Ultramarine Blue

Ultramarine for clean areas

Ultramarine Blue is a bright shade shifted slightly toward violet that holds its saturation even in a thin coat. It is picked out for shields, heraldic quarters, magical effects and everywhere an area is meant to look even and free of streaks. Tasks like these belong precisely to an airbrush, because a brush leaves the traces of its strokes on a large smooth area.

Masking and what to do about it

A sharp edge between two colors is sprayed over a mask. Use modeling tape or masking fluid and press the edge down thoroughly, or the paint will run underneath. Take the mask off as soon as the coat is dry to the touch but not yet fully cured; after several days the tape will tear a piece of the film away with it. With a liquid mask the opposite holds: let it dry thoroughly, or it will smear.

The work ends with cleaning

Acrylic dried in the nozzle or on the needle will not dissolve in water. After spraying, therefore, rinse the cup out with an airbrush cleaner and run something through the needle; a lump once dried will later show itself as a spatter that ruins the very area you are finishing. Before shading and before decals put a gloss varnish on, and the final look is determined only by a matte or satin overcoat. For longer work a thinner is useful, which returns the paint to its original thickness after the solvent has evaporated in an open container.

The saturation of the shade has a practical disadvantage too: overspray clings to the neighboring areas before you notice it. Cover the parts that have nothing to do with the spraying as well, therefore, and work in an extraction booth or at least by an open window with protection for your airways.