NaMoPaiMo - Days 6-17

Finally done with the dapples!

I'm sorry it's been a bit since my last NaMoPaiMo update. I've been spending most of the last week or so working on my entry's dapples, which, while important, are not the most interesting thing to see a bunch of in-progress pictures of. I ended up doing 1-4 layers of pigments depending on how prominent I wanted the dapples to be in different areas. After sealing with several layers of dulcote and giving him a full day to dry, he was finally ready for phase II of airbrushing!

Basic Technique for Light Over Dark Dapples Using Pigments

My NaMoPaiMo model in progress

 When they're well done, dapples can make a solid colored model a lot more interesting. There are lots of different ways to paint them, and for most models I'll use a combination of techniques. In this post I'll show you the basic method I'm currently using on my NaMoPaiMo model, which is a light-over-dark technique using pale pigments to paint dapples over a darker base color.

Quick Tips - Airbrush Thinner

Vallejo Airbrush Thinner

When I first started airbrushing, I just used water to thin my paint. This worked, but I was constantly plagued by several problems. I'd have to wait a long time between coats, because the water greatly extended the paint's drying time. Paint had to be applied in extremely thin coats or else it would start to sag or drip. But the most annoying thing was the tendency of the paint to bead up because it was just not sticking to previous layers.

NaMoPaiMo - Days 3 - 5

Jadakiss after the first round of airbrushing

 As expected, after the first round of airbrushing my progress on my NaMoPaiMo model has slowed somewhat, as I'm now in the tedious process of adding dapples.

NaMoPaiMo - Days 1 and 2

Jadakiss primed and ready to go!

Yesterday and today I've made some good progress on my NaMoPaiMo model, Jadakiss, and have been trying to make sure I take a photo after every coat of paint. This won't really be a tutorial, but I will be trying to explain what I'm doing as I go along and hopefully you'll be able to get a better idea of my painting process. My techniques aren't really the most efficient, but I like going back and forth with darker and lighter layers of paint since I think the color ends up having a lot more depth in the end.