My Partners

I had a handful of inquiries the past week regarding paints, what I use, airbrush set up and where I get my tools and supplies. I am always happy to answer them.

I had a very brief time of painting with some Japanese brand paints ( I like branded paints as I like using only quality paints and tools ). I also have a few other Japanese and USA airbrushes way back ( again, I like quality tools only ) and a precious ( gift ) generic airbrush from my dear friend Kriz.

But I am now exclusively using Vallejos, Harder&Steenbeck and certain tools moving forward.

I am only painting with Vallejo Colors ( Spain ) and airbrushing with Harder&Steenbeck airbrushes from Germany ( once again, I only like quality paints and tools ).

I also get my paints locally ( and a few tools and supplies ) from Neutral Grounds. I also get my tools and supplies from HobbyMate Singapore ( the best hobby shop at Sing ).

Just wanted to make this clear.

Cheers!



DAILY BLOG POST

I am also thinking of posting "daily" blog posts like this, as I am a full time Professional Illustrator and Professional Sci Fi Modeler ( moving forward ). Most artists ( at least here in the Philippines ) are employees. Scale modeling, much more Gunpla ( Mecha / Sci Fi ) modeling is just a weekend hobby for the majority.

But, I literally draw and paint robots and monsters for a living.

Daily posts that I won't really share in other facebook groups or anything. Just some daily logs, a sort of a diary of a full time professional artist working at his home studio. How I start my day or something. I like blogging when I am about to sleep anyways.

Also, these kinds of posts could be inspiring for aspiring or even frustrated artists.

So let's talk shop!



WORK

Woke up, ate breakfast and drank coffee.

Drove my kids to school...went home and then I started work.

I did a bit of snap fitting of my commissioned MG Gunner Zaku Warrior.

Had an email meeting with one of my Gunpla partners for a few minutes, then...

I thought of suddenly recording a quick Vallejo Mecha Color weathering tutorial for my Youtube channel during the middle of my snap fitting. So I pulled out a figure to paint and started painting, errr... started weathering.



END OF WORK

I got hungry during the middle of weathering the figure. Thought of fetching the kids and get some groceries. Fetched the kids, went to the grocery and stayed there for a couple of hours. Drove back home and ... Voila!

The traffic here in the Philippines is one of the worst in the world. Specially during the Christmas season. Got home in time for dinner, ate dinner, then took a quick nap after dinner.



DC23 CLOTHING 

Our DC23 clothing will be merging ( sort of ) with another clothing brand next year. Our partners came late night and we had a nice meeting here at our Home Studio. We are excited to launch a handful of new Mecha Designs with the new collaboration.

We needed a partner that could help us deliver the demand of our clients from as simple as shirt sizes, shirt color, material and the request of potential resellers abroad.

2020 will be bigger, better and more fun!


SUPER LATE NIGHT

After the meeting, I thought of resuming my weathering session. Will reveal this quick weathering project tomorrow.

That's it! That's my day. Not too productive today as a huge chunk of my day was spent on groceries with the kids and the traffic. This was still a productive day tho.

Anyways, thanks a ton for dropping by! Until next post guys! Just enjoy the hobby!

Saludos!

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Painting Base Colors in Batches

As I've said in my last post, I love priming miniatures in batches! I think it saves me time and paint. Painting miniatures in batches is more efficient as you get to setup your airbrush and mix paints in one sitting. I just feel It is more efficient than painting in smaller batches or individually.

I base color small and big models with my Harden & Steenbeck airbrush. I always prime and paint with Vallejos! A drop of Vallejo Paint Retarder before shooting a well thinned Vallejo is all it takes, to make sure you airbrush with ease. I shoot as low as 10psi when shading and 15 to 20psi when shooting the base colors.

Thinning Vallejos depends on the color. Light colors like Yellows, Oranges and Light Greens need very little thinning. Thick colors like Blues, some Reds, Browns and Grays need more thinning. I am not a ratio person, I lick and taste the paint to know that my mix is perfect for airbrushing. Kidding aside, a nice skim milk consistency ( as cliche as it may sound ) is usually perfect.

