RETURN FROM SUNNY SUSSEX

A week of walking and teaching 

Since getting home, I've missed the vista that greeted me every morning - a great view of the South Downs.

I'm gradually acclimatising to life back home after a week in the glorious West Sussex countryside. I was there to teach my bi-annual, three-day airbrushing classes at The Airbrush Co. in Lancing and, by way of a change, I eschewed my regular 'digs' in Worthing for a week out in the countryside near Steyning. With a few days to myself, I managed to get out onto the Downs to enjoy the beautiful scenery. Despite being only 40-odd miles from London, there was barely a soul around.

The three days of teaching went well and all attendees picked up the techniques quickly, with some excellent painting and weathering undertaken. Below are some images of my demo pieces from Days 2 and 3. I was especially happy with the GWR tank loco, which took about 30mins to do (albeit just one side and end!). The faded BR blue Class 25s form part of my Advanced course on the final day.

Thanks again to everyone who attended each course, including a few familiar faces from previous classes. It was a pleasure to meet you all and to pass on my various 'tricks of the trade'!

Weathered with a mix of acrylics, dry pigments and enamels, this Bachmann model has really come to life. A little gloss varnish on the tanks and boiler adds a final touch. 

The 25s are used to show a number of advanced techniques, such as varying the basic livery to add highlights and shading, applying pin washes and 'soft' masks with Blu Tack.

The van was pre-shaded and sprayed over the original EWS livery, thus avoiding the need for stripping and re-priming, while the tank wagon showed off a range of basic airbrush weathering techniques.