I'm about 10,000 miles away from creating models of the quality shown on this forum. But, I love building models! I live in a small apartment and can't adequately vent the fumes if I used an airbrush (and my wife would kill me). Are there any books or references available that offer guidance on painting models using brushes? Allan
Allan,
I don't know about any books but I'll bet there are many You Tube videos on the subject.
And one of the best references is the work of Troels Kirk. His layout is a great example of what can be done with a brush.
http://www.railroad-line.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=23577 (http://www.railroad-line.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=23577)
There are 6 volumes of his work on the RR Line forum which you can read about many of his techniques and he does offer a video for sale on how to use his methods.
8)
Thank you for the quick response and great info bloodhound. I'll check them out. Allan
I would think maybe a collapsible (foldable) spray booth with a vent out a window might work. If you use acrylics, there are no major fumes at all (if any).
Chuck; thanx for the reply. The windows I do have lead directly to a neighbor. If I use acrylics do I need to vent? Allan
Quote from: Allan G on May 28, 2015, 08:44:33 PM
Chuck; thanx for the reply. The windows I do have lead directly to a neighbor. If I use acrylics do I need to vent?
The only consideration when it comes to acrylics is the dust, so a dust mask should be sufficient. For the small amount of spray needed to paint a model, I don't think a vent would be necessary.
I was going to suggest the porch or patio and acrylics also.
One of those science fair cardboard thingines would block the wind if it was an issue too. Just secure it if there is a lot of wind.
Brushes will never give the results you are looking for with large areas to cover.
-Marty
Thanx to all! Allan
I laid out nearly $300 for a nice stainless steel paint booth. It was cumbersome and took up valuable work bench space. I finally stripped the fan off and donated the shell to Good Will. I now use a cardboard box. I spray the inside with several coats of rattle can paint to make it easier to wipe down with a damp rag with out destroying the cardboard. I Use the guts from a furnace filter at the back of the box just to catch the over spray. I don't really have a problem of paint fumes or smell but I do wear a mask and I work near an open window.
I have two airbrushes that I have not used for model building for decades.
My family has life threatening allergies so using an airbrush is out of the question.
Having lived in Alaska for 45 years I could not do it outside either.
I do use a spray can every once in a while to give a locomotive a coat of grey primer and sometimes use Dullcoat to seal a finished model.
Other than that I always use paints in bottles and a brush.
For backdrops I always use acrylic paints.
But for everything else I use the small bottles of Testor's Flat paints which I can find almost anywhere.
You can see my results at:
www.GhostTownModels.com
Did you paint the Shay and Goose base coats with brushes? If so, did everything smooth out as with a spray? (Nice website.) -- Russ
Russ,
The base color of the shay and of the goose were done with spray cans.
All the weathering was done with powders and brushes using Testors Flat enamels in those little tiny bottles.
A light misting of the finished goose was done with Testors spray can Dullcote.
This was to flatten the shine on my homemade decals.
When I use the spray cans I usually go out into the garage and open the door and spray.
On nice days I do it in the back yard.
My airbrushes and compressors remain idle.
If you are working in 1/48 or larger, large surfaces/areas will be difficult to paint so that they look correct and in scale without a spray can or airbrush. That said, there are paints that work better than others for brush painting....such as Vallejo...which are intended to be used for brush painting these are widely used by figure painters and for details, parts, highlights, and selected areas, on scale models. A lot will come down to experience/skill, type/quality of paint, brushes, and application/mix. You might be able to pull off lager smooth areas by using very thinned paint in multiple layers...and by breaking up the surface it any components/sections, such as panels, divisions etc. You could also employ lighting tricks such as Color Modulation or Zenithal lighting to break the surfaces into a more varied spectrum and shading of tones and colors (this will help in the layering approach). It will be difficult to match the quality and finish of an airbrush....but with practice and ingenuity comes perfection.
