1. anyone knows how to handpaint camoflauge patterns on armoured vehicles? I am still a beginner.
Thanks
2. Another big problem with handpainting models is the ugly watermarks left on the model after the paint dries. Does anyone know how to avoid and repair them ?
Many thanks

Depending on your artistic talent...
1. If you're good at visually transferring information, get you references, start with the base color. Add the next darker color and then the last color. Let your paint fully cure between applications, at least 72 hour or the new paint will start to lift the older.
2. If you're slightly less artistically proficient, paint the base color, lightly draw the outline of the next darker color, paint it in. Then do the same with the next darker color. Remember ro let your paint fully cure as mentioned above.
3. If you're artistically challenged, enlarge/reduce your references to the appropriate size to fit your model. Make a few copies. Paint the base color. Cut out the pattern for the base color and attache it to the model using folded over tape. You could carefully use a can at this point or draw the ouline. If you're using a can, carefully spray the next darker color and remove the mask. Make a new mask for the darkest color and repeat. If you're just using a hand brush, trace the mask for the second darkest color, remove it and apply another mask for the darkest color. Paint in the camo colors letting them dry completely between applications.

Paint thickness is a problem to think about. Some paints need several coats etc... I personally don't have the patience to handpaint everything. Small areas can be made to look great, but large areas are tedious... did I mention paint thickness? No seriously paint thinkness IMHO is A and O to hand painting. Better to have several thin coats to one thick...

Welcome to AmoramA!!!

You can hand paint your base coat...say a dark yellow for the tree tone German camo.....then use chalk pastels applied with a brush in a red/brown and a dark green and then dullcoated with a spray can misted over as not to blow away the chalk dust.
Before i got an airbrush I did many German camo models this way and had many people think I had an airbrush....fooled them all it's that good.

Hi all
Thanks for the advice.
1. Unfortunately, I couldn't understand some of the jargon on the replies.. sorry!
2. What is a chalk pastel and where do u get it?
3. If u don`t have a compressor for an airbrush, what are the alt. sources of air?
Thanks again

Best method is to use a spray can to paint the base coat on the vehicle. The base coat is the vehicle's primary color. For instance on a NATO 3-color camouflage scheme of green, brown and black, the green is the base color. If you can't get a can of spray paint in the correct color, paint the entire vehicle by hand in the base color. Let this paint dry for several days.

Using a pencil, lightly trace the camouflage pattern onto the vehicle. Inside the lines, mark what colors the "blotches" should be. For example in the NATO pattern above write "BR" for brown and "BL" for black. Then paint the appropriate color within the lines.

For a "hard edge", that is, a distinct line between colors, just follow the lines you drew.

For a "soft edge", or a line that tapers or fades into the other color, feather the edges lightly with your brush. Good quality brushes are necessary for this.



I assume you are talking about "brush strokes." This problem is caused by your paint being too thick or thin. It is also caused by the paint drying before you continue painting the entire assembly. That's one reason to use a spray can for the large surface area. Again, if you can't spray in the color you want, just make sure you paint sections at a time. Try to keep the sections completed in one session, like painting the gun tube first. Then move on to the rest of the turret, or paint the lower hull then upper hull, then fenders, etc.

To repair, you might want to try lightly sanding with extremely fine sand paper. Use the wet/dry type sand paper and keep the surface wet using water. You can also try to repaint the area afterwards.

We can be technical, can't we? Ask specifics and we'll try to make it easier on you. :-)


These are artists' color sticks available at arts and craft stores in sets and in individual colors art better artist supply shops. There are two types of pastels, chalk and oil. You want the chalk, which is a dry medium, like charcoal or the chalk teachers used to use in the classroom. Oil pastels are more like crayons, you don't want these.


You can buy short lived, relatively expensive canned, compresssed air. Or you can get an adapter to use a spare tire (I'm not kidding) as an air soure and refill it at a service station. I suppose you could do something similar with an air tank, but ultimately, a compressor is the way to go.

Hi Stuka....thanks for the e mail...i wrote you back and I will copy the message here as well so others can see what I meant.
Chalk pastels are just like chalk used on a blackboard at school...except they come in a variety of colours and are of a finer quality.....here in Canada you can get them at any art store...maybe there too?
When you get them....you have to grind them to a powder.....some rub them on sandpaper but I find that can quickly ruin the brushes you use......I just rub them back and forth on a piece of normal paper....soon you will see a pile forming.....you can also mix the ground up chalks to get the colours you want.......apply it a little darker than you need as the Dulcote later on will cause a change in the shade......I used to do 1 colour at a time for German 3 tone camo....then Dulcote it....then do the next colour...it's been a long time since I did this method.....but i believe I painted the dark yellow 1st by hand....then Dulcoted it to give the pastels a better surface to grip on to.
Dulcote is a spray can sold by Testors....it's a clear flat coat......always be sure to shake it really well before using it....and I also check it on a glossy picture from an old magazine 1st to make sure it....1....hasn't gone glossy on you....2....hasn't gone bad on you....by going bad I mean sometimes it turns white.....NOT a good thing! After you have applied your chalks in the design you want....use the Dulcote but not sprayed directly at the model at 1st...gently mist it on otherwise you're going to blow off all the chalk dust....once you have sealed the 1st colour on....go on to the next colour.
Good luck and i look forward to seeing the finished product on armorama in the future.
If you have any more questions feel free to ask.

