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Airbrushing at SpikeyCon- The Maz Reports

Hey guys, The Maz here, and a few weekends ago  I had the privilege of being able to learn how to airbrush from none other than the “Greatest pimp in the world.” by which I mean Kenny Boucher.

The event of course was SpikeyCon, (FTW Games’ yearly birthday celebration) which hosted the two day painting seminar and as soon as I heard about it I could not wait to make the trip to Richmond.

I was not sure what to expect as I arrived, but I was glad to have a chance to learn from the guy behind Next Level Painting. On a table in the back of the shop were two tables covered in butcher paper, airbrushes all over the place compressors sitting on the ground ready to be fired up.

The main focus though were the Rhinos in front of each station primed grey and ready to be turned into the armored transports we all know in the 40k universe.

Over the next 5 hours Kenny showed us how simple it is to get some amazing effects to get your minis painted and fighting battles on the table top. From the base coat, to learning the right spots to highlight to make an impact at a distance he led the class and assisted when additional instruction was needed, or quick damage control was necessary.

Kenny showed us each how to shade and add realistic scratches and damage textures to the Rhino with simple yet effective techniques. Kenny also showed us how to make the paint job on the Rhino really pop by adding contrast with smooth gradients of color. After that he let us return to our more familiar and traditional brush techniques to add all the small and final details to the tank, showing us his own style of how to handle lens of any shape or size.

The next day we brought it down to a smaller scale and worked on our 5 man tactical squads, applying what we learned the previous day on smaller pieces. We painted up our Space Marines using the same color scheme we painted the Rhino the classic and recognizable Blood Ravens chapter made famous by THQ for their Dawn of War games.

The end of the seminar I left feeling accomplished in what I had been able to finish up and get looking amazing in a span of 10 hours. Which may not seem like much to some of you out there, but coming from me, where 10 hours on a project often feels like a short amount of time, certainly not a fully painted tank and 5 infantry models. At this point I am inspired to apply what I have learned to as many minis as possible and achieve that goal of having a great looking painted army to field on the table top.

I would certainly recommend to anyone looking to increase their painting ability with an airbrush to take this class. It would be helpful to have some basic familiarity with the airbrush, as well as being comfortable with using the dual action function of the airbrush.

Regardless of your skill level you will be able to pick something up from the time spent in instruction.

Thanks to Kenny for coming out and teaching the class, as well as to MBG for snapping the picture of the work I finished during the class (above), and thank you for reading. -The Maz

(Also checkout our Airbrushing articles on here as well for extra tips on and how-to’s) -MBG

About the Author: Kenny Boucher