Drybrushing

[Wookie]

It's occurred to me that after reading many varied posts throughout this forum over the last few months there seems to be a reluctance to drybrush models and most people opt to try their hand at some other technique (ie. wet-blending and so forth.) I'd be interested to here your thoughts on why you personally like or dislike drybrushing and if you dont't like to drybrush what do you do instead? Just curious...

[slorak]

Originally posted by Wookie@Feb 20 2005, 08:32
It's occurred to me that after reading many varied posts throughout this forum over the last few months there seems to be a reluctance to drybrush models and most people opt to try their hand at some other technique (ie. wet-blending and so forth.) I'd be interested to here your thoughts on why you personally like or dislike drybrushing and if you dont't like to drybrush what do you do instead? Just curious...

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Hi Wookie,

The big problem with drybrushing is it leaves a rough finish. Don't get me wrong - if you use it for a quick table top quality figure that you need to get done fast it is a great method. The problem is if you are trying to improve your painting or paint to a competitive standard drybrushing just leaves the figure looking too harsh compared to other techniques. blending and preferably wet blending make the miniature look alot better than drybrushing could ever achieve.

Just think about it on a technical level. You are taking paint from a brush and getting rid of most of it. Then you are dragging it across the miniature to leave just a tiny bit of paint. You have less control over where it goes and even less control over the density of it. To me it makes the area look grainy. Also you tend to use a bigger flatter brush - or a round brush that has been splayed out (if it isn't there yet keep drybrushing and it will be!)

That said drybrushing still does hold a place. For me I use it for getting the granulated texture look to rocks, plascrete rubble, etc. on bases.

Cheers,

-Mike

[DranZeR]

I like drybrushing, but like Slorak said, it does tend to leave a harsh look, but i find that if you drybrush a part lightly, over and over again, it actually becomes a nice looking texture

It depends on what your painting and what your experience with painting is and how you want something to look. It does tend to be more useful when used on terrain. Its good for painting some certain parts on a model. For example chainmail, you'd have a pretty tough time painting and highlighting every little ring

It has its advantages and disadvantages

[Undeadair]

Slorak is absolutely right on every point he makes...

However, If time is an issue and you just want to get into your game, I don't see why drybrushing couldn't be employed. It does give your models a weathered/rougher look, but there is no reason why you can't have nice looking drybrushed models on the battlefield. For vehicles, it cuts down your painting time significantly.

I drybrush only when i think the situation calls for it. Vehicles for sure. I also drybrushed the highlights on my terminators to show their antiquity (see my gallery). Usually though, I carefully thin-line my highlights.

Unless you're trying to win a golden demon, I think drybrushing definitely has a place in the arsenal of painting techniques of the tabletop gamer. And not just for terrain!

Just do what it takes to get a painted army on that battlefield.

[slorak]

Originally posted by Undeadair@Feb 20 2005, 12:21
Slorak is absolutely right on every point he makes...

However, If time is an issue and you just want to get into your game, I don't see why drybrushing couldn't be employed. It does give your models a weathered/rougher look, but there is no reason why you can't have nice looking drybrushed models on the battlefield. For vehicles, it cuts down your painting time significantly.

I drybrush only when i think the situation calls for it. Vehicles for sure. I also drybrushed the highlights on my terminators to show their antiquity (see my gallery). Usually though, I carefully thin-line my highlights.

Unless you're trying to win a golden demon, I think drybrushing definitely has a place in the arsenal of painting techniques of the tabletop gamer. And not just for terrain!

Just do what it takes to get a painted army on that battlefield.

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As I said - for tabletop quality figures that need to be done quick it is a great method.

The one thing I can think of as far as problems with drybrushing - is it can be a tool that becomes a crutch for further advancing your skill in painting. It is easy to do and produces some decent results - and that can be a hard thing to put aside to try and improve your painting.

You are right - you will definitely not see any demon quality work with excessive drybrushing.

