Many of you have been asking for the notes we use to learn airbrushing. Getting started with an airbrush can be intimidating and confusing. To simplify and organize the process, we watched a bunch of tutorials, created a playlist, and organized all our notes into 4 buckets:

• Tools
• Workflow
• Techniques
• Troubleshooting

Having these separated helped tackling one thing at a time and understanding some of the recurring problems.

• 📸 You can download the original hand-written notes ↗️ image here.
• 🎥 If you wan to see some of the early learning process, you can watch this video: Learning Airbrush from Scratch. ↗️
• 📝 If you are just getting started with mini-paiting, you can get access to our free guide. ↗️

TOOLS

• Airbrush & its anatomy
• Compressor + PSI control
• Airbrushing booth
• Paint
• Paint thinner
• Flow improver
• Paint retarder
• Needle lubricant
• Airbrush cleaner
• Mask, gloves + ventilation
• Cleaning tools
• Masking putty
• Q-tips
• Squeeze water bottle
• Cleaning pot
• Mixing cups
• Silicon shaping tool
• Painting handle
• Airbrush holder
• Interdental brushes
• Scrap paper

WORKFLOW

1. Priming
2. Basecoat + colour transitions
   • 2–3 layers
   • Dark to light
   • Warm = midtones
3. Zenithal highlights (midtones)
4. Brush details & extra highlights
5. Airbrush blending with paint or ink (+masking putty)
6. Airbrush shadows with complementary colours (upward angle)
7. Basing

TECHNIQUES

• Trigger dual action: air → paint → air
• Cleaning during the session
• Cleaning after the session
• Paint thinning + consistency
• Air pressure (PSI) + distance
• Blow out → spray away first
• Thin layers
• Backflow mixing in the cup
• PRACTICE!!

ISSUES & TROUBLESHOOTING

Cleaning issues:

• Clogs – dried paint in the airbrush
• Dry tip – long session, thin paint, dual action, air pressure
• Bubbles in cup – clog in nozzle, buildup on needle, needle not pushed in

Needle and Chuck Adjustment Issues:

• No paint spraying – needle and chucking nut
• Paint sprays all the time and splatters – chucking nut not properly set

Paint consistency / air pressure:

• Grainy spray and spackles – paint too thick, not enough air pressure
• Spiders Webbing – paint too thin, too much pressure

We will soon release a complete mini painting guide detailing all this information. Become a free member to get notified when it will launch!

In the meantime, show-off your mini painting skills on our Discord. 😊

As usual, thank you for your support.