Airbrushing 101: Basic Guide to Airbrush Painting Warhammer 40K Miniatures

It’s hobby week here on Grimhammer Tactics. This week all my articles are going to focus on proven hobby techniques I use that improve speed and efficiency without sacrificing quality in the process. In today’s article I’m going to be focusing on the basics of airbrush painting Warhammer 40K miniatures. So, let’s get started.

The information contained in this article is specific to using acrylic water-based paints for airbrushing. The safety measures and requirements are different for using oil or enamel based paints which may contain harmful chemicals.

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Why Use an Airbrush to Paint Your Warhammer 40K Miniatures?

There are tons of advantages to painting with an airbrush. If you’ve stumbled upon this article it means you’re at least a little bit intrigued by the idea of using an airbrush to paint your Warhammer 40K miniatures. I have been using airbrushes to paint my 40K miniatures for well over a decade. The fact of the matter is, you can achieve some great smooth results on your miniatures quickly by using an airbrush. Fade or gradient effects that may take hours to achieve using wet-blending with the standard brush can be done in minutes with an airbrush. Even if all you ever do is prime and basecoat your models using an airbrush, it will save you tons of time.

As an example, I live in the southeastern United States. 9 Months out of the year it is hot here and in the summer months brutally so. This makes the climate difficult to prime models using rattle can primers. Having to rely on weather, humidity, and temperatures outside to prime can cost you tons of time. I only prime my models using an airbrush and airbrush primer. I can safely prime my models indoors in my hobby room in the middle of the day in July or during a thunderstorm in May. Not to mention, you will get a better, smoother coat when you prime your models with an airbrush.

Airbrushing models does come with a little bit of a learning curve, however. Hence this article. These are the very bare-bones basics to get started airbrushing your Warhammer 40K miniatures.

The Basic Tools You Need to Get Started Airbrush Painting Your Warhammer 40K Miniatures

Let’s dive right into the basic tools you need to get started painting your Warhammer 40K miniatures with an airbrush. Many people think getting started airbrushing is way too expensive. Sure, you can go out and buy a $500 airbrush and it will probably be great, but you don’t need to do this and in fact you SHOULDN’T do this if you’re just getting started. Let’s get into the basics you actually need:

• Airbrush: You don’t need to dish out hundreds of dollars for an airbrush. What you need first and foremost is what we call a “workhorse” airbrush. This is an airbrush you will use that will do 90% of the work you will need. An example of a “workhorse” airbrush is the Master Airbrush G22. It is a gravity fed dual-action airbrush and comes with a variety of needles and nozzles you can use to swap out. I recommend using the 0.2 needle for the majority of your airbrush work. I purchased a Master Airbrush about 8 years ago and still use it to this day for my day-to-day airbrushing projects. All I’ve ever had to replace are needles (which is a common thing no matter what airbrush you purchase).
• Compressor: This is actually the most important purchase you will make getting into airbrushing. It doesn’t matter how good or expensive your airbrush is if you have a bad compressor. Similar to airbrushes there are tons of compressors out there that range in price and some can be very expensive. Similar to the Master Airbrush model I mentioned above, this Compressor is one I’ve been using for 8 years. It is quiet, has adjustable PSI, and you can easily connect other airbrushes to it. It’s also very affordable at only $90. I have had one of these for years and it is still going strong after tons of hours under the brush.
• Cleaners: While there are tons of options for airbrush cleaners to choose from, and I do recommend using them from time to time, the most important thing you can use to clean your airbrush is just tap water. We’ll get more into proper maintenance later on in the article.
• Safety Gear: Don’t skimp out when it comes to your health and safety. While acrylics are non-toxic, they produce particulates and dust that will settle eventually and can have long-term negative effects on your health if ingested in your lungs. You don’t need a fancy respirator for airbrushing with acrylic paints. Disposable N95 dust masks are sufficient for working with an airbrush for acrylic paints, but you definitely should wear one every time you use the airbrush to paint your miniatures.
• Spray Booth: There are tons of various spray booths available many of which have filters and ventilation built in. Honestly, if you’re painting with acrylics you really just need a “spray booth” to capture overspray and to trap the dust particulates that otherwise will settle…all over your stuff. For airbrushing with acrylics using a cardboard box is plenty sufficient to act as a spray booth.
• Airbrush Paints and Thinners: You want to use the right paints when airbrushing your miniatures. I highly recommend both Vallejo Model Air and Army Painter Warpaints Air paints. As I mentioned above as well, you’ll want to get a good primer and I can’t recommend Vallejo Surface Primer enough. I use this exclusively and it produces the best quality priming job you can get with an airbrush. Pro-tip: Invest in some Createx Reducer to combine with your surface primer to reduce dry-tip. Further, it’s also a good idea to get some Vallejo Airbrush Thinner which you can even use to get most standard acrylic paints to a thin enough consistency to use in an airbrush.
• Spray Pot for Cleaning: As you clean your airbrush between sessions you’re going to want a spray pot to spray into. These kits also come with great little cleaning tools you’ll need to get into your airbrush where paint traps to help you clean it out.
• Gloves: Simple disposable latex gloves will do. This is mainly to prevent getting your hands covered in paint as you spray your models.

