Airbrush: Thinning Acrylic Paint for Airbrush Application
Liquitex Soft Body Acrylic Colors can easily be thinned to flow properly through an airbrush. The proper thinning procedure is determined by the type of surface to be airbrushed and by durability desired for the final paint film.
Absorbent Surfaces:
- Hardwoods, paper, fabric, plaster, Liquitex Modeling Paste, bare wood and primed canvas.
- Thin paint with water or Flow-AidTM Water (FAW). To create FAW, mix 1 part Flow-Aid to 20 parts distilled water. Use this mixture instead of water and follow directions for "Thinning with Water", below.
- Fabric: Wash prior to airbrushing to remove sizing. Colors must permeate the cloth and be seen as a ghost image on the reverse side to be permanent. After 3 days cure time, the fabric can be machine-washed or dry cleaned. Resulting colors are permanent. For more information, select "Fabric Painting" in the search area.
- Surfaces absorb paint differently. Spray a test piece prior to spraying actual surface.
Thinning with Water or Flow-Aid Water
1. First add 50% water or FAW to the paint and mix thoroughly. Add more water if necessary to produce the desired effect. Color may be thinned up to 80% with water. Some colors may require more or less water due to individual pigment characteristics. Adding water reduces pigment concentration and color strength.
2. Strain to insure proper flow through airbrush.
3. After several airbrush layers it is possible that the surface will no longer be absorbent. When this occurs, subsequent airbrush layers must follow directions for Non-Absorbent Surfaces.To increase absorption on absorbent surfaces, paint flow through airbrush and reduce paint buildup and tip clogging use Flow-Aid Water (FAW) instead of water.
Thinning with Liquitex Airbrush Medium
1. Mix 1 part Airbrush Medium into 1 part Soft Body Concentrated Artist Color.
2. Mix thoroughly, adding more Airbrush Medium as needed. The proper consistency for acrylic paint is that of light cream. As more Airbrush Medium is added, the intensity of color will be decreased and the transparency increased.
3. If mixture is too thick to flow through airbrush, either increase air pressure or add water to thin airbrush paint mixture. Do not exceed 1 part Airbrush Medium to 1 part water.
4. The proper viscosity will depend on the air pressure supplied, type of airbrush and proximity to the working surface. As the paint is thinned, air pressure can be lowered and the airbrush held closer to the working surface for greater detail. As the air pressure is increased the airbrush is held further from the working surface.Non-Absorbent Surfaces:
- Plastic, metal, masonry
- Thin paint with Airbrush Medium, Liquitex Fluid Mediums & water or Liquitex Fluid Mediums and FAW. Over thinning with water only may cause poor adhesion, cracking, flaking or peeling. Abrade surface for increased adhesion.