Another trick you can use when brush painting such things as wooden boxcar for instance, is to mask and paint each board individually. ..yes time consuming...but by just ever so slightly tinting/mixing - in some light or dark shade into the paint at each board, you will be able to also create a subtle weathering an digging effect (and on a boxcar you don't have to the boards one by one from one end to the other.....depending on the width of your tape, you can probably mask and paint several boards around the car per color mix)
I still recommend an airbrush....I generally spray on my back steps...but every now and then when I really need to get something painted I will do it in the room...without a vent fan or booth (I made myself a 3 sided and acrylic topped over-spray blocker for these times...and wear a mask/respirator)....you will not regret using one.....but as you can se from the above ...brush painting is not impossible.
Note that lerning how to do good (not heavy or overdone...but quality and finessed) weathering will also help with the finished appearance and disguising of a brush paint job.
...one more thing....if you can even manage to spray only the base color...all the rest of the discoloring, shading and variation, can be done with brush applied oil and acrylic paints and washes.
Quote from: marc_reusser on May 31, 2015, 10:07:32 PM
...one more thing....if you can even manage to spray only the base color...all the rest of the discoloring, shading and variation, can be done with brush applied oil and acrylic paints and washes.
I second what Marc said in this and the previous post, especially about the technique with thinned color and multiple layers. Look at those photorealistic artists, who achieve a superrealistic impression using brushes. Okay, they do only have to play on two dimensions. For sure you'll need some exercise but you may achieve some reasonable results with brushes. There's maybe one more aspect to be considered: It's a question of prototype choice, too. Achieving the look of a fresh varnished high gloss car might get a bit difficult with a brush.
Volker
Allen, I share your lack of space for an airbrush and have no budget for one either. My modeling isn't up to the level of this forum - yet :), but here are a couple examples of HO scale models that were weathered using slightly different methods with acrylics and brushes.
The first photo is a red pickup fresh out of its package; the second is after cleaning and then brush weathering and a Dullcote finish (warmed up spray can, outside in good weather).
The next photo is a freelanced detailed boxcar that first got an overall spray of gray primer, and the last photo shows it after brush painting with very thin washes or nearly dry brushing of acrylics followed by Dullcote spray again.
There is an interesting article in this month's Railroad Model Craftsman about using craft acrylics for both airbrush and brush painting. The author mixes paint and Liquitex Airbrush medium 50-50 in a 1 oz bottle and adds about 0.5-1 ml of Liquitex Flow-Aid. He says the paints work well and are very durable.
WOW!!!! Thanx to all for some great/awesome ideas!!!!! Allan
Bill; is it the or May or June issue? Allan
Agree with Marc. Vallejo paints are good for hand brushing, and if you do move on to an airbrush they can be used there too. They can be difficult to airbrush sometimes and are improved a lot with a flow enhancer, I just use a little bit of dish soap in water. That goes for hand brushing and spraying.
Vallejo Model Color paints are thicker and designed for the brush, though they can be airbrushed too if suitably thinned. I would go for them, where as Vallejo Model Air are thinner and designed for airbrushing.
I would avoid Tamiya 'acrylics', they're not true acrylics and contain a solvent which can smell. They are lovely to airbrush, but hard to brush paint.
Hope that helps, cheers!
John
Another thing about Vallejo and possibly other acrylics, airbrushing produces little if any odour.
Cheers
Allan, It's the June issue.
I have airbrushed the Vallejo Model Air paint straight from the bottle at 20 PSI with very good results.
I would like to suggest another brand of acrylic paint. JoSonja's , artists colors, made by Chroma Inc. USA. Tubes are 75ml or 2.5 US fl oz. They dry to a velvet matte finish. They also market many mediums to compliment their colors. They refer to themselves as a Decorative Painting System, not your ordinary craft paint. Yes, can be diluted for airbrush.
Cheers Eh!
I painted this O scale casting from Rusty Rail using cheap 2 ounce bottles of artist's acrylics available at Walmart and Hobby Lobby.
Well, it probably wouldn't have gotten so broken down and rusty if you had used more expensive paints! -- ssuR