DISCUSSION: A new toy...

My new toy: an Iwata Eclipse HP-CS airbrush

So I've bought myself an airbrush. It's something I've been interested in doing for a few years now but I've put it off until now. The main reason was cost. To do airbrushing any justice, you really have to be prepared to spend a fair amount of money on the right equipment. A decent airbrush isn't cheap and I wanted to make sure I spent my money wisely. It didn't take a lot of research to find out that Iwata are one of the most respected manufacturers in the field, but it took a little more to decide which of their products would be best for me.

The reason I've wanted an airbrush for so long is to improve the quality of my painting. My brush work is improving at a good rate as time goes on, but there are some effects it is difficult and time-consuming to achieve with a brush. There are lots of ways to achieve smooth transitions between colours just using a paintbrush, but a good airbrush in the right hands will almost always be quicker and more effective. I'm not saying mine are the right hands yet. In fact, until I bought this, I'd never used an airbrush before. I can now say, with some certainty, that there is going to be a learning curve.

Inside the box

I've opted for the Iwata Eclipse HP-CS. It's one of the better mid-range airbrushes. I'm not expecting overnight results with it but at least I can't blame the tools. At the time of writing this I've had it about a day and my initial tests have shown I have a lot to learn. But that's okay. I'm looking forward to learning. I'm excited to see what it can bring to my painting. I already have plans to use it on a number of projects.

My compressor: an Iwata Silver Jet

In order to use an airbrush, you need a compressor. The compressor is the bit that pumps the air through the brush. I've gone for the Iwata Silver Jet. It's not their biggest compressor, but it should be adequate for my (currently minimal) needs. It's compact, not too loud and provides a decent amount of pressure. Now I just need to work on my technique to make the expense worthwhile. Expect to see me putting my new equipment to the test in future posts.