Overly thinned paint will splatter all over the model. Thick poorly thinned paint might clog your airbrush or give you a sandy texture. Too much Vallejo Retarder will be wet forever, and NO retarders might dry in mid air ( depending on color ) and also give you a sandy texture. Practice and Experience is KEY.

These models are ready for detailing! I had so much fun airbrushing them. I gave them a nice coat of Vallejo Premium Gloss Coat! Vallejo Premium paints are paints used for motorcycle helmets, RC cars and Guitars. Needless to say, a fully cured ( 3 days ) layer of Vallejo Premium Gloss Coat, would be very strong enough for play and handling.

I will need to shoot a nice thin coat of Vallejo matte varnish, once I decide to hand paint the details. The matte varnish will give the models teeth for the hand painting to cling on. Until then, will play with these glossy models with my son.

I hope you found this post informative. Thanks as always for dropping by! Until next post guys! CIAO!

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Priming Miniatures in Batches!

I did this a while back, but figured I'd share all these photos here at my blog.

I love working on miniatures in batches. Makes it more time efficient, and I think it saves a bit on paint mixing and paint wastage too. I got all these beautiful PrivateerPress Warmahordes models, for a batch of drawings I did for an online shop way back.

I cleaned all the models before painting as usual. Filled the gaps with green stuff and cleaned / sanded off some mold lines. After hours of cleaning and preparing the models...It was time for the fun part! Priming and painting! Make sure to wash all models with soap and clean water, then let dry before painting. Cleaning them would remove excess residues during the molding process and unwanted dusts.

I used my beautiful Harden & Steenbeck airbrush for both priming and painting. In my honest opinion, Harden and Steenbecks are the BEST in the market!

I prime my models with Vallejos as usual. I do NOT thin my primers, much more add retarders and such. Vallejo Primers will be stronger once cured if shot un-thinned. Make sure to set the air pressure to at least 20 psi and use a .5 needle. The high air pressure and the thick needle would be suffice to shoot the Vallejo Primers with ease.

Clean the airbrush immediately after every paint batch. I gurgle the airbrush in a bucket of water, and shoot with a few drops of thinner, then a few drops of airbrush cleaner every time I have to reload paint or primer.

I always prime with black Vallejo Primer, then give it a bit of shading with Vallejo White Primer after. Shooting White Primer 90 degrees from the top of the model should easily give you a nice primed model with natural shading.

Next post would be the painting session of these models! Stay tuned guys! Thanks as always for dropping by! Until next post! CIAO!

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Harder&Steenbeck Evolution Silverline 2in1 Airbrush

Great stuff from Harder&Steenbeck  that was shipped through HobbyMate! Received this airbrush together with some HobbyMate stuff and my autographed copy of the Scratchbuild Revolution.

I have yet to use this Harder&Steenbeck Evolution 2in1 Silverline Airbrush as I am so busy at work these days. I should be able to try this beauty this coming weekend on some minis. I must say without hesitation that this is the most beautiful airbrush I have laid my hands on! The craftsmanship, the finish and the overall feel of the trigger and the whole gun is awesome.

Best value high end German made airbrush, as you practically get 2 airbrushes in 1. The set comes with 2 nozzles, 2 needles ( .2 and .4 ) and 2 cups ( 2ml and 5ml ). Again, I cannot thank Harder&Steenbeck enough for my first high end airbrush! Cannot wait to put this baby in action very soon!

BTW, I am now accepting orders for this airbrush for anyone in the Philippines who is interested. We are selling these beautiful babies at a promo price of...

7,699 php inclusive of shipping cost

Email me at donc0023@yahoo.com or PM me at Facebook for inquiries or orders of other Harder&Steenbeck airbrush models. Orders will be shipped via DHL or via airmail depending on your address ( price does not include postal charges ).

We are also selling the Harder&Steenbeck ULTRA 2in1 airbrush at a promo price of...

4,499 php inclusive of shipping cost

Below are more photos of the Harder&Steenbeck EVOLUTION Silverline 2in1...

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