Tourney Prep: Blood Angels - Airbrushing Base Coats and Highlights

Managed to get some base coats on the minis that were recently built and I managed to get them on the table against Alan. Here again is the reason why I am asking all you out there who are still on the fence about getting an airbrush to really consider it. I finished all of the minis below in 1 hour. Including time between cleaning the airbrush, rinsing and spraying. 1 hour. 

Primed and ready to go

 Airbrush works best in batches. The larger the batch, the more time efficient you become.

Why? Because the cleaning time is spread between all the models. Think of cleaning as your Capital Cost. The larger the unit count, the lower the Capital Cost.

I usually will let my built models accumulate until they hit critical mass then hit them as much as possible together. Unless of course, you have specific units or ranges that you don't intend to grow (Sanguinary Guard and Malifaux models come to mind).

First base coat of Vallejo Model Air Scab Red

Another large time saver are paints made for airbrushing. Vallejo Model Air comes to mind. Smooth as silk with the right consistency. I use a 0.3 nozzle and spray it directly from the bottle.

First highlight coat with Bloody Red

Then tilting the models at an angle, I catch the higher points of the model (where I imagine light would catch the models).

Look at the lightest part of the objects-light is coming from the zenith

There are many articles online - search for zenithal lighting and they can help explain much better than I can. Generally keep the airbrush high and angled downwards to spray the paint from the top.

Second highlight using a home mix

I mixed a lighter mix of red using Bloody Red + White to really create a spark on each piece. I target the tops of the helmets and shoulder pads. These are just one burst each to create a shimmer in the armour, as if light got caught off the armour and bounced into the direction of the viewer. I doubt my camera can bring it out but it's there!

Will be working on them over this week! 

Airbrushing Tyranids

Granted this video was shot a few years ago when Melvin first got his airbrush, I hope this will give you aspiring painters out there a feel of what it is like to airbrush a small miniature.

This post was done especially for Marshall who does not think that airbrushing is for Tyranids. I still think it is a great addition to your toolbox especially the speed in which you can lay down the paint.

You will still need a paintbrush to get the washes into the skins and crevasse of the model but the airbrush makes work shorter. I plan to use the 0.3 needle and low PSI to do my carapace as well. The highlights will of course come from my paintbrush.