Airbrushing Techniques for Miniature Painters

VIBRANT SON OF MEDUSA

by Will Hahn

Hey everyone! My name is Will Hahn, and I’m a miniature painter from Maryland, USA. I fell in love with miniatures and wargaming in my childhood many years ago, and began painting again later in life. In recent years I’ve started painting semi-professionally doing box arts and teaching at conventions in the United States. I’ve also enjoyed a fair bit of success on the Miniature Painting Competition circuit, receiving awards and accolades in competitions such as Golden Demon and Monte San Savino, as well as various Best of Show awards in the US (Capital Palette, MFCA, and the LVO Painting Championships).

Before my foray into competition and display painting, however, my main focus was gaming and army building. When many of the restrictions implemented during the COVID pandemic were starting to be rescinded, I once again began painting a personal army project – this time implementing a wide range of skills, tools, and experiences I have gleaned over my time as a display painter.

I have always been a Warhammer fan since my introduction to miniature painting; it was really the impetus that started me down this road. One faction that I had always been intrigued by and drawn to was the Sons of Medusa. They had a unique history in the grand span of Warhammer lore, Space Marines have always had great models as a Games Workshop flagship line, and not the very least they had that ultra-cool bright green armor. But that color scheme – one of my favorite parts about them – is exactly what always held me back at the time with my limited skills. Bright green behaves like yellow in many ways and it can be notoriously difficult to paint. I’m here to show you that anything can be easy if you have the right knowledge base and tools.

I am sharing with you the exact process and recipe I developed for use on my personal army, shown step by step on a Heavy Intercessor gunner. With a very finished-looking armor, which is the vast majority of the model, we can then take some shortcuts to save time on the other elements as they tend to fade out of focus especially when compared to the vibrancy of our green.

We will then make use of an enamel panel liner to simultaneously create stains, grime, and darkline the armor in a single step. The final step is with some dry pigments, to create a dusty effect on our base and tie the miniature to its environment.

This tutorial is meant for batch painting, especially at the early airbrushing steps. Trying to do single models with this process will result in a lot of wasted time and paint on color changes in your airbrush.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

Games Workshop Kroot mercenary

REQUERIMENTS

PAINT GUIDE

AK Interactive

AK11242 Black Primer
AK11500 Acrylic Thinner
AK11109 Dark Rust
AK10823 Medium Rust
AK11237 Matte Varnish
AK089 Heavy Chipping Medium
AK11190 Dark Sea Blue
AK11145 Lizard Green
AK11233 Glaze Medium
AK11230 Titanium White Ink
AK11164 Dark Blue Grey
AK11011 Blue Grey
AK11029 Black
AK11223 Carbon Black Ink
AK11025 German Grey
AK11022 Dark Grey
AK11019 Graphite
AK11211 Oily Steel
AK11209 Silver
AK11193 Rusty Gold
AK11194 Brass
AK11112 Grim Brown
AK11109 Dark Brown
AK11097 Burnt Red
AK11091 Carmine Red
AK11038 Deep Red
AK2073 White and Winter Camouflage
AK050 Odorless Thinner
AK8025 Neutral Rough Terrain
AK8022 Sandy Desert
AK11106 Mahogany
AK144 Burnt Rust Red Pigment
AK2043 Ocher Rust Pigment
AK11001 White
AK111046 Radiant Yellow
AK11042 Volcanic Yellow

Vallejo

Other brands

1. Start with the model mounted to a pin or wire. Temporarily attach the helmet for priming with some poster tack, as you will need to remove it afterwards to work on it separately from the rest of the model. Prime the model with Black Primer (AK11242).

2. Airbrush a basecoat of Dark Rust (AK11109) from a roughly a 50° angle, leaving some of the undercoat still showing. Thin the paint with Acrylic Thinner (AK11500) to an airbrush consistency that allows you to spray thin, even coats.

3. Airbrush with Medium Rust (AK11103) over-head at about an 80° angle for a zenithal base coat. Varnish the model with Matte Varnish (AK11237), followed by a coat of Heavy Chipping Medium (AK089). Allow both of these coats to thoroughly dry before adding the next.

