Yeah, the book really is "Master Class" There is a bunch of stuff that he sort of expects you to already know. I am very happy with it now that I am digging into it.
I think the greatest thing to learning how to use an air brush is if you can get someone to give you even a really short demo. One thing that is hard to get used to is how fast it will produce a nice blend. It is really easy to spray and think, "oh that looks nice" and in the time it took to think 'it looks nice' you have increased the size of your highlight to cover the whole mini.
The other thing that is really tricky at first with the airbrush, is there are several different problems you can have that all give the same symptom. If your pressure is too high you will get pooling or spider legs, if your paint is too thin, same thing. Not thin enough paint, you can get stippling or it could be low pressure, or you could be holding the brush too far away.
Another thing that is tough is that your air brush will clog a TON when you are starting out. I hardly ever get clogs now and I am not really sure why. One easy trick to get rid of a clog is #1 anticipate the clog. If it seems like not enough paint is coming out and you aren't running out of pressure or paint then you are probably developing a clog. Point your AB away from your project and give it a full paint full pressure blast. That will usually push through the paint that is trying to dry up on you.
Another way your airbrush will clog is tip dry, especially with white. An easy way to deal with this is to clean the tip of your airbrush. Use one of your good old paint brushes, something that is still really soft and decent, dip it in rubbing alcohol and GENTLY wipe any dried paint off the part of the needle that is exposed at the front of your airbrush. Then give a poof to get rid of any residual alcohol and you are back in business.
A great exercise for your AB is zenithal priming. Prime black and give the mini a splash of white from the top with your airbrush. You will see how the paint falls, then try and do a small spot with the white, like a hand or the tip of a sword.
The next exercise would be to take that a bit further and prime black, give it a splash of white then a light base coat of your primary base color then, as if you were doing a zenithal prime, give it another splash from above but with a highlight color, good fun! If you like the results seal them!
Then the final micro exercise would be to do he zenithal prime but instead of going from black to white try to build up to white with shades of grey then all the way up to white. Then try doing the same with your base coats.
The Studio Giraldez book starts with airbrush individual highlights over a base coated mini.
Here are some AB tips:
-You have to thin your paints! Just use WATER and your regular mini paint at first. Figure out how that works, then you can start using all kinds of additives and highflow inks and stuff. I like to thin just like I would if I were basecoating a mini and wanted a nice even layer with 2 coats of paint.
-The airbrushed layer is really thin and delicate, so it's easy to damage, but also real easy to strip. Keep a pot of rubbing alcohol nearby while you work, it's good for cleaning your brush too (booze works good too)
- Before you start with the paint, learn how to take your airbrush all the way apart and put it all the way back together. Go slow, don't bend the tip or force anything. don't do it over carpet or on the couch, you will lose a tiny screw or something. make sure you have the right tools!
- When you change colors you should swish out your left over paint, then run enough water through the AB that it runs clear, then spray a couple of drops of pure alcohol, then water again and you will be ready for the next color. If the water doesn't come out in a nice continuous, well shaped spray, you have a clog, pull out the needle and give it a wipe and good visual inspection. Try again, still clogged? You need to pull apart your AB and give it a good cleaning.
-You need to get really really close to make small lines and dots. It's a cone shaped area of effect here
-practice practice practice!
If you have questions hit me up! Maybe we could set-up a Google Hangout or something.
