I'm still a novice with the airbrush, though getting better every time. In my case, I'm changing the procedure I follow to paint different parts of same piece different colors. Previously, I just chose a color and did that part, masking the rest, then continued with the next color I chose to do. After watching some youtube videos, I saw that they actually had a mechanism to choosing the color. If I was to do things in layers, I wouldn't need to mask near as much. The process I chose was to paint "lower" colors first. Since figures are 3D, some parts of a piece are lower, or under, others. For example, with this figure, the skin is the lowest color. Which is great, because that's the color I've already done. The next lowest color is the spandex, which is black. The highest main color is red, so that was next. Then came the minor colors of silver, green, and orange. I was torn whether to do the orange before the red. And I should have, if I followed my own rule of "lower" first. But I was eager to get the red color done, which is most of the figure, so my eagerness beat out my process logic. In the end, I regret this, because it forced me to adjust which area I would paint orange (to be explained later).
Lesson 37: Paint "lower" colors first, even if it's small and boring.
As I said, black was the first color I decided to do for this figure. The whole point of this new "lower first" painting process, was to avoid masking as much (which in turn creates smoother color borders, which in past figures, could have a 'lip' due to the masking tape). So, previously painted areas were masked, and unpainted areas were not. I wasn't all that careful about keeping the black paint within the areas to be colored black. It didn't seem to matter. All was well until I masked the black area, and started to paint the red (which was mostly black at this point). Because the red paint is much thinner than the black, even after several layers of light red color, the end result is a very dark red area. So, unfortunately, it turns out that my 'bright red' is more of a 'brick' color.
Lesson 38: When painting darker colored areas, you have to mask areas which will eventually be painted lighter colors. OR, if you intend to shade those lighter colored areas, you can forgo masking and while being very careful, can use the darker color as the future shading of the lighter color.
So there you have it - when layering and painting a lower layer, if it's a darker color, you have to mask what is to be the lighter color area, or use the darker color as the shading of the lighter (but you have to be careful). In my case, I was able to recover as long as I accepted a very brick, dark red as the color of the jump suit. I did accept it, because I was thinking of doing something lika that anyway, and it looked good. Now that I've finished the figure, I think it's a bit too dark, but hey, it's not bad.
There are a few differences between my paint job and the real figure. I've never liked the hot green color of the clavicle piece of the suit, so I felt like changing it. My choices were between gold and silver. I had already painted the silver on the shoes, so it was either go back and paint both gold, or just continue with silver. I chose to be lazy, but I can't help but think gold/brass would have looked better. The contrast is nice, though.
This figure also marked the first time I used putty. The right hand of Asuka was actually split it two pieces which fit together horribly. This was intentional and incredibly stupid on the part of the figure maker. I had to try three times to using putty to get the seam sealed correctly. It was a good learning experience, one which I'm sure I'll need again. In the end, it's still not perfect after all my effort, but that's fine with me. I'm just unhappy that the flaw is on a prominent part.
Lesson 39: Let putty dry overnight, and always apply way too much, over a much larger area than you need.
Lesson 40: Don't wait till you've already painted before you discover you need to use putty. Before painting, place all your parts together to see if you need to putty it.
Another first I did for this figure was to use black masking putty. I only used it once, and it was just a test. The putty performed nicely, in that it had a solid seal and it came off without pealing any paint from under it. I did learn, though, that it's easy for the putty to move, and when it moves, can uncover some areas. I think in the end, I'll only use putty on parts which I absolutely cannot accept the paint pealing off.
Lesson 41: When using masking putty, paint soon after applying the putty. The putty will move, so be sure that you don't try to grip the piece by the putty. Also, be careful to line the putty up along the correct border, because you can't see under it, it's hard to know whether it's placed correctly.
Another problem I had with this figure was with the finish. To prevent the masking tape from pealing the paint under it, I applied a finish over each layer of color. However, with glossy finish, masking tape left a residue on it. It's only visible at a certain angle, but at that angle, it is very obvious and looks very bad.
Lesson 42: Don't use masking tape on areas with a glossy finish
Lesson 43: If using a spray on finish, shake your spray very well! If it's gone bad, and they DO go bad, then DONT USE IT. For me, when they 'go bad', the spray is very clumpy when it comes out, rather than smooth and event. When you get used to a spray, you can tell when it's gone bad by looking at it and listening to it as you spray. You can hear a bit of a sputter and the spray mist is a bit whiter.
Lesson 44: Don't use triple thick glossy finish. It leaves a color.
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