Anyway to get an airbrush look without one?

[Rusty85]

Does anyone have any idea if there's any way to get that smooth airbrush like look without using an airbrush? I need to paint a puppet head in flesh-tone but as most of you know there isn't an actual flesh-tone spray paint. Obviously I don't have an airbrush and up until now I've been painting them with the brush buts its quite time consuming and always leaves brush strokes. Also requires tons of coats of paint.

 

[Leigh]

You can buy an Airbrush for as little as £10 & run it off a bottle of air or even an car tyre. I personaly cant think of another way to achieve a sprayed finish though. Sorry if its no help to you :confused

 

[DaddyfromNaboo]

Dry brushing, i.e. pick up some paint, wipe it off on a cloth until the brush is almost dry and then stiple it onto the surface. You will want to take your time and do this in multiple gos. You´ll need a brush with shorter bristles that stand up, go over the surface very gently.

 

[Howlrunner]

Are you going for a human skin-like appearance (with multiple shades), or do you just want a smooth single-colour surface (as you said it was a puppet)? If it was a single colour surface, I'd probably brush-paint on one layer, maybe two, then apply the last layer of the same colour with a disposable cloth or my finger, rubbing it in, in order to eliminate brush-strokes.

 

[Gigatron]

Vallejo brand paints - some of the absolute best paints for brushing. People use them specifically for brushing because they don't leave brush marks.

-Fred

 

[discombobulate]

Actually, ArmyPainter does a flesh tone spray can pack:

The Army Painter | Shop - US Customers

 

[PoopaPapaPalps]

Take a straw and dip one end into some paint and blow through the other end. SIMPLE!

 

[Alan Castillo]

Take a straw and dip one end into some paint and blow through the other end. SIMPLE!

:lol :lol

 

[Funky]

Dry brushing, i.e. pick up some paint, wipe it off on a cloth until the brush is almost dry and then stiple it onto the surface. You will want to take your time and do this in multiple gos. You´ll need a brush with shorter bristles that stand up, go over the surface very gently.

I do something very similar but I use oil paints as it takes a while for it to dry so it's a little more forgiving, plus it lets you "blend" a little easier.

 

[steveo3002]

id go along with the fact you can get a cheap one for peanuts , have a look on ebay , will probably come in handy again

 

[Sedulous Studios]

You could try brushing/dusting on pure (powdered) pigments. That can give very smooth, even results. Basically you brush on the pigments (or powdered chalk pastels, though those take longer to build up), then spray it with some sort of topcoat like Testor's Dullcote. Repeat until you like the color. But it's pretty tedious, and might not be to your advantage in this situation.

 

[Rusty85]

Thanks for the advice everyone, I'll see what I can do. There's a peach spray paint that's close but not quite there.