Q&A for How to Airbrush

Acrylic paint can be thinned using water or acrylic medium. Water makes the paint appear more like watercolor with a matte finish, while acrylic medium helps the paint produce a rich, glossy finish.

It could be the needle setting isn't correct (not open enough); the airbrush is blocked; the paint is too thick (not thinned); the air pressure is too low; or the airbrush has a needle too small for the medium chosen.

You may need to slightly adjust your air pressure, it sounds like your problem is with too much overspray on the color coats. Also, religiously wipe down your project after each coat with a base/clearcoat tack rag, I use the blue ones from Gerson. That should help eliminate most if not all of the grainy feeling.

Auto Air paints by Createx are water based single stage paints, which means they don't need a hardener. If the atomization on your gun is set properly (i.e. not too much paint coming out, also known as flooding) you just spray the color, allow for flash time (drying/setting, usually 10-15 minutes), then proceed to clear coat. Since the paints are water based, you do have to clear coat when you're done.

They use the heat to flash-dry that layer of paint. A quick flash of heat helps seal the paint and dry it more quickly than just waiting for it to air-dry.

There are many compressors, just as there are many airbrush projects. You need to ask yourself questions such as what and where you will be airbrushing. Do you airbrush in one spot (like in a home studio) or on the move (outdoors or at a customer's location)? Compressors that are mobile and oil-free are quieter, with no chance to get oil in the air line to mix or mess up the paint by leaking into the air tank. A larger compressor with oil in the pump is much louder and cannot be moved easily, plus can contaminate air by oil leaking into the air tank. CO2 tanks work well; no noise, no electricity and portable, but need tank refills.

You probably could use nail polish to airbrush, it is basically enamel paint, and many nail artist do it, but you need to use the right thinner or reducer to thin it out for proper spraying. Also, cleaning the airbrush almost instantly after spraying would be highly advised, as once it dries in the brush, it will be just about impossible to clean.