# Paint Question



## goolies (Jun 28, 2007)

My airbrush came with a set of paints. Some opaque colors and some transparent. How are the transparent paints used? I did some searching on the internet and the only thing I could find was that transparent paints should be applied over lighter colors. Any insight would be appreciated. Thanks.

Andy


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## freyedknot (Apr 10, 2004)

i guess just as mother of pearl on cars. the transparent paint would give another color of hue to your basecoat. and then have the look of 2 colors.


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## Trimmer (Jan 8, 2008)

I know that a lot of people use transparent colors, but I'm not one of them.. I do use some clears, and I can see were someone might want something like a foil finish to show through..

Painting lures is no different than any other art.. different people use different tool and paints, so they are no hard fast rules..

Form what I have seen on this website they are some very talented people here and I'm sure many of them use transparent colors..

The best thing to do is just get your feet wet.. the more you do the more you will learn first hand what you can get by with, and just what makes a mess and should be avoided..

Have fun and let us know how it goes

Trimmer


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## TIGGER (Jan 17, 2006)

Andy, I like to use the transparent paints alot. I have found that less paint is better for me. The downfall is that I have to apply more coats to get the depth. I like to paint from light to dark. I will use transparents on every step. It helps me fade into other colors nicely. But I like to do the natural looking baits most of the time.

I will take my regular paint and thin it so much that you can see right though it. You can get some colors you didn't think of getting by overlapping the fades. Neon colors do this nicely. Firetigers etc.

The pearls, Many of these are applied over your base coat. For instance....... I like doing white pearl. I just paint a white base coat and let it dry. I will then take a pearl essence clear mixture or the spray can stuff you buy at a craft store and mist over the bait. Try not to spary too much. It takes very very little to get the effect. There are addictives that you can mix with your paint you already have. So many combinations.

The best saying for me is less is best........... I learned the hard way with that one. 

Vc is very good with the pearls and paint combinations. He will add some good insight on this one!


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## goolies (Jun 28, 2007)

Thanks for the insight John. I need to get going on my painting. I have a dozen walleye cranks to paint and about a 1/2 dozen poppers and spooks. I will have to start playing around with the airbrush.


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## vc1111 (Apr 13, 2004)

The only thing I could add is to practice on a piece of scrap wood first, Andy. Prime a large piece of wood with some white and try each of your different colors. 

Actually take the time to spray a long patch of each color. Next try spraying one color over another, but in very light coats and you can watch how they will react. The transparent colors are sort of built for blending and fading.

Lastly, don't be afraid to play amateur chemist. Mix colors together in small batches and see what you get. 

I'm always prowling the craft and paint stores looking for new stuff to try. This past week, I bought some stuff that is supposed to lay out exactly like chrome, which would be pretty slick, if it actually does. The test sample they had in the hobby store did really look like chrome. It wasn't cheap, but I'm going to squirt some through the airbrush today and see what happens.

John, mentioned the pearls. John and I both really like using them. They don't really photograph all that well especially if you use them sparingly for highlights on a bait, but they add depth and a certain character to the overall pattern. Of course, that's aesthetic stuff, and I'm sure the fish probably don't give a hoot, but its still a lot of fun.

There are also glitters that can be added to the epoxy when the bait is done. I have a few favorites including chartreuse and fire opal. The glitters are almost impossible to capture properly on a posted picture, but they offer another element to trim off a bait and they can also add a touch of flash to the finish. Like using pearls, when using glitter, a little goes a long way. Usually less is more, so to speak.


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