Use the same thinner at every subsequent airbrush step with the exception of the varnishes and chipping medium.

4. Airbrush a base coat to the entire model with Dark Sea Blue (AK11190).

Once you are done, remove the helmet and mount it on a suitable block with some wire.

5. Using Lizard Green (AK11145), airbrush the model from roughly a 45° angle all the way around the miniature.

This will help create the first layer of lights and shadows really quickly and create the foundation for later steps.

6. During steps 7 through 10 you will use acrylic inks.

Using a Mix of Daler Rowney Emerald Green and Glaze medium (AK11233), airbrush all the way around the model, this time roughly from a 65° angle.

It is imperative that you add a few drops of glaze medium to the inks during these next steps! DO NOT use a varnish. This will combat the water-reactive properties of acrylic inks. If you skip the glaze medium, the ink layers will be ruined when you chip the armor.

7. The next layer is Daler Rowney Light Green. This is a very vibrant ink that still has a surprisingly high opacity.

Airbrush the front of the model from over head at roughly a 75° angle, and the back from almost directly overhead at about an 85° angle.

Remember to add a few drops of glaze medium. With this step, you can now start to airbrush following the shapes of the model as opposed to a generalized spray pattern.

8. Using Titanium White Ink (AK11230) and some Glaze medium, pick out some high-lights with the airbrush and start to shape

the model further. It will look like you are ruining your work, but you are not. This step is key to achieving high vibrancy and contrast. Try your best to only airbrush the shapes of the highlights, focusing on the front of the model.

For this step, make sure to use the smallest airbrush needle you have.

9. This is where the magic happens!

Filter over the White areas with a 4:1 mix of Daler Rowney Lemon Yellow and Daler Rowney Light Green ink. Only use as much as is necessary to cover the white, the more you spray the darker it will get. Don’t forget to add glaze medium in the mix.

10. For the helmet, airbrush Dark Blue Grey (AK11164) from a single frontal angle over the Dark Sea Blue base coat. You can be pretty liberal with this layer, leaving the base coat in just the deepest shadows and the back side.

Airbrush Blue Grey (AK11011) a little more conservatively from the same angle to create some shape to the helmet. Since the helmets are small, this step can usually be done with a single circular spray pattern per helmet.

Using some Titanium White Ink (AK11230) mixed with a few drops of glaze medium, pick out some shaped highlights on the helmet.

11. Permanently attach the helmet to the body of the marine using your favourite glue. From this point onwards, you will work on the entire figure at the same time.

12. It’s time to create the battle damage. Wet the surface with a clean brush and water. Use an old airbrush needle or wire to gently scratch the figure, creating natural looking scratches. Rub it gently with a hobby swab to create small chips. Always start with light pressure, gradually pressing harder until you achieve the desired result.

Once you are done, airbrush Matte Varnish (AK11237) to protect the previous layers.

13. You are finally done with the airbrush!

Pick out all of the dark elements (metals, bolter, trim, etc.) with a 1:1 mix of Black (AK11029) and Carbon Black Ink (AK11223). You can leave the extra bolter wire and leather bits unpainted for now, but make sure to paint the eye lenses.

14. Paint the shoulder pad trim with German Grey (AK11025), Dark Grey (AK11022), and Graphite (AK11019) using wet blending to smooth the transitions quickly.

Paint the side panels of the Bolter with German Grey. Highlight the exposed areas of the bodysuit (inside of the elbows, etc.) with Dark Grey, and use the same color to paint the top panel of the bolter.

15. Paint the right knee pad wet blending Dark Blue Grey (AK11164) and Blue Grey (AK11011).

If you have trouble wet blending, you can add a few drops of Drying Retarder (AK737) to your paint to have a longer working time.

Once it’s fully dry, highlight it with a 1:1 mix of Blue Grey (AK11011) and White (AK11001).

16. Time to work on a few quick details! Paint the eye lenses and bolter wire Burnt Red (AK11097).

Highlight the wire with Carmine Red (AK11091), and the eye lenses with Deep
Red (AK11038).

Paint the leather belt Grim Brown (AK11112) and finally apply some highltights with Dark Brown (AK11109) using a loose stippling motion to create some texture.

