This page contains information to help you finish your model to a high standard. Not everyone will be making their final design out of 3D printed components, so this page cover a wide range of tips, some of which might not be applicable to the material you're finishing (i.e. wood/metal) - check with a technician if you're unsure whether techniques linked here will be suitable.
Important information: due to the wide range of materials and individual requirements, ADBE school does not provide primers, coloured sprays, or lacquers. Please visit the 'Material Suppliers' page for information on nearby shops and online places where these can be purchased. Consider sharing primers and lacquers with your peers to reduce expenses. If working with timber, the woodworking department sometimes have a small selection of oils/stains for finishing timber - please check with woodworking technicians to check what your options exist for finishing wood.
Basic spray coat order:
- Primer (specific to material e.g. plastic primer / metal primer etc)
- Optional texture coat (heavy texture that sits under the colour layer e.g. concrete effect spray paint)
- Coloured spray paint
- Clear coat (lacquer) spray in matte, satin, or gloss (may not be noticeable if texture coat has been applied earlier), should be applied as a last and final coat (so AFTER decals/transfers have been applied).
There are a lot of different ways of adding texture, colour, patterns etc to plain surafces that do not involve spray painting. You may be using a combination of finishing processes (spraying / dipping / vinyl wraps / flocking / powder-coating / electroplating / polishing) to achieve your final look - and that is normal! Please speak to Emily in Alternative Materials if you believe your desired aesthetic falls outside what is covered on this page (a.k.a. terrazzo effect, or carbon fibre finish).
Below are a collection of online resources to support you in priming, spraying, masking-off, and choosing a suitable clear coat:
Prepping MDF for painting
Painting/detailing: Priming your models (most materials), general spray painting tips, masking techniques, applying water slide decals, clear coats
Credits:
Created with an image by Pixel-Shot - "Different spray paint cans on orange background"