Material:Airbrush Paint: Difference between revisions

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Dedicated airbrush paints are usually water-based acrylic paints, with a milk-like consistency.
Dedicated airbrush paints are usually water-based acrylic paints, with a milk-like consistency. (Do not use anything else unless you bring your own airbrush!)


They are very expensive – around €300 per litre(!). But the good news is: even just a 4-5 pipette drops of airbrush paint can go a very long way. Try to get a feel for this (you'll be surprised!), and try not to use too much.  
Good airbrush paints are very expensive – around €300 per litre(!).
 
The good news is: due to their high pigmentation even as little as 4-5 pipette drops of airbrush paint can go a very long way. Try to get a feel for this (you'll be surprised!).  


If paint has been mixed or diluted: do '''not''' pour unused paint back into the original bottles, as this will contaminate the original colour tone.  
If paint has been mixed or diluted: do '''not''' pour unused paint back into the original bottles, as this will contaminate the original colour tone.  
== Why dedicated airbrush acrylics are worthwhile using ==
* '''Perfect flow:''' Airbrush-ready acrylics are pre-thinned to the ideal consistency for spraying. That means no guesswork, no clogging, and no spattering — just smooth, even coverage straight out of the bottle.
* '''Less clogging and cleaning:''' Airbrush-ready acrylics use pigments designed for airbrush nozzles. DIY-thinned paints, especially with water, often leave behind chunks or dry too quickly inside the airbrush, leading to clogs and much more time (and money!) spent cleaning.
* '''Predictable performance:''' With ready-made airbrush acrylics, every drop performs the same. When you mix your own, even small differences in thinning ratio or water quality can throw off your entire spray session. That inconsistency makes learning (and creating) harder.


== Dilution ==
== Dilution ==
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If your paint is too thick and you'd like to dilute it with water: please use [[Distilled Water|'''distilled''' water]], especially for large quantities of paint that you want to store over a longer period of time (tap water can contaminate your paint and reduce its shelf life).
If your paint is too thick and you'd like to dilute it with water: please use [[Distilled Water|'''distilled''' water]], especially for large quantities of paint that you want to store over a longer period of time (tap water can contaminate your paint and reduce its shelf life).


== Mixing ==
== Mixing colour tones ==
Besides their large selection of readymade colors, Schmincke even offers instructions or "recipes" on how to mix [https://www.aerocolor.de/fileadmin/aerocolor/AERO_COLOR_RAL_R_Toene_131016.pdf RAL colour tones].  
Besides their large selection of readymade colors, Schmincke even offers instructions or "recipes" on how to mix [https://www.aerocolor.de/fileadmin/aerocolor/AERO_COLOR_RAL_R_Toene_131016.pdf RAL colour tones].  



Latest revision as of 13:24, 18 April 2025

MaterialInfoBox

Airbrush Paint

Synonyms: acrylic ink; DE: Airbrush-Farben, Acryltinte
On Site? basic selection
Location: Airbrush Area
Suggested Tools: airbrushes
Used with: distilled water
Contains: acrylic paint


Dedicated airbrush paints are usually water-based acrylic paints, with a milk-like consistency. (Do not use anything else unless you bring your own airbrush!)

Good airbrush paints are very expensive – around €300 per litre(!).

The good news is: due to their high pigmentation even as little as 4-5 pipette drops of airbrush paint can go a very long way. Try to get a feel for this (you'll be surprised!).

If paint has been mixed or diluted: do not pour unused paint back into the original bottles, as this will contaminate the original colour tone.

Why dedicated airbrush acrylics are worthwhile using

  • Perfect flow: Airbrush-ready acrylics are pre-thinned to the ideal consistency for spraying. That means no guesswork, no clogging, and no spattering — just smooth, even coverage straight out of the bottle.
  • Less clogging and cleaning: Airbrush-ready acrylics use pigments designed for airbrush nozzles. DIY-thinned paints, especially with water, often leave behind chunks or dry too quickly inside the airbrush, leading to clogs and much more time (and money!) spent cleaning.
  • Predictable performance: With ready-made airbrush acrylics, every drop performs the same. When you mix your own, even small differences in thinning ratio or water quality can throw off your entire spray session. That inconsistency makes learning (and creating) harder.

Dilution

Our basic selection of Schmincke AERO COLOR is very high quality, and ready-to-use without the need to dilute any further.

Be careful when using cheap / no-name airbrush-paints, as you may have to thinnen them with a dedicated medium and/or distilled water. The same of course applies to any "non-airbrush" paints. An airbrush is a precision tool, with very fine nozzle diameters ranging between 0.2 and 0.5mm. If your paint is too thick, it will clog your nozzle within a few seconds.

Best case scenario: you'll have to disassemble and clean the airbrush.

Worst case scenario: the clogged nozzle spills paint blobs onto your beautiful piece of art!

If your paint is too thick and you'd like to dilute it with water: please use distilled water, especially for large quantities of paint that you want to store over a longer period of time (tap water can contaminate your paint and reduce its shelf life).

Mixing colour tones

Besides their large selection of readymade colors, Schmincke even offers instructions or "recipes" on how to mix RAL colour tones.