17. Paint the shadows in the metal areas with Oily Steel (AK11211) and apply Vallejo Metal Color Magnesium (77.711) to all the sur-
faces facing upwards.

If you can, try to wet blend the transitions to achieve a smooth finish. If not, you can paint some scratches with the lighter color into the darker surfaces to integrate the colors and create the illusion of battle damage.

18. Highlight the steel areas with Silver (AK11209).

Paint the shell casings and emblems with a 1:1 mix of Dark Sea Blue (AK11190) and Rusty Gold (AK1111193) to achieve a cold gold tone that will fit the rest of the color scheme very well.

Finally, finish the golden areas with a quick
highlight using Brass (AK11194).

19. This step is optional. If you want to apply decals or squad markings to your model, this the best time to do it.

If you do, make sure to varnish them with Matte Varnish (AK11237) once they are dry, and integrate them into the armor applying some chipping using a sponge and a 1:1 mix of Dark Rust (AK11109) and Medium Rust (AK11103). You can also add some chips on other areas we brush painted like the knee
pad or the bolter.

20. Use White and Winter Camouflage Paneliner (AK2073) to paint all recessed areas except the eye lenses. Since you have not varnished the figure, the paint will retain some of its original properties but also stain the matte finish of the previous layers.

This allows you to outline the model and add grime in the same step. You can use Odorless Thinner (AK050) to wipe away any excess paint, pull it downward to create streaks, or increase its fluidity to get it into the recesses. Allow this layer to dry for 24 hours before continuing.

21. Use a craft stick to apply a few mounds of Neutral Rough Terrain (AK8025).

Use another craft stick to fill in the gaps with Sandy Desert Basing Texture (AK8022). Use an old wet brush to blend the edges into the previous layer.

While the base is still wet, sprinkle some gravel over the previous layer, using the larger pieces in the larger areas of neutral rough texture. Tap them into the texture paint using the back of a paint brush to create a natural look. I used smashed bricks and the corresponding dust, but you can use any manner of small rocks, cork bits, or gravel to achieve a similar effect. Once the Basing Texture paint has dried, apply some Sand and Gravel Fixer with an eyedropper. This will both seal the rocks and affix them to the base even further. Allow about 24 hours for this layer to dry in a well-ventilated area.

Prime the base black with Black Primer (AK11242).

Airbrush a base coat with Mahogany (AK11106) at a 70° angle all the way around the base.

Apply Medium Rust (AK11103) with an airbrush as a zenithal light source at a 90° angle on the front side of the base. This will create the appearance of a shadow under the model and help integrate the figure with the base.

22. Glue the model to the base. Once the glue is thoroughly dry, use Burnt Rust Red Pigment (AK144) and a round dry or makeup brush to apply the pigment in a tapping and twisting motion to the area of the base behind the figure.

Apply some pigment to the inner side of the feet and heels to create some additional natural looking shadows.

23. Apply Abteilung Dry Pigment Standard Rust (ABTP025) to the rest of the base as well as over the feet and lower shin armor plates of the marine using the same tapping and twisting motion as you did before.

This will integrate the model into the base with a really natural looking result.

24. Add a small amount of Ocher Rust Pigment (AK2043) to the raised areas of the base on the front side.

Blow off any excess pigment with an empty airbrush at low pressure.

Paint the rim of the base with Black (AK11029).

Lastly, you can airbrush Ultra Matte Varnish (AK183) at low pressure to increase the durability of the pigment, but you will lose some depth of color. If you do this, make sure to avoid the metal areas to maintain their natural shine.

25. If you want a specific model to draw attention in its squad or simply improve its finish a little bit, you can add hazard stripes with this quick process:

Apply a 1:1 Mix of Titanium White Ink (AK11230) and White (AK11001) paint to shape the hazard stripes. Draw your brush in a smooth stroke backward to create crisp edges.

Paint over the white stripes with a layer of Radiant Yellow (AK111046).

Shade the bottom two thirds of the stripes with a 5:1 mix of Volcanic Yellow (AK11042) and Scale Artist Burnt Sienna (SART-42).

