am an enamels man acrylics are very soft ( people will tell you it takes 24 hours for acrylics to set, I thought that was supposed to be their advantage, they are quick to dry but even after 24 hours acrylics are still soft(in my opinion) the trick with a brush is to get the paint thinned to the correct consistency to get a smooth finish. Both have their benefits and flaws the trick is to find which works best for you. The one thing I would say is if you go ab route get a compressor and ab kit don't use rattle cans, they are expensive and have other flaws which I won't go onto now. You can get an ab compressor set for as little as £89.00 that may seem like a lot but a rattle can will cost you a tenner and will do a couple of 1/35 kits if your lucky, so an absetup is Deffo cheaper. On the other hand if you are brushing a decent set of brushes from SMS for 5.99 (but to get a good finish requires the skill to mix the paint to the correct consistency and to brush it on in the correct manner) (ab is Deffo easier) but you will always need to do some brush work so your tool kit will need a 000 brush. Good luck.

[Guest]

[Apologies in advance - this post got out of control...!]

I've not used an AB, only brush, and have managed some pretty decent finishes. I'm no expert but I've been happy with my results and had a lot of fun doing it.

This is how I'd do an early Spit... I saw you had one, me too! The classic first model (or in my case, first return-to-modelling model!).

I start with a primer coat - currently using Halfords auto primer (link), nowt wrong with it and very affordable. I'd suggest getting a grey primer unless you've got some light or bright colours - wish I'd used white primer on the Red Arrows Gnat, but live 'n learn.

Then the main body colours - starting with the lightest. So, for example, with a Dark Earth / Dark Green topside and Sky bottom (e.g. early Spit), I'd start with the Sky underside (I use Humbrol paints as they're what I can get locally and they've been fine so far - Sky is Hu23, the green is Hu29 and earth is Hu30). I wouldn't bother masking at this point. I'd thin the paints with water (you can use acrylic thinners too - just another expensive liquid I haven't got round to buying yet!), I generally go about 2 parts paint to 1 part water. I paint it on with a fairly large brush if there's no detail work; seems to help avoid some of the bristle marks. You can generally let the paint dry for a few hours - second coat can go on when 'touch' dry, doesn't need to be fully cured. Make sure you paint past the line where the topside colours will go so there are no gaps! Once you've got two coats on, have a look and see if the coverage is good enough. A further thin coat might be needed - with the Red Arrows Gnat I ended up with four or five coats I recall.

Next you need to mask up the straight lines (like along the fuselage). Bit of a pain - the paint needs to be properly cured for this, so you must leave at least 24 hours. One thing you might want to do in that time is have a stab at masking up your canopies - I see you've avoided this so far (so did I on my first models), but it makes a huge difference. Others have spoken about masking canopies recently on the forums, basically it's not as tough as it looks; a single engine fighter doesn't have that much glass to worry about. A sharp blade is the key!

OK, Sky colour cured. Mask up along the fuselage - the most popular I think is the Tamiya 6mm masking tape, it's not as sticky as decorators' tape and far less likely to take any of the bottom layer with it when you remove it.. Honestly on my first planes I didn't bother masking along the wing edges (even the leading edges) and I was fine... I would def do it now though. Getting more anal as I do more modelling...! Then select the lighter of the two topside shades (probably the earth - but it's a toss-up here), and again do a couple of thinned layers all over the top. If you've masked off the canopy, fit this in place first so the shading is consistent with the body.

For the second colour (first must be at least touch dry, you might want to wait longer to be sure), you can either do it freehand or with more masking. Masking round shapes is fiddly, but possible... I've done both; if you're using multiple thin coats, masking is advised as it's hard to get the lines exactly the same freehand and you risk having messy edges. Best to get rid of the masking tape as soon as the paint is touch dry, less chance of paint chipping or peeling away then if you wait for ages. Having said that I've done both and not had issues.

Again, once done, wait until the paint is properly dry - 24 hours at least. Tip - keep drying planes etc under cover so they don't get dust etc on them while drying. Once you're happy, you need to seal with a varnish - I've been well pleased with Humbrol Clear, there are threads about that around here too, as there are loads of other options. Humbrol have a good

showing how to brush Clear onto a model - do as they say: Basically, large brush, fast even strokes. Again wait until cured, then you can do the decals: with the layer of gloss varnish, they should go on pretty easily. I do also use Microsol (link to John's store) to really get the decals set down right into the lines and over rivets (on older models) etc, works fantastically.Completely optional: You might want to mess around with some weathering at this point (actually I do another coat of Clear first to seal the decals down properly) - easiest option is to make a 'wash' of a bit of brown/rust/oilstain oil paint (just from local craft store - you can also buy specialist washes) with some turps or whatever - get it to the consistency of 'dirty turps' rather than thin paint. Sloosh it all over (alternatively you can be a bit more genteel and do a 'pin wash', just applying it carefully into panel lines etc), and once it's mostly dry, then try to clean as much of it off as you can with a few cotton buds (or a lot of them!). Should leave hardly any on the model. Amazing what a difference this makes - really ups the realism. It's just... dirt, you know! (Obviously less likely to be found on, e.g. a Red Arrows display jet than a tired three-sorties-a-day Battle of Britain Spitfire...!) You can experiment with some other effects, too - some very thin dark grey/brown for some exhaust streaks, whatever takes your fancy. Google some photos of in-action planes to see what sort of wear-and-tear is realistic. I guess you could spend ages on this; I'm happy just to do enough to suggest some hard living without troubling the 'rivet-counters' too much.

