I need help painting a lure for a friend and paint mixing.

[red sox 58]

I want to paint a simple dark brown back, chartreuse sides, and a orange belly. I need advice on how to fade the brown to the chart, and the chart to the orange. I think that there are a lot of bait companies that make this bait, but I want to learn instead of buying. I also cant seem to get that yellowie chart, that these baits have any suggestions? I have createx flo. yellow and it is more green.

[Downriver Tackle]

I want to paint a simple dark brown back, chartreuse sides, and a orange belly. I need advice on how to fade the brown to the chart, and the chart to the orange. I think that there are a lot of bait companies that make this bait, but I want to learn instead of buying. I also cant seem to get that yellowie chart, that these baits have any suggestions? I have createx flo. yellow and it is more green.

My rule of thumb is to almost always fade the lighter colors over the dark. Makes for a much smoother transition. I'd lay down the brown and orange, then fade the chartreuse between them.

As for the yellow. You can just barely add a little of almost any blue or green, preferably flo green, and shift the Createx flo yellow over to that greenish chartreuse. If I'm just doing enough for one or a few baits, I'd dip a tooth pick in the blue or green and stir it in. It doesn't take miuch.

Edited January 14, 2009 by Downriver Tackle

[BobP]

Hmm, my Createx Neon Yellow is nice bright yellow, not like Createx chartreuse which has a greenish tint (and IMO is ugly ugly ugly). I asume you're first shooting a white color basecoat on the whole lure. I shoot the whole lure Neon Yellow and then fade on the other colors. For a brown back, you need to roll the lure away from you so paint is hitting the lure at an oblique angle and won't bounce off the shoulders and down onto the yellow sides. If it does, fix it by shooting base coat white over the affected area and recover it with yellow (most colors will show right through Neon Yellow). Shading a color is a matter of airbrush control and it takes a little time to get familiar with how to do it with a particular airbrush. For me, it's easier to do at lower pressure, say 20 psi. If your brown won't flow at that pressure, you need to thin it more. I shade both shoulders of the bait and then do the back. You may also try using some scale netting to get the effect on the shoulders of the bait. If you make a goof while painting, you can wash off all the paint under tap water and start over, or you can cover the goof with base white and reshoot a color.

Edited January 14, 2009 by BobP

[mark poulson]

If you truly heat set your Createx paint after each coat, you should be able to wash off the next coat if you don't like it, but I've found that there always seems to be a slight residue left.

I've found I can protect intermediate coats of paint by shooting the lure with Pastel Fixative (thank you to the Member who originally suggested that), which I get from my local hobby store, Michael's.

After I shoot it with the fixative, and let it dry (I use a hair dryer to speed up that process, too) I can remove the next coat more completely and easily, even if it's started to set up.

I find this method is really helpful if I've got a great base coat done, and want to play around with different colors as a scale pattern, or if I've finished the scales like I want them, and want to play with highlight colors over it. It's really helpful when I'm shooting the shoulders after scaling, and some overspray gets on the scales where I don't want it. A Q tip in clean water lets me get rid of the overspray without ruining the shoulders.

[red sox 58]

Well, just tried to do up a lure and it was pretty much a failure. It is 36 deg. F, here and I paint outside. It seems like every time I paint the back the overspray just covers the bait. the sides are about gone. I really dont know what im doing wrong. I also have createx airbrush paint and it is super runny and splattery. I am starting to question my aztek metal a4778

1. do i need to tape the bait so the sides dont get covered. (i free hand everything)

2. was it too cold outside?

3. do i need to paint the whole bait chart. first and then put the brown top on and the orange belly last?

[madbass]

Well, I hope your paint is at least stored in a warm place. I wouldn't paint below 55 deg. 1. base coat of white. 2. orange belly 3. brown back 4. chart side When you paint the orange and brown, ONLY shoot straight down at the back or belly, keep the airbrush spray narrow and spray on lightly a little at a time (to control overspray). Dont come around the sides at all. When I started painting, I had to learn the old saying "a little goes a long way". Spray at the lowest pressure possible while maintaining good atomization. Good luck.

[Downriver Tackle]

Sounds like a spraying problem, not the order of layering. Flo colors are transparent and will not cover darker opaque colors, so spraying the orange last won't do much. I'd try it again in a warmer situation, then try to dial in the pressure and spray technique. To practice spraying backs and bellies without trashing a bait, take a piece of plain white paper and roll it into a tube approx. the same size as the lure and practice fading it over the curve.

[red sox 58]

Yeah i need to get an air comp. regulator. I store it all in the house. I really like the bait in your avatar madbass and would like my baits to be that quality. Thanks for the advice you guys. I have a picture of the bait, but i dont know the posting rules.

[Snax]

I suggest picking up video that teaches the basics of airbrushing. There's many good ones on the market to choose from and it will help you more than you'll ever know. Airbrushing looks so easy when you see an experienced person doing it but controlling where your paint goes (and doesn't) takes a lot of practice.

Best of luck to you!

[Predator Bass Baits]

Mark, What brand name is the Pastel Fixative ?

[mark poulson]

The brand I buy is Krylon, because that's what Michael's, my local hobby store, sells. It's a solvent based rattle can material, and a little goes a long way.

It's call Workable Fixatif, #1306.

Someone on TU recommended it for protecting paint between coats, and I've been using it for a couple of years now with great results.

The can says "dries in 10-15 minutes, handle after 1 hour, recoat any time".

Since it's a solvent based rattle can material, and I don't have a dedicated spray booth and hate wearing respirators, I spray it outside (fumes and overspray), and then bring the lure back into the garage, hit it with the hair dryer on low, and let it hang for an hour. After that, it's ready to paint over.

It's a neat trick.