Help with airbrushing

[princess]

I hope this would be the right place to ask something like this. I'm brand new to air brushing! I just got one last night!  I've had a baity pony forever, super, super, super bad, and I was excited to finally spray her.  However, I'm not too good at this yet, so she has bumps in her paint where I messed up.  Is there anyway I can fix this? 

Also, for cutie marks, do you just regular paint it?  Do you draw with a pencil first? What if you mess up?  Do you stencil it?  What do you use for stencils?   Oh and eyes too, any tips on what to do about those? 

[kaoskat]

I've heard you can sand the bumps out but I've never had luck with that. I usually just strip it and start over again. I paint symbols with a brush. I don't draw with a pencil first, but you can if you like. If I mess up, I wipe it off and try again. That's where sealing your pony between layers is very helpful.I don't stencil, but you can yes. And eyes, same. The best advice is seal between each layer. It makes fixing things easier.

[SunPony]

I can't comment on airbrushing as I never have.  But when I get lumps from regular painting, I haven't had much luck with sanding, what I will do is take an X-acto knife and scrape it VERY CAREFULLY and with the blade pointed away from the direction I'm scraping (does that make sense?).  Sometimes it works, sometimes not :/

For symbols, yes, I always use pencil first and then make sure to cover all the pencil with the paint before applying any sealant.  For eyes, first I paint the white, then the color, then the black pupil and eyelids/lashes.  Hmm, someone has a really good eye tutorial.  Ah, yes, here:  http://www.aikarin.com/mlp/customs/eye.html  My advice is do the delicate painting during daylight when you can get natural light.  It helps me personally, your mileage may vary.

Good luck with that pony!

[Karma]

for stencils, you can make them out of paper, but they're flimsy and one use only. You can also use tracing paper which works a bit better. If you want to be REALLY fancy, buy a stencil "paper" which is actually thick plastic and a hot knife. I haven't had a situation in which I needed to use mine. However, it all depends on how you're stenciling. Paper stencils work best if you're using a sponge, but an airbrush will blow parts of a paper stencil out of the way. with ponies it can be hard, as their 3d ness can allow paint under the stencil.

[Colorscapesart]

What sort of bumps?  There are a few things that can cause this.  The main culprit is paint jobs that are sprayed on too thick.  It can cause big drips or "puddles" or slightly wavy lines where the brush was in one place too long.  Other causes include dirt/dust on the bait and/or dried paint in the airbrush spraying out.  Hope this helps!  The learning curve on an airbrush was nuts for me and I'm not where I want to be yet! I feel ya!

[princess]

I think it's bumps from me spraying too much/accidentally getting kinda close to the pony were i was farther away before.  Thanks for the help everyone 

[h1m3.]

I have always wondered where people get the airbrush equipment/gears/stuff (or what do you call it )? and what colors to use with them?

[Griffin]

I have always wondered where people get the airbrush equipment/gears/stuff (or what do you call it )? and what colors to use with them?

I don't have one but I would suggest looking around at art stores and paint or hardware stores. You can get a really cheap one at Biltema but I'm not sure if that's any good, would have to ask someone who has tried it... I took a peek at Tempera webstore and airbrush.fi, their prices seem to run from 100 to 300 €. Compressors are available at hardware stores, Biltema etc. Paints can be found online or at art stores like Tempera. Createx paints are intended for airbrushes but I believe you can use any acrylics if you thin them properly, maybe someone with airbrush experience can fill you in. Hope this helps getting you started!

[Karma]

I got mine on Amazon. Mostly because I get everything on Amazon. but they do have nice things there. If you're not like me and are actually capable of leaving your house, pretty much any Craft and/or hobby store will have things. Some Walmarts have stuff for airbrushers. As for colors, any that you can think of. White seems to hate my airbrush for some reason, but in general so long as the paint particles aren't like... giant glitter, it can be done.

[h1m3.]

Thanks guys!
I think I will first check the internet before dismount to stores My town hasn't got good selection of art stores (not that I know..)

[Eluluu]

i have yet to fiddle with my airbrush, im still hiding from it like the coward i am. lol so far ive only really used one once, on a massive 2' tall dragon model, and then i was only doing washes so didnt have to be careful.

i finally got my air compressor from Michaels, id been looking at one that was on clearance since id started there, for $150! still too rich for my blood, then one day i was resetting that aisle and scanned it... it was only $20! a $300 compressor?! sold! brought it home, plugged it in.. its whisper quiet! stole a hose from my friend, and bought a cheap airbrush from Harbor Freight...

long story short, Michaels has good compressors, tho kinda pricey, unless you luck out with the clearance- BUT they also have 40% off coupons semi-frequently, so thatll help a bit.

*going out of order on my comments cause Elu is tired =P*

sanding: i use 1000 grit sandpaper (found in the paint section of any home repair place usually) to smooth out rough patches, tho you may have to give it a few more thin coats to fix any foggy patches it may cause.

thinning: with acrylics i remember my friend (from tht long ago dragon project) and i using Windex in our paint. (i know, right?) still baffled by that, but its way cheaper than actual paint thinner and didnt seem to have any problems.

***wanders off for