Cheers,

-Mike

[Wookie]

Point taken on the technical failings and its crutch-like ease of use. But IIRC when looking thru an old WD issue that had golden demon entries I remember coming across a model of of an elector count (I think) mounted on a rampant white warhorse (hehehe...I can't believe I said mounted and rampant in the same sentence!) Anyways, the warhorse looked to me like it had a basecoat of codex grey with a shadow grey or black wash, and was extensively drybrushed with skull white and it looked awesome. I'm not advocating the wholesale use of drybrushing but certain things like horseflesh, vehicle weathering, armor, etc., I don't believe I've seen a better technique used. I just seems to me that drybrushing has been kicked to the curb and has become the Rodney Dangerfield of painting techniques, slowly being replaced by other more esoteric procedures. I personally have no aspirations or illusions of entering anything I do into a golden demon (well...maybe a local competition) but I do pride myself on churning out the best model my limited talents can produce (I like to think high-end of table-top good) and am open to other ideas and methods but it'll take some pretty smooth talking to convince me to throw away my crutch!

[Frankendoodle65]

wookie, we aren't too differant, you and i.

what i mean is, we both collect tyranids, which mean we both paint tyranids. for an affective tyranid swarm, you need bugs, lots and lots of bugs. bugs are small, and always crawl away, so for that reason we use gaunts, there's also a lot of those. if you were to wet blend each and every highlight on each and every gaunt, it would drive you mad, so dry-brushing is the only ay to make a nid swarm look good while keeping you're sanity. see what i mean? drybrushing always has it's place, but it's home is each and every hive fleet... except the ones where ink has taken over, but many hive fleets use both, meaning there is still a lot of drybrushing. so, as most nid players know, drybrushing is the only way(other than inking), and must be used if you want to keep you're sanity... i'll stop rambling now...

[slorak]

There is a HUGE amount of difference between the quality of the photos in white dwarf and the actual paint jobs if you were to see them in person. I am not saying it is impossible but I highly doubt the picture you saw of a demon winning figure was drybrushed over a large area of the figure. I would suspect the picture was grainy and not the figure.

That said - I agree that drybrushing for table top figures that you need to get done in a hurry is a good idea. There isn't anything wrong with it. I am just saying that if you want to take your time and paint the best you can - you will be limited by drybrushing. There are better ways to get things done. As for vehicles you can still get a better looking vehicle with smooth paint and weathering techniques to "dirty" it up.

As for GW recommending the technique - I personally feel that they try to reach the masses who want to play right away (which there are quite a few of) and this technique is very easy to do - does produce fairly nice results and you can quickly churn out an army. Also most people that play are probably not painters to begin with and care more about the gaming. I myself paint more than I play so time is not so much an issue with me on finishing figures.

Cheers,

-Mike

[WolfRaider]

I hate to break the news, but dry brushing improperly leaves a rough finish. Acrylics are MUCH harder than solvent based paints (oils) to drybrush with, and have furthered this bad reputation about drybrushing.

When done correctly, properly thinned paint and very light applications allowed to completely dry in between coats, dry brushing can build up a smooth transition and finish every bit as good as wet blending. It's just hard to master with acrylics.

I'm still practicing and learning, but I think drybrushing is an excellent painting technique. I'm just impatient when painting minis and tend to rush the paint application. You can't do that with acrylic drybrushing.

I'm no master with acrylic drybrushing, but here's a closeup of what I can do with drybrushing. The comander's cloak (actually the whole guy, but the cloak is a better example) is dry brushed red over black. The tank is dry brushed entirely, no blending or edge highlighting, blue over black.

[CoA_Marcus]

Those minis look amazing, and i think drybrushing does have its place with the masses. If drybrushing will save people enough time where they will stop sending out units that are only primed (if that), then i fully endorse it. I personaly do not drybrush that much mainly because i am not that good at it. But if this will encourage someone to actually pick up a paint brush, then go for it.