Once I'm happy with all of that, another layer of Clear just for luck. By now, the model might be looking very glossy - the way to up the gloss is simply more layers of Clear, but I prefer matt... So once everything's totally dry, I finish with a wee blast from a can of Humbrol matt spray varnish. Honestly, I don't work for them or anything, it's just what's available at the local shop!!!

Now only one job left - with a toothpick (invaluable things), prise away the masking tape from the canopy - the 'glass' bit will be clear (any leaks will easily come away with the same toothpick which is also soft enough not to scratch the plastic) but the metal frames etc will be an exact match for the body work.

I'm not the world's best modeller or anything, but I was really pleased with how easy it was to get from 'beginner' to 'early intermediate' (!!) with my painting. One day I'll try an AB, right now brushes are fine, I'm having loads of fun and that's what it's about. To see what sort of results I get, check out my Handley Page Hampden which seemed to go well, a few of my earlier efforts (all single seat WWII fighters) and the Red Arrows Gnat I mentioned.

Enjoy!

[eddiesolo]

Nice one Alasdair, some great tips.

Your models don't look too bad. I use a mixture of AB, brush, cocktail sticks and micro-brushes. As the guys have mentioned you need a good quality brush/s for this kind of work, not always the most expensive but a good quality sable brush. Also, again the guys have pointed it out, thin your paint, if you have to and try thinner coats, build it up slowly and let it dry before adding another.

Si

[Guest]

Not bad for your first ones.May i ask what acrylics you are using,and also ridding those brush marks depends on the brush as the more you spend on one the better they are as i am a decicated brusher myself (i can't do air brushes).

But you will get more tips .

Peter t

I'm using a mix of Testor and Tamiya with their own seperate thinner. I'm not really quite sure what ratio to use. I'm doing about 3 parts paint to 1 part thinner. Only reason i'm using 2 different brands is the local shop carrys both brands and one brand has one color and the other dosn't. I'm using the Testor cheap brushes, not sure what type of brushes to invest in for Models.

[Guest]

I agree with Peter.I too am a hairy stick man, good quality brushes & thin coats.

Don't try to cover in just one coat. ( I use Vallejo Acrylics) just my own personal choice.

Gregg

I figured that out near the end of my 2nd painting which was the 109. Going to start doing 2 or 3 light coats with acrylic. Only worry is i'm afraid i'll cover the shading with multiple coats.

[Guest]

[Apologies in advance - this post got out of control...!]I've not used an AB, only brush, and have managed some pretty decent finishes. I'm no expert but I've been happy with my results and had a lot of fun doing it.

This is how I'd do an early Spit... I saw you had one, me too! The classic first model (or in my case, first return-to-modelling model!).

I start with a primer coat - currently using Halfords auto primer (link), nowt wrong with it and very affordable. I'd suggest getting a grey primer unless you've got some light or bright colours - wish I'd used white primer on the Red Arrows Gnat, but live 'n learn.

Then the main body colours - starting with the lightest. So, for example, with a Dark Earth / Dark Green topside and Sky bottom (e.g. early Spit), I'd start with the Sky underside (I use Humbrol paints as they're what I can get locally and they've been fine so far - Sky is Hu23, the green is Hu29 and earth is Hu30). I wouldn't bother masking at this point. I'd thin the paints with water (you can use acrylic thinners too - just another expensive liquid I haven't got round to buying yet!), I generally go about 2 parts paint to 1 part water. I paint it on with a fairly large brush if there's no detail work; seems to help avoid some of the bristle marks. You can generally let the paint dry for a few hours - second coat can go on when 'touch' dry, doesn't need to be fully cured. Make sure you paint past the line where the topside colours will go so there are no gaps! Once you've got two coats on, have a look and see if the coverage is good enough. A further thin coat might be needed - with the Red Arrows Gnat I ended up with four or five coats I recall.

Next you need to mask up the straight lines (like along the fuselage). Bit of a pain - the paint needs to be properly cured for this, so you must leave at least 24 hours. One thing you might want to do in that time is have a stab at masking up your canopies - I see you've avoided this so far (so did I on my first models), but it makes a huge difference. Others have spoken about masking canopies recently on the forums, basically it's not as tough as it looks; a single engine fighter doesn't have that much glass to worry about. A sharp blade is the key!

