This is a hands on advanced workshop focused on specialty paint effects for props, cosplay, trophies, and finishing work. If you have already built your airbrush foundation, this is where you start pushing the results further. Metallic finishes, candy color layering, and chrome style effects are some of the most visually striking things you can do with an airbrush. This workshop is built to make them feel less mysterious and a lot more repeatable.
Advanced Airbrushing Techniques
Candies and Metallics
Taught by Chad Van Wye of Hoku Props.
A practical workshop focused on metallic finishes, candy color systems, chrome style effects, and the layering techniques that create polished, high impact surfaces. This class is built for makers who already have airbrush basics and want to go further with specialty paint effects that actually hold up under close inspection.
What You Will Learn
This workshop covers the paint systems and techniques that are most useful for prop makers, cosplayers, and finishing work that needs to look professional from up close. The content is organized around how these systems actually work, not just a collection of tips.
Metallic Finishes
Metallic paints behave differently than standard opaques. They are heavily influenced by your base color, surface prep, and the angle you spray from. Get the base wrong and the metallic reads flat. Get it right and the surface feels like it has real depth. This section covers how to set up your surface for metallic application, what base colors do to the final read of the paint, and how to spray metallic particles so they lay down evenly rather than clumping or streaking. Gold over white reads bright and clean. Gold over black shifts warm and brass like. Silver usually wants a darker base to read with real contrast. These are not random. They are systems you can plan for and repeat.
Chrome Style Effects
Chrome is a discipline problem before it is a materials problem. The surface needs a glossy black base. The application needs to be extremely restrained. You are not flooding it on. You are feathering on very light coats so the particles can lay down correctly and bond to the surface without killing the reflectivity. This section walks through the full Quicksilver Chrome workflow, from base prep through final application, and covers the specific habits that either work or kill the effect.
Candy Color Systems
Candy colors are transparent dyes. They do not cover what is under them. They tint it. That is what makes them so useful for resin gems, visor effects, colored metallics, fantasy finishes, and trophy work. Understanding that candy is a filter, not a basecoat, is the key to getting repeatable results. This section covers the Candy2O system, how base color affects the final read, how to layer candy without muddying it, and where candy is most useful in real prop and cosplay finishing workflows.
Layering and Surface Control
The techniques that make metallic and candy work look finished are mostly about restraint and sequencing. This section covers how to build coats intentionally, how to protect a metallic or candy layer before adding more, and how sheen control affects the final read of the whole piece. A metallic that is too rough absorbs light instead of reflecting it. A candy over a flat surface looks dead instead of rich. Understanding the relationship between surface sheen and paint behavior is what separates a finished result from a messy one.
Who This Is For
This workshop is best for makers who already have basic airbrush control and want to start working with specialty finishes. You do not need to be an expert. You need to understand your trigger, be able to reduce paint correctly, and have a grasp of how pressure affects your spray pattern. If you have taken Airbrush 101 or have a similar foundation, you are ready for this material. If you are completely new to airbrushing, start with Airbrush 101 first and come back to this class when you have your basics solid.
What to Expect
Hands on first
This class is built around doing, not just watching. The goal is to get you working with these materials directly so you understand how they behave, not just how they look in a demonstration. Metallic and candy effects are materials you have to feel to really understand.
Built from real finishing workflows
The techniques in this workshop come from actual prop making, cosplay finishing, trophy work, and competitive judging experience. These are not hobby theory. They are the methods that hold up when a piece needs to look professional from up close and survive a show floor environment.
Focused on repeatability
The goal is not to show you one perfect outcome. The goal is to help you understand the system well enough that you can get the result you want again the next time without guessing. Metallic and candy effects often feel like luck. After this class, they should feel like a process.
Equipment and Materials Used in This Workshop
The materials and tools covered in this class are the same ones used in real Hoku Props workflows. This section is a reference for what you will see demonstrated and what you will want to have for your own practice sessions after the class.
Airbrush and setup
A dual action airbrush is required for this material. Single action brushes do not give you the control that metallic and candy work requires. The Iwata Eclipse HP CS is the airbrush Chad recommends most consistently for this kind of work. It is reliable, easy to maintain, and gives you the control range you need for both broad metallic coats and fine candy layering.
Chrome system
Quicksilver Chrome is the system used in this workshop for chrome style effects. It requires a glossy black base and very specific application discipline. It is not forgiving of flooding or rushing. When applied correctly, the results are dramatically different from any other chrome paint system available for prop and cosplay work.
Candy color system
Candy2O is the candy system covered in this workshop. It is a transparent dye based system that works over reflective bases for colored metallic effects and over clear or light surfaces for tinted finishes. It performs well on resin, hard props, and helmet visors.
Metallic paints
ChromaAir Silver and ChromaAir Gold are the metallic paints used in this workshop. Both respond to base color, surface prep, and spray angle. The class covers specific setups for each so you understand how to get predictable results across different base conditions.
Reducers and sealing
Createx 4011 is the primary reducer for most setups in this workshop. UVLS Clear in gloss, satin, and matte versions is used for sealing and sheen control. Sealing metallic and candy layers correctly is part of what determines the final look of the piece, and this class covers when and how to seal without killing the effect you built.
Additional Resources
If you want to continue building your skills after this workshop, or if you want to review foundational material before attending, these resources are the best place to start.
- Airbrush 101 covers the foundational airbrush skills you need before working with metallic and candy systems. If you are not yet comfortable with trigger control, paint reduction, and pressure management, start here.
- Sanding 101 covers surface prep and finishing fundamentals. Surface quality directly affects how metallic and candy paints read, and building clean prep habits makes a real difference in the final result.
- Hoku Props Workshops is the full list of available classes. If you want to keep building your finishing skills after this class, the weathering workshop and 3D print finishing workshop are natural next steps.
Ready to Go Further
If you want to get comfortable with the full Hoku Props airbrush system before jumping into metallics and candy, start with Airbrush 101. If you are ready to work with specialty finishes and want techniques you can take straight into your own projects, this is the workshop for you.