Airbrushing 101: Random Airbrushing Tips

Since I'm learning the airbrush as I go I want to share what I've learned and mistakes made in hopes others don't do the same.  As I tell those whom I play 40k with "Learning is painful."  Frankly I believe it's the best way to learn.  Hope none of you make these mistakes.

Top of the order is to ignore someone who has more airbrushing experience.  40k buddy Wade told me months ago "Seal before applying tape.  So tape doesn't pull paint off."  I didn't seal. /sad panda

And Now For a Taste of Things to Come

Really looking forward to this project.

Eldar Rangers round two Completed

Done with these guys.  Took a session longer than I wanted.  Next Forgeworld Avatar.

Tallarn Flesh for skin.

Competitive play vs Just for Fun play

Title of this post could also be "Tournaments Some Do, Some Don't" or "Just for Fun Play Some Do, Some Don't."  To me it seems there's an arrow of playing 40k.  Arrow starts at "Just for Fun" and goes to "Competitive Play."  Kind of like time it's difficult to go backwards.

Eldar Rangers round two part 3

Had a couple of hours to work on Shawn's Eldar.  After these he wants me to work on his Forgeworld Avatar.  Plan on using my airbrush on most of it.  Damn that is going to be fun.  Need to pick up some paints and boston bottles for that.

Armour Reaper painters Surf Aqua for armour.

Rules: If you can't do something smart...

This is something I've waxed on before and believe it to be very important when it comes to what we do.  When it comes to rules you can either run them incorrectly or correctly.

Prior Proper Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance

Oorah!  Was laying down last night taking a rest from my less than active Sun.  Thurs nights battle started going through my head.  Thinking about what I did wrong.  Hoping not to perform the same mistakes next time.  Also hoping to remember what was successful in the first game months ago and use it in the next game.  Several things occurred to me that would've made the game much easier.

Grey Knights deployed first.  Eldar deployed second.  Do you see the mistake that gave Eldar the game that I see?

"Get a pic! Do a blog!"

"Heroes are over with!"  Something I've kicking around for a couple of weeks is throwing up a flare to see if some readers would like to make a post on this blog.  Then it occurred to me.  Specifically the line from Dr Horrible's Sing-Along Blog when Dr Horrible's terrorizing the people at the Caring Hands Homeless Shelter build dedication meeting.

Eldar Rangers round two part 2

Now that my Grey Knights army is done and effectively ready for Dark Star GT time to focus my energies on commission.

Ready to be airbrushed.

6th ed Rules of the Game: Battlefield Debris, Charging with Move Through Cover and Consolidation [Update^2]

Here are a couple of rules from Thurs nights game.

Dueling Banjos, err Librarians part 1

Next part of my Grey Knights army.  Dual Librarians as HQs.  Will need to get two more boxes of Grey Knights for standard Strike Squads.  40k buddy Connor said there are cheaper psykers for Divination powers than Librarians.  Will look into that.

Starting with bases same as before.

6th ed Rules of the Game: Wraithsight, Wrecked Vehicles, Move Through Cover

Learned a couple rules from the other nights game.

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slainte mhath

Editions, Editions, Editions.

Not that long ago was talking with a fellow 40k'er about commissions, gaming and tournaments.  During the conversation he brought up that feeling many of us have had.  Specifically he mentioned how he's not putting anymore energy into 40k because of the new edition and the money involved.

13.2.21 1850 Grey Knights vs Eldar

Had my first game with my Grey Knights.  Got my ass kicked.  It was a good ass-kicking too.  I'll take a few victories from this battle.  They are empty victories, but I'll take them.  Had a great time playing my new army.

This is one of the few hollow victories I had.  Can you guess the number of Assault shots the Culexus Assassin had toward Eldrad and friends?

Music band review: Wolfsheim

While painting my Grey Knights I've been listening to Wolfsheim.  As some of you know, I listen to my iPod while painting.  Purpose is to keep myself on task and not be distracted by the "noise."  This is something I did when I was painting at Fantasy Flight.  I went there to model and paint not chat.  Time chatting = time not modelling or painting.

Grey Knights army list v1.1

40k 6th ed Lexicon v1.8

There's a great deal of information about 40k all over the web.  Many of it uses short hand to communicate a message.  I'm compiling a lexicon to help me decipher what it means.  Warseer uses a great system of links to know what it means.  I endeavour to copy their method in the future.  In the mean time I hope you learn as much as I do if not more.

Dark Millennium 2nd ed Supplement

Tasha, Suijin, Anons', Spyrle, Vargna and Hudson have provided entries.  If you'd like to provide some make a comment.  Will update this post and put credit where its deserved.

slainte mhath

How to Rebase

Finally get to use my Assassins.  I've had these guys for a long time.  Since I first started 40k back in 91 and bought the new ones when they came out.  They had different rules for allies in the early days of 40k.  Assassins could be purchased for some armies not all.  Dark Angels were the only Imperial army they could not be purchased with.

Originally based with grey ballast.  That's how all my models were based so long ago.

