Choosing the right Paints for your project
Although practically any liquid with the consistency of milk can be sprayed through an airbrush, paints generally fall into one of five categories. These are acrylics, inks & dyes, oil paints, urethanes, and watercolours.
Acrylics
Of all the paint options for airbrush, these are the most versatile and easiest to use. You can use these paints on just about any surface, including fabric, canvas and acetate. They spray evenly through an airbrush and have short drying times, which means you don’t have to wait long between coats. If you thin acrylic paints properly, you can even use them to achieve a transparent effect. Some brands make this even easier by offering ready mixed acrylic paints which are ideal for beginners.
Inks and Dyes
These are the thinnest of all paint types, and therefore require less pressure to paint with an airbrush. They also provide vibrant colours on paper and similar white surfaces. They can be used to create transparent paints that can be used on many surfaces, but most are not suitable for other surfaces. Food-grade inks and dyes can be used to airbrush cakes and edible decorations like sugar paste flowers. Inks are Dyes are another great range for beginners as they often don’t require thinning.
Oils and Enamels
Oil paints provide intense and durable colors, but using them with an airbrush can be tricky. This is mostly because the correct viscosity must be achieved. If the paint is not thinned correctly with mineral spirits or turpentine, it can clog the airbrush and does not spray smoothly.
Urethane
Urethane paints are even more durable but are much more toxic than acrylic paints. They are generally use for heavy-duty work on cars, motorcycles, boats and other such surfaces and are designed to withstand the elements. These paints can be clear coated, sanded and polished. Because they do not dry by water evaporation, urethanes require a catalyst or hardener to dry them.
Watercolours
In terms of viscosity and ease-of-use, watercolours are ideal for airbrushing. The problem is that watercolours are not opaque and not durable. Watercolors lack the durability of acrylics and urethanes. Watercolors won’t hold up when exposed to the elements, especially moisture; the same water that binds the pigments will destroy the paint once it’s applied to a surface. This is why watercolors are generally limited to illustration and fine art.
Our Range of Paints
Everything Airbrush offer a wide range of paints for many applications.Please click on the links to view the product range.
Jacquard Airbrush Colors
Jacquard Airbrush Colors meet the needs of artists like never before, raising the bar for quality, economy and versatility. Though originally formulated for textiles, the exceptional durability, unsurpassed coverage and superb flexibility of Jacquard Airbrush Colors have attracted artists of every ilk.
A versatile airbrush paint, it resists cracking, peeling and chipping better than any other brand. These odorless, non-toxic and water-based fluid acrylic paints perform well even at low pressures, with minimal tip-dry or clogging.
Available in six intermixable varieties: Transparent, Opaque, Metallic, Fluorescent, Bright and Iridescent.
JVR Colours
The colors of the JVR Revolution Kolor extra fluid series are water-based acrylic colors with percentage by pigments of about 50%. The blended resins ensure an ideal adhesion on diverse surfaces like paper, wood, plastic, fiberglass, fingernails, and metal.
Pro-Color
Pro-Color acrylic airbrush paints offer unlimited creative options. Pro-Color is manufactured with the finest pigments and high-quality acrylic resin polymers to meet even the most sophisticated demands. Pro-Colors adhere excellently to paper, cardboard, textiles, acetate, plastic and metals. Pre-thinned and ready to use straight from the bottle Pro-Color is an excellent choice for beginners.
Tamiya Mini Acrylics
Tamiya Acrylic Paints are made from water-soluble acrylic resins and are excellent for either brush or spray painting. These paints can be used on styrol resins, styrofoam, wood, plus all of the common model plastics. The paint covers well, flows smoothly with no blushing or fading, and can be blended easily. Available in Gloss or Flat (Matt) Tamiya Mini Acrylic paints need to be reduced with Tamiya X-20A thinner to be suitable for airbrush use.
Vallejo Metal Color
Metal Color are especially designed for airbrushing. The latest generation of aluminium pigments have been to used in a specifically designed formula to produce colours of exceptional resistance and adherence to plastics and metal. Can be applied directly on models without the need for the use of a primer
Vallejo Mecha Color
Mecha Color, a new range of acrylic airbrush colours from Vallejo. has been designed especially for painting Robots, Gundam, Transformer and Gunplas figures. Mecha Colors can be used straight from the bottle with an airbrush with a 0.2mm nozzle but thinning is recommended for a smoother more even paint flow.
Vallejo Model Air
Model Air paints adhere exceptionally well to all surfaces. The adhesion of Model Air to resin models, plastics, steel and white metal is extraordinary. Model Air have a wide range of colours suitable for various types of airbrush models. Model Air can be used straight from the bottle with an airbrush with a 0.2mm nozzle but thinning is recommended for a smoother more even paint flow.
Vallejo Model Color
Vallejo Model Color Matt and opaque acrylic paints with highest pigment concentration in a water-based formula, especially developed for brush-on application. For use with an airbrush thin Model Colors with Vallejo Airbrush Thinner to a milky consistency.
The Model Color range is very extensive and includes basic shades as well as many references developed for use on historical figures as well as the specific colors employed for all types of vehicles, planes and military models.
Vallejo Model Wash
Model Wash is traditionally applied with brushes but can be reduced for airbrush applications. Used to create various weathering effects on Armour, Model Vehicles, Planes, Ships and Figures.
Vallejo Game Air
The colors in the Game Air range have been selected in collaboration with modelers specialized in fantasy figures and dioramas, and the existing colors in the Game Color range have been taken into particular consideration. The names and shades of the most popular colors of Game Color have been maintained in Game Air, using the formulation and resins employed for Model Air.
The viscosity of Game Air lets you work with airbrushes as small as 0.2 mm without diluting the colors. Environmental conditions can alter the viscosity of the product and cause the need for further dilution.
Vallejo Premium RC Colors
AV PREMIUM is a safe water-based, non toxic and highly versatile airbrush ready paint, suitable for all surfaces, but especially formulated for superior adhesion to metals, fibreglass, polyethylene, clear Lexan polycarbonate, slot car and RC bodies, and all tuning and automotive applications.
The range consists of 20 bright opaque colors, 23 dazzling metallics and fluorescents, and 9 shimmering transparent Candy Colors. All colors are as suitable for detail work as for covering large surfaces and can be applied by brush as well as by airbrush.
