Drybrushing...

[Crem]

*cough* Erm... how exactly do I go about "drybrushing"...***

[Rengaw]

hehehe,
1dip brush in paint
2wipe paint off on absorbant material ie:paper towel
3 brush
4 repeat 1-3

makes it look like a dusting effect, ruins brushes reeeeeeel fast.

[Crem]

Cheers mate! *thumbs up*...***

[WolfRaider]

Here's my (wordy) take on drybrushing; A forewarning, you will have to practice this technique to get really good, but you will see an improvement immediately. To practice you could paint more miniatures, but you can do it on the cheap. Get a rock that has varying surface textures and spray it black. Now dry brush it.

The reason brushes get destroyed by dry brushing techniques is because the technique being used is too brutal. You're 'dry-scrubbing'. Dry brushing is actually gentle on the brush. Don't get impatient. The perfect dry brush stroke draws the brush across the surface softly. If you see more than the slightest hint of color added you are pressing too hard, and/or using too much paint. I've been advised by excellent artists, "If you can see the paint going on, you're adding too much". Of course these people work on a miniature or diorama for months. Now don't get me wrong. I'm an impatient dry brusher and often don't take the time to do it properly. I want the miniature finished on one coat just like most painters. But the correct way is light strokes. Don't poke at the miniature with your bristles and don't scrub the miniature with your brush.

To solve the chalky build up problem, you have to thin your paint a lot, very thin, like milk. I always add an acrylic flow enhancer, available from craft stores that sell acrylics. That means the paint is going to flow onto your miniature very easily. Which also means you have to have very little paint on your brush. The method I use to determine the correct amount of paint is put a little on the brush. It should flow into the bristles because it is very thin. (Side note, you have to thoroughly clean the brush to get the paint by the ferrule out.) Then I use a textured paper towel to wipe the brush off. The paper towel lays flat on the bench, and I drag the brush across it just as if I was dry brushing the miniature. When the paint leaves only touches of color on the top of the paper towel texture, now it is time to bring it to the miniature. Have patience; use thin paint, thin coats, and gentle strokes.

Let each coat dry completely or you may find it sticking and pulling off. Its best to either take a break or work on several miniatures at one time. I usually leave my table set up, and each evening dry brush one coat on about six to ten miniatures. If I'm going to do more work it will be on something else. I won't touch the miniatures again until the next evening. With a big squad I'll do that with 10 - 15 guys. I can actually finish a squad in a week working just one coat per night starting from assembled and primed miniatures.

After practicing, you will learn from experience that certain paints can be laid on more thickly and quicker. Light color paints are more difficult to keep smooth and benefit more by this technique. Certain textures, like chain mail and fur, can be dry brushed more heavily than others. I'm at the point now I can rush certain colors and textures, but for the really important jobs I fall back to the slow process. Because I am inpatient, I reserve my hero miniatures for times when I'm not rushed and feel relaxed and motivated. Other times I do the rank and file guys and slap the thick stuff on. Of course for me, thick means about the thickness of light cream. However, I'm always gentle with my brushes. They are expensive after all.

Brushes have a big impact. I don't like GW dry brushes. I like springy (stiff), yet soft, bristles. I normally use a thick soft brush cut short so the bristles don't flex as much, or a stiff filbert (cat's tongue) brush. Usually WN 7000 series. However, as with anything artistic, personal preference overrides all advice. All I can say is try different brushes until you get the one that works for you. I've been using the same brushes for dry brushing for months and dozens of miniatures, and they're still going strong.

VEHICLES
In order to get an even finish on large flat areas you need to work on two main areas, material and techniques. For material, we are talking about the paint and brush.

Your paint needs to be smooth and thin. It’s much better to use several thin coats than one thick one. I actually used four coats of the base color on my vehicles before highlighting. The more coats you use, the thinner and smoother they have to be painted on.

For a brush I prefer one called a filbert. It's also known as a cat's tongue because it is flat and rounded on the end, like a tongue. I like a soft yet springy feel to the brush. With no corners, it doesn't leave brush lines as easily, and since it doesn't come to a point (like the GW tank brush) it gives a wide stroke.

For technique, it is almost the same as dry brushing regular miniatures, except you don't want your paint dry or drying when you put it on. That's why you need thin paint. If it starts to dry while you apply it, you'll get a rough chalky finish. There is little paint on the brush, and the paint that is on the brush is thin. Draw the brush across the surface of the model in a smooth stroke, applying only a little paint at a time. Let the paint dry completely before doing the next coat. Try and brush at a different angle to the last coat you did.

When you highlight, you want your brush at the flattest possible angle to the vehicle. Than way it won't get paint in the corners and deposit more paint on the edges. Use a slightly lighter shade of your base color. As a final accent, you may want to edge highlight your model. These are the lightest lines on the very corners of the model. Often the GW style uses a contrasting color (blue or green on black for example) to edge the corners. Hold your brush perpendicular to the corner and draw it along the edge, with the edge touching only the side of the bristles of the brush. For this job I use a short, stiff brush.

[Antioch]

^_^ Drybrushing is my preferred method of quick and easy highlighting. I normally use a little thicker paint than what Wolfie's suing, but nonetheless, it works for me, and me Libras Eternal have never looked better. Well, they COULD look better, but tabletop quality is fine with me. I normally use the standard GW drybrush, and my normal color of highlight (enchanted blue mixed with a touch of Black). I thin it down with a 3:2 paint/water ratio (approx.), then I wipe the brush off until I'm essentially drybrushing the paper towel. I then apply 2-3 coats to my mini, and then do the fine detail by-hand highlights. I've found that for someone who wants to get a quickly-painted and good-looking army, drybrushing is the thing for you. If you're new to this technique, then practice makes perfect. I :wub:'s drybrushing.

[baros]

Exactly how I was told at GW:

What you need to do is get a small amount of paint on your paintbrush, wipe off any excess until it doesnt show up on a white tissue when brusing lightly, brush onto the area, and it will leave a small layer of 'paint dust' on it. You may need to do it alot of times to cover a reasonable area.

[Frankendoodle65]

O.K. wolfraider, you helped me (an experianced 'nid painter who always drybrushes) a LOT, and that's saying a LOT! anyway, in future, don't write stuff so looooooooooooong, it took me 15 minutes to read that, and i'm a fast reader! Oh, and crem, if i could help anymore after wolfie came along, i would, but i can't, so hey, i mean he even taught ME something!

[SlimeyUK]

i'll jump into this thread with a question of my own.

Do those that already know how to dry brush use water to clean their brushes afterwards or something else like white spirit?

I'm finding that once i've decided that the bristles on a brush aren't in tip top condition any more and its been relegated to dry brush only it doesn't take very long for it to be completely ruined.

[WiCkEdRock]

ALWAYS wait for Wolfraider to answer your painting questions before going "oh thats how you do it", because he is da man when it comes to painting, really

[WolfRaider]

Originally posted by SlimeyUK@Oct 4 2004, 177
Do those that already know how to dry brush use water to clean their brushes afterwards or something else like white spirit?

[snapback]223592[/snapback]

I use water while painting, but I wash the brush frequently. I also take care not to let paint get up into the ferrule (metal part that holds the bristles) as it will quickly ruin your brush. At the end of each painting session I wash my brushes with comercial brush cleaner for acrylics or Pink Soap, also a acryic brush cleaner. You can get both at stores that sell acrylic paints.