Hi again.
Thanks for the posts, it was very helpful . I think i am more than able to complete the King Tiger i've always wanted to build.
However, I am using Tamiya acrylic paints, and could anyone tell me what is the best ratio of paint to thinner so that the paint thickness comes in just right?
Thanks again

Tricky question since Tamiya acrylics are notoriously bad for hand painting. I don't use them often enough to give you any real help. Sorry.

HI Stuka

I brushpaint everything. First, you've had a lot of good advice so far. First, get rid of the Tamiya Acrylics. They are the WORST for brushpainting. I use Pollyscale (old ones known as Polly-S) acrylics mostly. They have railroad and military colors. The Railroad colors are in bigger bottles usually, and are cheaper. Most model Railroad shops carry these. They are the best acrylics for brushing I've found. ModelMaster Acryl paints are ok, but you have to be sure to mix them very thoroughly. I find the Pollyscale paints are more forgiving.

To do the base coat for armor I do the following:
1) I apply a coat of primer grey paint (right out of the bottle). I brush on a thin coat. I use a wide flat brush, and try to avoid going over areas too much. Overbrushing leaves marks. Try to brush in one direction only (front to back, or up and down). I have been experimenting with dark primer coats so that acts as preshading. For the hull and chassis I just use a dark brown/mud color as the primer, because the hull and running gear of my vehicles are always dirty.
2) after this dries for a day or two, I apply a coat of the base color. This coat I apply at right angles to the first. So, if I brushed the primer on up and down, I apply this coat front to back. This minimized brush marks. This coat may not be enough. Again, let it dry for a day or two, then go back with another thin coat, remembering to brush at a different angle again.
3) Apply cammo.
4) Weather. I use oil paint washes, and lots of chalk pastels. The latter are the greatest thing for armor ever!! As mentioned by others, you can paint them on, use them as dust etc.

Good luck, and keep asking questions!

Andy

Hi again Stuka:
I use Tamiya paints almost exclusively.......it's true some people don't like them because they are used to another type of paint....I personally don't like the paints they use but would never deter anyone from trying it themselves....I guess to each their own.....but please don't listen to such negativity before trying it yourself.
I've never used a primer coat when brushing with Tamiya paints.....but that choice is totally up to you.....some people like the light overspray to see if all seams lines are filled and such.
For brush painting with Tamiya paints....use them straight from the bottle.....mix them well....I stir them rather than shake as shaking causes a lot of bubbles in acrylic paints.
Apply your 1st coat....it sometimes looks a little blotchy or streaky.....don't go over it right away as this will pull the drying paint off........wait a few minutes and then go over it again.......usually 2 coats are enough....if you still see a few spots where it hasn't covered well......just go over those in another few minutes and that should do the trick.
Before I was introduced to oil paints....I used to paint figures with Tamiya acrylics only.....using this method and careful dry brushing...I won trophies over guys who used oils....and who got very mad when they were told how mine only took a day to do because I didn't have to wait for days for oil paint to dry.....so you can see...it's all in how you use what you have.
Good luck and again...i hope we get to see the results in armorama some day soon.

Hi again,
when i renewed my interest in model making, i went straight out to buy a old revell 1/72 stuka. Construction was fine, but when i brushed using tamiya acrylics it came out rubbish. I used a drop or two of tamiya thinner everytime and the paint went all over the place. Thats why it became botchy. The fact that it was my first paint job didn`t help either.
Dioman : thanks for the advice again, but when u mean straight out of the bottle do you really mean straight out of the bottle or must you prep with thinner? Also, how do you know when the paint is just the right thickness? Do you have any general rules regarding that?
Many Thanks.

