My First custom body

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Z

ZxIRAX

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As the subject says, this is my first custom body. I am totally new to airbrushing, and had never seen or touched one before yesterday. Luckily my sister was on hand to help me with the basics.

I went for the Dodge body to practice on, as I wanted to leave the HPI stock body until I got a little more confident!

I played around with some graphics on the computer and printed them off onto acetate, then transferred them onto sticky plastic. I then came to the conclusion that it would be a lot easier to just buy the pre-cut sticky plastic masks, so I picked 5 or 6 and decided what I was going to use when they arrived.

It took a little while to get everything sorted out. I read through shifts tutorial a couple of times and used the water/soap and sanding method before applying my first coat of paint. I messed up a little with the first masking that I applied, as the border came off. After the first I used a hairdryer to shrink the top plastic layer so it peeled off easier and left the masking in place.

I used Pactra paints throughout, they were pretty easy to mix and thin and applied really nice at low psi. Unfortunately my LHS has a lot of the colours I ordered on backorder, so I just went with what I had which was metallic black, racing green, yellow and some thinner. Not a great amount to choose from, but I think it turned out well!

Anyhoo, here are some pictures along the way. I have loads, so just ask if you would like to see any others.

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I have learnt a lot, so hopefully my next attempt will be a lot smoother and will look a lot better!

Let me know what you think =) ..oh and I had just brought my savvy back from a bashing session, so I hadn't cleaned it off.. it was just my model for the photo shoot!!
 
Excellent work!! Much better looking then my first go at spraying. A trick I use for printing graphics from the PC is to get the clear label sheets (the whole sheet is one big clear sticker). Print on the paper side...in other words, load it upside down into the printer. Next just hit it with a blow-dryer for a bit to help the ink set. The paper is not course and will not absorb the ink, but will dry on it with heat. That eliminates having to try to transfer your graphics by hand. I use this method even though the labels are supposed to be for ink-jet; they just don't seem to set the ink right. Again, great looking sprayn' there....love the tribal flames!! :resp:
 
that is really awsome...did you put any clear on the top coat??
 
your saying u hope your next one turns out better but honestly buddy you did a amazing job with it being your first!! your work looks like you have been doing it for a while!! :resp:
 
Thanks for the comments guys, very much appreciated!!

@ JroCc - I have not put any clear lacquer on the inside of the body to protect the paint from the fuel/dirt yet. Could anyone point me in the direction of a good one to use? I used Pactra paints with thinner, if this makes a difference?

@ jcam54 - I spoke to my friend who lives in Australia, she is a pro auto painter. She gave me some good advice and recommendations.
Airbrushes are usually classified by three characteristics. The first characteristic is the action performed by the user to trigger the paint flow while the second is the mechanism for feeding the paint into the airbrush and the third is the point at which the paint and air mixes. At the end of the day, it is personal preference. Some airbrushes can obscure the view of what you are paining.

Trigger - The simplest airbrushes work with a single action mechanism where the depression of a single "trigger" results in paint and air flowing into the airbrush body and the atomized paint being expelled onto the target surface. Cheaper airbrushes and spray guns tend to be of this type. Dual action or double action airbrushes separate the function for air and paint flow so that the user can control the volume of airflow and the concentration of paint flow through two independent mechanisms. This allows for greater control and a wider variety of artistic effects. This type of airbrush is more complicated in design than single action airbrushes which tends to be reflected in its cost.

I wanted more control over my work, so I went for a dual action (push down for air and pull back for paint) this will really improve your work over the single action (pull back for air and paint).

Feed system - Paint can be fed by gravity from a paint reservoir sitting atop the airbrush (called gravity feed) or siphoned from a reservoir mounted below (bottom feed) or on the side (side feed). Each feed type carries unique advantages. Gravity feed instruments require less air pressure for suction as the gravity pulls the paint into the mixing chamber. Typically instruments with the finest mist atomization and detail requirements use this method. Side- and bottom-feed instruments allow the artist to see over the top, with the former sometimes offering left-handed and right-handed options to suit the artist. A bottom feed airbrush typically holds a larger capacity of paint than the other types, and is often preferable for larger scale work such as automotive applications and tee-shirt design. Look for a metal or glass paint container, as the cheaper airbrushes will use a plastic container. Usually this will be fine with water based paints, but were using Lexan based paints which are designed to stick to plastic. Cleaning the paint from metal or glass is really easy, either a little water/ thinner and using your finger or a brush remove the dried paint. It will flake off really easily.

Mix point - With an internal mix airbrush the paint and air mixes inside the airbrush (in the tip) creating a finer atomized "mist" of paint. With external mix the air leaves the airbrush before it comes into contact with the paint which creates a coarser stippled effect. External mix airbrushes are cheaper and more suited for covering larger areas with more viscous paints or varnishes.

You can spend a fortune on a good airbrush. It all depends on how much you anticipate to use it and what works best for you =)

There are so many options on the market! You have to decide what would be best for you =) here is what I used (it cost approx $140 delivered) really happy with it though!

Here is what I have:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/COMPLETE-AIRB...36803635QQihZ021QQcategoryZ1189QQcmdZViewItem

On my first search, I found a buy it now for the exact same airbrush and compressor with an additional airbrush for free. With this you can get both types of airbrush and see what works best for you!

As for the compressor, I went for a oil-free piston compressor. They are pretty much maintenance free and are very quiet. You can easily adjust the pressure. It will cut out once the pressure is met and automatically restart when the pressure drops.

Oh, and a couple of tips I picked up are:

-Using your finger, hold it over the tip of the airbrush (where the paint is expelled) and hold it on there while pushing on the air action. This will cause a reverse in the flow of paint in the airbrush. The air will be expelled through the paint container. This is a great method for cleaning all paint from the airbrush or mixing paints currently in the container as air bubbles through it.

-Keep the air pressure as low as possible (depending on the viscosity of your paint). Keep the airbrush around 1-3†from the target surface and move side to side/ up and down in slow movements. This will give a nice even coat.

-Adjust your paint reservoir to the angle you are working at. If you are using a side mounted paint reservoir then angle it correctly so the paint can be picked up.

-Practice makes perfect, play around on some paper. Make some stencils and masking and see how it turns out. Mix colours and practice thinning your paints for the best effects.

-Clean your airbrush after every application. The paint will dry fast, so clean it as soon as you can!

-Think safe, if possible try to work in a well ventilated environment. If not use a large household fan to blow away the toxic lexan paints. Open as many windows as you can to let fresh air come in. Buy yourself a air filtration mask, they are around $6 on ebay, they are well worth the money!

-Protect the surface you are spraying on. Depending on what pressure you are planning on working at, you may find a lot of paint mist which will inevitably land on a nearby surface (you, table, etc). I used a large sheet of clear plastic to cover the table. A lint free cloth is always a good thing to have nearby to wipe your hands.

I hope this helps, let me know if you need any more info!
 
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