By Mr. David Duckett
(How To uploaded for Mr. Duckett by bp)
This will illustrate how I paint with Liquitex acrylic paint. Using other brands will produce other results but the basic principles are the same.
White is used more than any other color so I buy it in large tubes as it's cheaper that way. When adding a color to white start by adding a very small amount and see what happens before adding more. I want a light grey color so only a small amount of black is needed. I mix in plastic cups with a brush big enough and strong enough to do it. It is absolutely essential that the paint be mixed as thoroughly and smoothly as possible. It is if you buy those little jars of it. I mix paint the way Italians cook pasta, al dente, and when it feels right I paint. For this I decided to do it by weight just for grins and to explain the idea.
The plastic cup weighs 2 grams and I added 53 grams of paint plus 46 grams of water to achieve the consistency which will allow it to be painted evenly. The idea is for it to flow and not leave mountains and ridges in the wake. The first test is if it will flow down the edge of the cup and when it does you're doing it right. Paint has a feel to it and you can feel when you've obtained the ratio of paint to water that makes it feel good when you paint and not a horror from the black lagoon. You must absolutely use the very finest brushes you can afford when painting outer coats and you should have damn good ones for the primer coats, as well. Brushes with soft bristles work best because they allow more control over the paint. Use brushes with stiff bristles if you want to paint like Van Gogh. You don't need lots of brushes of different sizes. I have 5 or 6 usually and replace as needed. A good small brush costs about $7.
The Dumas F-105 has been covered with heavy grade silkspan, nose cone left uncovered, and the entire structure has been given two coats of Sig nitrate dope. The plastic air scoops were also painted with dope as that seems to make the acrylics adhere better. A light sanding will also work on the plastic pieces.
The entire plane has had one coat applied. The objective is to get the paint on as smoothly as you can, checking it constantly to insure that it's all drying smoothly. What it actually looks like is not important. When it's thoroughly dry lightly sand and check for any places where the paint might have dried thicker than it should.
After two full coats you can still see some of the surface underneath but you can also see that the color is beginning to be more homogenous and what that effect does to the overall appearance.
