<p>I have no experience with airbrush, but the general advice is to either start with the lightest color and work your way through to the darkest one, or to start with a middle tone and add highlights and darker areas later.</p>
<p>The biggest problem is that most light colors cannot completely cover a dark color in a single layer. If you base coat the sword in black and then paint the edge pure white, you might need several coats to achieve the amount of saturation you want.</p>
<p>A black base coat is most often used for objects with a structure you want to highlight. It's easier to add the shadows first before drybrushing the highlights than to first paint the highlights and then try adding the shadows without painting all over them again.</p>
<p>However, light colors reflect more light than dark ones. So if you wanted to add some magic glow to the sword, you should base coat the sword white and add a transparent layer of whatever &quot;magic&quot; color you like.</p>
<p>For a nonmagic sword I would probably base coat the entire blade in metallic and then add highlights and shadows or if you don't want metallic, base coat the edge in white and the center in black, before blending and adding more colors.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-01-16T18:45:42.623Z
I think that the general idea is that you over saturate the white areas and then tone them down later on.
Aaargh Zombies
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-01-16T17:25:19.383Z
2022-01-16T17:25:19.383Z
Elmy
<p>When airbrushing a full size cosplay prop of a magic sword that is gradated from near black in the middle (centerline of the sword) to near pure white at the edge (Blade of the sword), with blue and purple tones in between, what is the best order to lay down the paint?</p>
<p>For example should I put down a white base coat, and then apply the lighter tones first, before finishing up with the darkest ones. Or should I put down a black base coast and then  apply the lighter tones until I get to the white edge?</p>
<p>Or any other order.</p>
<p>I don't have a picture available, but imagine a regular sword that's just been taken out of a blacksmith's forge and is white hot at the edges. But in blue.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-01-16T09:48:11.060Z
What's the sword made of?
Joachim
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-01-16T13:29:30.713Z
Vacuum formed pla.
Aaargh Zombies
<painting>
Painting order when creating a "glowing edge" on a magic sword prop, using an airbrush
Aaargh Zombies
# Painting order when creating a "glowing edge" on a magic sword prop, using an airbrush

(Asked by: username_0 on 2022-01-15)

When airbrushing a full size cosplay prop of a magic sword that is gradated from near black in the middle (centerline of the sword) to near pure white at the edge (Blade of the sword), with blue and purple tones in between, what is the best order to lay down the paint?

For example should I put down a white base coat, and then apply the lighter tones first, before finishing up with the darkest ones. Or should I put down a black base coast and then apply the lighter tones until I get to the white edge?

Or any other order.

I don't have a picture available, but imagine a regular sword that's just been taken out of a blacksmith's forge and is white hot at the edges. But in blue.

**Tags:** painting

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: What's the sword made of?  
> **username_0**: Vacuum formed pla.  

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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2022-01-16. Score: 1

I have no experience with airbrush, but the general advice is to either start with the lightest color and work your way through to the darkest one, or to start with a middle tone and add highlights and darker areas later.

The biggest problem is that most light colors cannot completely cover a dark color in a single layer. If you base coat the sword in black and then paint the edge pure white, you might need several coats to achieve the amount of saturation you want.

A black base coat is most often used for objects with a structure you want to highlight. It's easier to add the shadows first before drybrushing the highlights than to first paint the highlights and then try adding the shadows without painting all over them again.

However, light colors reflect more light than dark ones. So if you wanted to add some magic glow to the sword, you should base coat the sword white and add a transparent layer of whatever "magic" color you like.

For a nonmagic sword I would probably base coat the entire blade in metallic and then add highlights and shadows or if you don't want metallic, base coat the edge in white and the center in black, before blending and adding more colors.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: I think that the general idea is that you over saturate the white areas and then tone them down later on.  

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