Crowe's Sword/Castellan "Garren 'Keeper of Anarch' " Crowe Complete

Finally done.  My Grey Knights are ready for battle.  Hope to get a game in soon with Shawn.  Promised him the first game.

Had the last five days off for my birthday weekend.  Was extremely unproductive in just about everything except relaxing.  That I spent a lot of time doing.

Sword based 2:1 Adeptus Battlegrey and Lightning Blue

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Most of the time spent airbrushing

Been working with my airbrush quite a bit recently and damn I'm loving it.  Very much like the McDonald's jingle.  I've often been in awe of Imperial Guard Valkyries that were airbrushed.  Asking a guy at Fantasy Flight about how he did that he said blue tape.  Ah, blue tape.  It masks part of the model that we don't want to airbrush.

Working on my Grey Knights Rhinos this how I spent most of the time.

Took about 14 mins to mask off parts of the model.

Crowe's Banner

One more part.  The sword and Crowe will be done.

Based Scab Red.

Eldar Wraithguard round 2 completed

When Shawn handed these to me 29th Jan.  He asked if I could get them done by next months Tournament.  I said yeah that will be easy.  He then reminded me we have signed up for CON of the North's tournament Feb 17th.  Was a little panicked because each hour painting something else is one less hour painting my Grey Knights.  I refuse to play with an unpainted army.  Guess I'm a snob that way.

I appreciate how austere GW special order boxes are.

I've been "sneak" doing these guys.  Decided to put one hour a day into paint them while focusing the majourity of my time on my Grey Knights.  Instead of putting up little pics here and there I would make one post that goes from beginning to end.

Crowe's cape

A few more sessions and Crowe will be done and my Grey Knights will be ready for play.  Really want to play them.  Also want to get onto the next three models for the army.

Detail on body is done.  Seals done as before.  Leviathan Purple wash over Scab Red.  Army Painter Strong Tone, Devlin Mudd, over Ushabti Bone.  Storm Bolter bits Chainmail, Ironbreaker.  Book has Vermin Brown highlight with Balor Brown as second highlight.  Book washed Strong Tone.  Really blended the leather cover together.  Quite impressed.  Devlin Mudd over all brass.  Relief painted same.  Strong Tone over Mithril Silver with parts washed Gryphonne Sepia.

Odd jobs

Seems my painting business stuff has caught the eye of a guy at work.  Sometime ago he asked what Dark Angels Codex was.  Told him about it.  Showed him some pics and the painted Nightbringer on my desk.  Can see it in the pic below in the top right corner.  Last week he asked if I would be interested in painting something for him, he asked what it would cost.  Thought it was a little thing.  Maybe as tall as a tank from what he mentioned.  Nope some knick-knack his wife picked up.  Said he wanted it khaki coloured.  Was thinking either Dheneb Stone or Ushabti Bone.

Wife's knick-knack.

Castellan "Garren 'Keeper of Anarch' " Crowe part 1

The last of my present Grey Knights army.  I already have two new versions of my Grey Knights army.

Pic from o' so long ago.

Grey Knights Rhinos completed

Finally done with these guys.  Been painting them over the last several days.  Didn't feel there was any appreciable development so didn't post anything.  Went with that whole quality-over-quantity thing

Metal headlight cage Leadbelcher, Boltgun Metal.  Head lights Flash Gitz Yellow.  Little lights Enchanted Blue.

Grey Knights Psyflemen Complete [Update 13.2.9]

[Update13.2.3] Completely forgot one last part. doh!
[Update 13.2.9] Added effects around exhaust.

These guys went fast.  Not sure if the airbrushed helped or it was how few I had to paint.

Vallejo Brassy Brass on frame of right leg and relief on left.

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Grey Knights Rhinos part 6

Curious if I'll be done with these guys by the time I get to part 10.  I Really want to start painting Crowe.  Most of the big work will be done with my airbrush.  That will be mega-fun.

Laurel Warpstone Glow.  Figured since I was doing detail I would keep the pics to just them so it's easier to see.

How to Mask off a Model for Airbrushing

Say you've seen an awesome video about how to airbrush power weapons.  You want to do the same but the model is already assembled.  You don't want to airbrush paint over your model or its fancy base.  Tried three different ways to mask off my Purifiers while airbrushing the halberds.

Much like roshambo except blue tape, saran wrap, zip lock bag.

Grey Knights Rhinos part 5

These guys are requiring a little more work than I anticipated.  Seems more than the Psyflemen.  Though I may be closer to the end than I think.

Leadbelcher, Boltgun Metal, on all metal bits.

How to Paint Grey Knights Jigsaw

Wanted to have the Grey Knights red and white jigsaw on my Rhinos.  Enjoy.

Grey Knights Rhinos part 4

Only four models left for my Grey Knights army.

Tried painting white with the brush on the 15th.  Was afraid this would happen because its white and wasn't thinned.  Then thought about airbrushing it.

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Grey Knights Psyflemen part 5

These guys are flying.  Damn sure I can finish them Sat.

Gryphonne Sepia over parts of the Sarcophagus.  Not the entire surface just parts.