Tamiya paints are designed for brush painting straight from the bottle....the only time you would need to thin it is if you are going to be airbrushing....since you don't have an airbrush.......you shouldn't be thinning it at all....this is definitely your problem.
A brand new paint jar from Tamiya is the right thickness....just be patient between coats and you should have no problem.
Also I have never used a primer and have had no trouble when using Tamiya paints straight on the plastic.....I do always wash the model before painting it with warm water and dish soap....rinse it well and handle it as little as possible after.
If you need to strip the bad paint job you did.......try using 99% isopropyl alcohol....and then wash it like I said....might be better to go back to the plastic is your paint job turned out blotchy.
Good luck

Hi Grant

Well, I have had the worst luck using Tamiya Paints for brush painting. I used them straight, diluted, etc, and never got the consistent results I get with PollyScale (and heck, they're made in Canada!!). I sold all my Tamiya paints on eBay when I got rid of my airbrush.

Anyway, the lesson for Stuka may be to invest in some different paints, and be patient. Like anything else, getting clean finishes with a brush is a skill to learn. The nice thing is that you can strip acrylics easily with oven cleaner!!

Cheers
Andy

ooooooo I was reading what you people wrote here
but why be patient with a brush when you can ben swift and neat and good and yay with an airbrush I had a testors double action but that was crapish now I have a badger 150 and the camo lo0ks great and maybe buying an airbrush isnt that bad for yr hobby?
I know I will never brush a tank or vehicle ever again without my airbrush
but thats personal offcourse

Hiya herberta:
I and a lot of my friends do get consistently good results with Tamiya paints....but I also do have some friends who hate them.......but if that's what Stuka has....then I don't see why anyone should tell him to go out and buy new paints before he's had good advice on how to use the ones he's got.
I have never had any problems with getting a great finish with Tamiya paints when I was hand brushing...and like I said earlier.......got the kind of results that oil painters got in less than 1/2 the time. Now that I have an airbrush I get consistently good results as well with Tamiya paints but I also needed some advice on how to use them through an airbrush from someone who had done this and recieved good results...if someone who hated using Tamiya paints had of told me to go out and buy a new brand of paint because I wasn't going to get good results with what I had.....1 I would have been very discouraged.....2 I wouldn't have been able to put out the $$$ to buy a new line of paints....and 3 I wouldn't know what to do with all the paints I had spent the big $$$ to buy in the 1st place!!! Is this anyway to encourage a new modeller? Or is it a good way to confuse a new modeller?
Maybe if someone is asking for help on a particular brand of paint they have and are trying to use well.....instead of telling them to go out and buy the kind you like...it might be better to say nothing at all and let the people with the knowledge of how to use the type of paint they are asking about with good results tell them how to use it......just a thought.

I love spraying with tamiya acrillics like dioman said you just need someone to tell you how to use the paint
I cant tell you how to use it when you hand brush it cause I only use it for my airbrush
and when I do that I thin it down one drop at a time cause in every paint jar its diffrent

Hi again
I think i will take both dioman and herberta's advice and try on both types of paints. I will be getting a webcam soon and i hope to complete the two projects in time. Thanks for your advice again

Don't lump me in with folks who bad mouth paints just because they don't like them. I own and use Tamiya paints. I don't brush paint large portions of the kit with them. I use their NATO 3 color (black, brown, green) almost exclusively for exteriors of modern armor kits that I build in that scheme. I airbrush them and only use a paint brush to touch up small areas, just a dip or two. That's why I know they are not the ideal paint to hand brush compared with say Testors Model Master. I use Model Master paints when doing interiors, metallic parts, seat cushions, and other things I would hand paint. Just cheaper, more readily accessible around me and they hand paint better than the Tamiya paints.

Sure, but I tried Tamiya paints, and failed with them, whereas Pollyscale paints worked for me right away. As with anything on the internet, it's all opinion, and you can do with it what you will...

I use lots of kinds of paints, and my Tamiya Smoke is still handy.

...and I won't even get into why I hate airbrushing again!
Noise, smell, cleanup...blech! Nothing relaxing about that!

Andy

Hi again,
just went out and bought the Model Master paints, Can anyone tell me what's the difference between acrylic and enamel paints ? Danke.
just a thought : 1/72 AFV models are too small to make a satisfying build. i will NEVER buy 1/72s again

Cheers

Actually I find tamiya paints are not bad for hand brushing. You just got to thin it down with the correct medium. Commercial thinners wiil be a bad solvent because of the acrylic nature of the paint. Try thinning it with spirit from Saga city from bras brasah. You also can find pastel chalk and all kinds of useful tools from Art friend. Hope this helps.

You re right about the 1/72 too small part!

Acrylics are able to be thinned with water, and the brushes will wash with water after use. Enamels need proper thinners as they are oil based paints, and you need to wash brushes in the thinners too. Both have many uses in modelling.

Roger

I paint everything by hand. It takes forever to get it to look good. I am interested in airbrushes, but how much is a compress in canada??

Cheers,
Paul B.