Setting Up and Using Your Airbrush For the First Time

You’re going to want to set your airbrush up in a dedicated hobby space. One with plenty of space for your airbrush compressor to sit on the floor and with enough room to setup your spray booth box and have your spray pot nearby for cleaning. You’ll also want some little plastic dropper bottles for water for cleaning. Follow all manufacturer recommended guidelines for setting up your airbrush and compressor.

Your airbrush compressor should come with a hose and a connect for your airbrush. Airbrush compressors can be quite noisy, even the quieter ones like the one I linked above. I usually set my PSI for airbrushing miniatures between 18-25.

A lot of airbrush paint is ready to use right out of the dropper bottle, but sometimes the higher pigment paints still need a little thinning with either a drop of water or airbrush thinner. Some people do this before putting the paint into the cup on the airbrush, but I do this in the cup itself and “blow back” pressure to mix it. This is done by covering the tip of your airbrush with your hand and pushing air through the brush by squeezing the trigger down. This will blow the air back into the cup and “mix” the paint and thinner. You’re looking for a thin “skim milk” consistency with your paint.

Test the paint on a piece of paper or cardboard before spraying the model. This way if you see any “speckling” or “spider-webbing” you can adjust before painting your model. Once your paint is ready to go simply hold the model 2-6″ away and spray in short dedicated bursts around the area you want to paint. Your workhorse brush is probably not going to be able to do very fine details. There are airbrushes that can do this such as the Sotar 20/20, but those are not useful as workhorse brushes for priming and basecoating and have very specific uses. The workhorse brush, like the one I linked above, is good for priming and doing a standard basecoat and even “fade” or gradient effects.

When doing color changes, simply add some water in the cup and spray the excess paint into your spray pot. Repeat this as necessary until all the paint is out of the cup, then add your next color. Test on the paper or cardboard again and repeat.

Let’s talk a moment about “dry-tip.” This is more common when priming or when applying basecoats over large models or batch painting. This happens when the paint around the tip of the needle on the airbrush starts to dry. This can cause inconsistent painting and in some cases, can prevent the paint from coming out of the airbrush. You can take the tip off and gently rub your fingernail around the tip (be careful not to bend the needle) or use a small toothpick to scrape the paint off. I mentioned the Createx Reducer above and this reducing agent actually slows down the drying time of the paint. This is incredibly important when using primer which tends to dry much faster than normal airbrush paints. The reducer is a game changer and will significantly reduce dry tip when priming and in most cases outright eliminate it. I cannot recommend it enough when priming your models with the airbrush.

Cleaning and Maintaining Your Airbrush

It is incredibly important to keep your airbrush clean after use. Proper cleaning and maintenance on your airbrush can give it years of extra life and save you tons of headaches. There’s nothing more frustrating than sitting down for a paint session and having to clean your airbrush for 45 minutes because it has a clog.

The most important cleaning agent you will need for your airbrush is water. As mentioned above, you will use this in between color changes, but also when you’ve completed a session. Once you’re done with a session, fill your paint cup with water and spray into the spray pot. Repeat this process several times. You’ll also want to ensure your nozzle and removable airbrush tip are clean after a session as well. I take a small disposable plastic container and just fill it with water. Break down the tip and the nozzle and needle. Clean the needle carefully with a damp paper towel. Put the removable tip and nozzle in the cup of water and leave it overnight. Take a damp (not soaking wet) Q-tip or paper towel and clean out your paint cup on your airbrush to remove excess paint build-up. When you sit down for your next session, put it all back together again and you’re ready to go. These simple 5 minute steps will save you hours of frustration trying to fix clogs or correct “speckling” and “spider webbing.”

I also want to take a moment to talk about taking care of your needle. The needle is one of the most important pieces of your airbrush. The ends of these needles can be very delicate and are easy to bend. Be careful with handling the needle especially around the tip to prevent this. Needles are not terribly expensive and you will eventually replace them as they will probably bend over time through wear and tear, but the last thing you want is to be mid-session and suddenly you’ve bent your needle.

Final Thoughts

Airbrush painting Warhammer 40K miniatures can speed up your painting time significantly and produce amazing results. Like everything, the more you practice with it, the better you will be. You don’t need to break the bank to get started either. For around $200 you can have everything you need to get started to include a good workhorse airbrush, compressor, paints and safety equipment. Just remember, proper care and maintenance are important in order to get the most out of your airbrush.

This is the first in the hobby week series of articles. On Wednesday I’ll be posting about the only actual paintbrushes you’ll ever need and how you don’t have to break the bank on high dollar paint brushes to produce good quality battle ready results.

If you’re new to the game or want to improve quickly, then don’t forget to grab my FREE eBook: Forging Your Path to Victory: A Beginner’s Guide to Competitive 40K. A great starting point for those looking to jump into Competitive 40K. Subscribe and get your free copy!

Want to learn more in-depth processes and techniques for getting quality results from your painting in a short time? Check out my Coaching services. I cover everything to help make you the most well-rounded Warhammer 40K player you can be.

See you on the tabletop.