1/. Don't practice on a model, it's too expensive; get a sheet of cardboard, preferably plain white, with one side glossy.
2/. Mix up a complete tinlet of paint; it might sound expensive, but it's £1.50-worth of paint versus a £10 (at least) kit. Make the mix roughly equivalent, in consistency, to milk.
3/. Spray one line, at a distance of about 6" (wrist to tip of little finger, for me, but I have big hands.)
4/. Inspect the line, which should consist of three bands, the centre being a solid line of colour, with thinner, less opaque, bands either side, and there should be no runs.
5/. If it looks OK, spray another line, so that the next solid band covers one of the lighter bands of the first line, and so on, until you've sprayed a solid wall of colour.
6/. Give it time to dry, and inspect it again, for any inconsistencies in the finish.
A few little tips, which might help:-
Do not start to spray while pointing at the model/card, since you're likely to get a blast of colour just where you don't want it. Start off the subject, and move the brush towards, and over it.
Treat the
airbrush like a 6" paintbrush, and do not bend your wrist; work from your elbow, keeping forearm and hand rigid, as you sweep from side to side, which will ensure that you do not put more paint in the middle of your sweeps than on the edges.
When you buy a can of air, try putting the same amount of money in a separate account, and you'll be surprised how quickly you have enough to buy a compressor.
Ensure that any compressor produces enough air (.5 cu.ft/minute minimum) otherwise your spraying will lack any sort of consistency.
Forget about worrying about mixing X% of paint with Y% of thinners; eventually, you'll be able to judge the consistency by eye, and anyway a summer mix will differ from one in winter, because the paint will be a different thickness to start with.
If spraying was done by magic, Merlin would win every competition, so don't be afraid of it; batter the darn thing into submission.
Edgar