OK, Sky colour cured. Mask up along the fuselage - the most popular I think is the Tamiya 6mm masking tape, it's not as sticky as decorators' tape and far less likely to take any of the bottom layer with it when you remove it.. Honestly on my first planes I didn't bother masking along the wing edges (even the leading edges) and I was fine... I would def do it now though. Getting more anal as I do more modelling...! Then select the lighter of the two topside shades (probably the earth - but it's a toss-up here), and again do a couple of thinned layers all over the top. If you've masked off the canopy, fit this in place first so the shading is consistent with the body.

For the second colour (first must be at least touch dry, you might want to wait longer to be sure), you can either do it freehand or with more masking. Masking round shapes is fiddly, but possible... I've done both; if you're using multiple thin coats, masking is advised as it's hard to get the lines exactly the same freehand and you risk having messy edges. Best to get rid of the masking tape as soon as the paint is touch dry, less chance of paint chipping or peeling away then if you wait for ages. Having said that I've done both and not had issues.

Again, once done, wait until the paint is properly dry - 24 hours at least. Tip - keep drying planes etc under cover so they don't get dust etc on them while drying. Once you're happy, you need to seal with a varnish - I've been well pleased with Humbrol Clear, there are threads about that around here too, as there are loads of other options. Humbrol have a good

I've been painting over the original coat about half hour or so after and it feels dry. But then againt it seems like the 2nd layer bleeds, maybe I'm not letting the layers cure long enough and when a 2nd moist layer is added it dosn't set right and might be making my brush lines more visible. Going to be hard to not want to paint a 2nd coat right away! I get very excited when I paint.

P.S I use Tamiya spray can grey primer. Also sometimes I thin my paints but when i'm doing touch up work with a micro brush i just dip the brush lighting right into the jar.

[stona]

I've been painting over the original coat about half hour or so after and it feels dry. But then againt it seems like the 2nd layer bleeds, maybe I'm not letting the layers cure long enough and when a 2nd moist layer is added it dosn't set right and might be making my brush lines more visible. Going to be hard to not want to paint a 2nd coat right away! I get very excited when I paint.

If you are not allowing the first coat to cure properly, no matter what type of paint you use, the second coat will interact with the first, particularly if you over work it. The brush marks could well be in the lower coat too.

Thin well, allow plenty of time between coats and don't over work the paint. This applies to any type of paint.

Cheers

Steve

[Peej]

If you are not allowing the first coat to cure properly, no matter what type of paint you use, the second coat will interact with the first, particularly if you over work it. The brush marks could well be in the lower coat too.Thin well, allow plenty of time between coats and don't over work the paint. This applies to any type of paint.

Cheers

Steve

I am going to try thinning my paint but unsure what ratio paint - water to use. What would you suggest? I will be using a brush.

[ojays]

I thin mine until it is just a little thicker than milk. (Full Fat) of course! Don't have a ratio, I just add water, until I am happy with the test on a piece of primered plasticard.

Gregg

[Guest]

I read 1:1 somewhere, but as soon as I tried mixing that it was obviously too thin. Above I suggested 2/3 paint to 1/3 water... but that's only a very broad suggestion and won't always work, you kind of have to do it 'by feel'. For instance, I've found that I need to vary the ratio even with different colours produced by the same manufacturer! I guess each colour is formulated slightly differently. My conclusion - it's a trial-and-error process, and once you've been successful a time or two, you'll 'just know'.

It now occurs to me that this is perhaps the least helpful tip you could ever be given...!

AB rookies are often advised to practise on a 2-litre soft-drink bottle before pointing their nozzles at an actual model... perhaps this should be suggested for hairy-stick-ites too.

[Guest]

I've been painting over the original coat about half hour or so after and it feels dry. But then againt it seems like the 2nd layer bleeds, maybe I'm not letting the layers cure long enough and when a 2nd moist layer is added it dosn't set right and might be making my brush lines more visible. Going to be hard to not want to paint a 2nd coat right away! I get very excited when I paint.P.S I use Tamiya spray can grey primer. Also sometimes I thin my paints but when i'm doing touch up work with a micro brush i just dip the brush lighting right into the jar.

Maybe your paints simply need longer to dry? Maybe you're applying more paint than I do? Very hard to tell from a few photos. Looking at my old build threads, I see that I'm often putting three coats down, not two... so perhaps I am thinning more than I think I am, or just not putting that much paint on the surface I'm working on. Whatever method I've stumbled upon seems to work, as visible brush-strokes isn't an issue for me (heh, I have my own issues to work on!).

I'll admit I use paint right out of the pot if I'm just touching up - have on a couple of occasions needed to used very fine wet&dry to 'blur' the border between touched-up area and original paint (obviously this can only be done once completely cured).