Add some extra depth and vibrancy by shading the bottom third of the stripes with a 2:1 mix of Volcanic Yellow and Scale Artist Burnt Sienna.

26. Finally, if the stripes look too clean or out of place, you can use a sponge to apply a 1:1 mix of Dark Rust (AK11109) and Medium
Rust (AK11103).

The resulting chipping effect will integrate the stripes into the rest of the model, tying it all together nicely.

OPTIONAL STEPS

In larger or more important models, you can add the following steps to the process to add a bit more Interest:

• Add a darker shade with Daler Rowney Dark Green after step 9, to cool down the shadows and add depth.

• Give character to your metals or add muzzle burn to parts like flamers or melta guns by airbrushing transparent browns, blues, and purples.

• Use a black or dark ash grey dry pigment to add gunpowder residue to the muzzles of weapons.

• Experiment with other enamel colors to weather different materials, such as verdigris for brass or bronze parts, rust for iron or steel parts, or engine grime and fuel stain colors for mechanical parts.

If you are having trouble with some of the most
difficult steps, or you want to save some time, you can
simplify some things:

• Skip steps 2 and 3, and either add the chipping effect with a sponge after step 19 or just don’t do chipping at all.

• Skip step 15, especially if you are doing a different color scheme.

• Skip step 7, and in step 9 use a 2:1 mix of Lemon Yellow and Light Green. During Step 8, if you are having trouble with airbrush control, you can use a more generalized spray from overhead at about an 80° angle.

FINAL RESULT

This may seem like a lot of steps, but if done correctly a few of them can take as little as a minute per model. Remember, knowledge and practice leads to skill and proficiency. I’m here to give you the knowledge, it is up to you to practice the techniques to gain the skill and speed. Don’t be discouraged if it takes you longer or you don’t have the technical skills for some of these steps on the first try.

Hopefully through this process you can see the benefit of working with various methods and materials, we’re using all the tricks commonly used in miniature painting to produce very striking results with relatively low effort. Leaning on an airbrush to lay down large areas of color with easy clean gradients helps create a striking vibrant green that really pops off of the contrasting dusty burnt orange of the base. Adding just a single step with an enamel paint over our acrylic work helps unify the model and creates definition quickly and efficiently. The use of a wet blending

Technique allows us to shape and shade elements of the model without spending time on layering and painting certain areas multiple times to build up color. If anything, I hope this tutorial has given you some ideas on how to use new tools to create some great looking effects with relatively low effort or how to approach combining multiple methods to create a maximum effect. One thing I always tell my students is that there are so many ways to achieve a great result and different tools and techniques work for different people—you need to choose what is the best for you. This can only be discovered and known through experimentation, experience, and practice. If in the end you don’t like some of these techniques or prefer others, feel free to add or remove steps, methods, or materials to find a process that works best for you and that you enjoy. With that, I hope that you create something great and that you can be proud of!

Tips and Tricks

Using a white ink through the airbrush is an essential step to get that beautiful vibrancy. What we are really doing here is taking advantage of the translucent but highly pigmented quality of the inks. The final product allows light to penetrate the translucent paint, bounce off the white undercoat, and back to the viewer’s eye, which creates a very luminous, airy, and vibrant feel. This is an extremely useful trick with any color but really shines with those pigments that are difficult to use sometimes, like orange, yellow, and green.

If you are having trouble with the acrylics drying on you while wet blending, try using some Drying Retarder (AK737). This will keep the paint wet longer and allow you more time to work. It’s important to set ourselves up for success, not just with painting but also with planning. Keeping

The logistics of our process in mind before we start can only add to our efficiency. For example, if you were doing the above tutorial with the bases included, it would be wise to work on various steps of the base and while the texture paint dries you could go back to working on the marines. You could plan to do the Gravel Fixer and enamel steps in the same sitting, so there is only one 24-hour drying period you have to wait for.

The angles we used for airbrushing and how we added some shadow to the base create the minor illusion of a directional light or natural light source. Once you understand how light interacts with objects, it can be very easy to work this into our painting to create a compelling model without spending a lot of effort.