Airbrushing questions

[Denied]

Hey all,

In the attempt to get better at painting I have decided to elevate to the level of airbrushing, as it seems to be what a lot of the advanced model painters tend to use. Because of this I have a few questions for the modeling/painting community.

1) What do I want to look for in an airbrush (needle/nozzel sizes? Compressors? Stuff like that)

2) Should I be using specialized paints for airbrushing or can I just dilute the pots of acrylic I currently have?

3) Are there any tricks to the art that will help me get started and avoid making beginner mistakes?

4) Do people tend to also airbrush on their washes or is this best left to using an old fashion stick with bristles?

I have a friend who has a airbrush system (note specifically designed for modeling) he doesn't use at all really and he doesn't do modeling so he is unable to answer some of these questions, but he has said I can use it to get a feel at least for how to operate one since I haven't ever used one before.

[Brass Scorpion]

1) What do I want to look for in an airbrush (needle/nozzel sizes? Compressors? Stuff like that)
Buy a double-action if you want to control paint flow while spraying. Badger makes some great sets that aren't too expensive and that come with different size needles and nozzles.

2) Should I be using specialized paints for airbrushing or can I just dilute the pots of acrylic I currently have?
Yes and yes. If you want to use your Citadel or Vallejo brush-on acrylics you can dilute them. Airbrush paints are ready to go.

3) Are there any tricks to the art that will help me get started and avoid making beginner mistakes?
Start off the model then pass the brush over it after you start spraying. Don't dilute the paint too much or it splatters. Get help from others, watch videos on the topic.

4) Do people tend to also airbrush on their washes or is this best left to using an old fashion stick with bristles?
It eats up the washes very quickly, but you can airbrush them to save time.

I've only used one a few times so far, but it's a wonderful tool. I used it to lay down the browns and greens on these tanks before highlighting and detailing by hand.

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2011/10/17/282494_md-Cadians%2C%20Conversion%2C%20Imperial%20Guard%2C%2 0Painting%2C%20Tank%2C%20Vehicle%2C%20Warhammer%20 40%2C000.jpg (http://www.dakkadakka.com/gallery/282494-More%20Massed%20Armor.html?m=2)

[Denied]

Awesome thanks Brass Scorpion. I found this awesome sort of beginners guide that seems to mention a lot of what you say as well.

http://blog.brushthralls.com/?page_id=3024

Well I will hopefully get a feel for the art over the weekend at my friends and if I decide I like it I will be getting my airbrush on in the near future.

[Brass Scorpion]

If you can't find a good price in local shops, try http://www.bearair.com/. They heavily discount everything and usually throw in some free stuff with your first order. Mine came with a free video on air brush basics that was quite helpful.

[wittdooley]

www.chicagoairbrushsupply.com is another really great website. They have bundles as well that usually save you some chedd.

If you're going to use your regular acrylics, you'll probably want to buy some airbrush medium. It's basically a thinner that will better help your paints flow through the brush to prevent from clogging. From my experience, Windex also works for this quite well.