What Is An Airbrush For
An airbrush is a versatile tool that can be used for applying a range of media on to a variety of surfaces. Most commonly this is for the application of paint; although common uses can also include sugarcraft (decorating cakes with edible paint) and spray tanning as well as a whole host of other uses.
Different uses of airbrush will require varying degrees of detail, from fine lines to heavy lines, depending on whether you are detailing an area, shading, or block colouring. One way in which you can influence this, is through a variety of nozzles and needles, which are an additional accessory to an airbrush that can be interchanged.
Different Airbrush Nozzles and Needles
The nozzle, also known as the tip, and the needle size of the airbrush will determine the amount of paint that can be sprayed through it. Sizes often vary between 0.10mm and 0.5mm on airbrush to 0.6 and 1.5mm on small spray guns. However, the majority of airbrushes come with one nozzle and needle already fitted.
Airbrush sets on the other hand come with a selection of nozzle sizes and needles, and it is a general rule of thumb that finer detail work requires a smaller nozzle. The various sizes include:
- Fine – 0.2mm
- Medium – 0.35mm
- Heavy – 0.5mm
As an airbrush user you could need up to seven different sized airbrushes as one will not be versatile enough. However a medium size nozzle will be able to achieve a fine line of around 0.3mm at its finest, and up to 50mm at its widest.
When you change your airbrush sizes, the needle, nozzle and often the needle cap will need to be changed too. Also keep in mind the type of paint you will be using as all media sprayed through your airbrush needs to be of a ‘single cream’ like consistency. Therefore, if your paint mixture has not already been pre-thinned, it will need to be thinned to this level before you can use it. Thicker paints require thicker nozzles so for those using emulsions and Metallica’s, you will normally need a nozzle that is at least 0.6mm thick.
Choosing The Right Airbrush Nozzles and Needles
Airbrush Nozzles and Needles will have a great effect on the way in which you produce your results, however they are not the bench mark of success. Like anything in the field of arts and crafts different people can produce different results, what matters is putting the time and practice to get successful and gradually help yourself to improve the outcomes of your work.
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