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Author Topic: Dry Brushing  (Read 4596 times)

submate

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Dry Brushing
« on: January 05, 2010, 03:29:15 pm »

Reading the article about the Revell GATO in MMI sub special, I came across the term 'Dry brushing'.
Could anyone explain it to me as I am a newcommer to sub work?
Any other tips and advise would be wellcome in the painting department
Thanks
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Bunkerbarge

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Re: Dry Brushing
« Reply #1 on: January 05, 2010, 03:37:06 pm »

If you subscribe to Model Boats magazine you can see online a two part article in November and December '09 on weathering that includes dry brushing.

Basically washes enhance shadows by collecting in recesses and detail and dry brushing is used to accentuate highlights.  It is done by applying a slightly lighter shade of the overall base colour with an almost dried brush.  The brush is lightly flicked backwards and forwards across the model and it slowly shows on the raised areas.  The slightly lighter shade of paint makes the 'highlights' stand out.

Here are two shots of model items that have had their highlights accentuated by dry brushing:
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"Dirty British coaster with a salt-caked smoke stack, Butting through the Channel in the mad March days"

submate

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Re: Dry Brushing
« Reply #2 on: January 05, 2010, 05:17:17 pm »

Thanks Bunkerbarge :-))
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ministeve

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Re: Dry Brushing
« Reply #3 on: January 05, 2010, 09:03:03 pm »

wish i could learn to do that i have been colecting all the gear ie airbrushes videos powders and alike but yet to try them on anything  <:( maybe this summer
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Wasyl

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Re: Dry Brushing
« Reply #4 on: January 05, 2010, 09:33:55 pm »

Why wait until summer,get practicing now,then maybe by the summer you,ll be good at it

Wullie
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steve pickstock

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Re: Dry Brushing
« Reply #5 on: January 07, 2010, 10:15:13 am »

wish i could learn to do that i have been colecting all the gear ie airbrushes videos powders and alike but yet to try them on anything  <:( maybe this summer

The nice thing about dry brushing is you do not need a lot of gear to do it. Just a brush and the surface you want to paint.

The trick is to get paint on the brush and then wipe it off so that the brush is just about dry - hence the term. Drag the brush across the surface allowing the brush hairs to catch the surface and leave light paint marks on it. That's the technicque - get an old brush, a piece of card board and a paper towel and give it a whirl. Try wiping more paint off and leaving more on, try more pressure and less.

Once you have tried the technique and got used to using it, the ways you can use it come thick and fast.

1. Highlighting
a) edges - dry brush edges in a lighter tone to highlight them.
b) surfaces - dry brush in a circular pattern to highlight the centre of a panel.
c) a quick dry brush on a figure will highlight clothing/uniforms to save work on bulk painting.
2. Weathering
a) mud/dust - use earth tones to add dirt and dust to a model
b) wear and tear - use a silver colour to show wear on edges and steps and where people have walked on painted surfaces.
c) rust - stipple first, then dry brush in successively lighter oranges to get rust on un-painted surfaces.
d) waterline - mask off the waterline and then dry brush the under hull with dirty colours to show algae and rust.

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Sonparc

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Re: Dry Brushing
« Reply #6 on: January 07, 2010, 06:53:24 pm »

Steve

Very good information on dry brushing,do you have a recommendation on which paint to use for a good rust effect?

Sonparc
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Turbulent

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Re: Dry Brushing
« Reply #7 on: January 07, 2010, 06:59:40 pm »

Steve

Very good information on dry brushing,do you have a recommendation on which paint to use for a good rust effect?

Sonparc

Burnt Umber is a good starting point, I use acrylics from an art shop.

steve pickstock

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Re: Dry Brushing
« Reply #8 on: January 07, 2010, 07:05:50 pm »

I use mainly acrylics myself, and for ease of acquisition I use the Games Workshop paints, but not solely.

They have a range of paints called foundation paints - plenty of pigment in them and the orange that I use is called Macharius Solar Orange - don't ask - but it's also a good colour for the deck of my 1/72nd scale Tarantul rebuild. You can then use Blazing Orange with that.
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gingyer

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Re: Dry Brushing
« Reply #9 on: January 07, 2010, 10:58:24 pm »

when I was taught to do it I used oil paints
fr a couple of reasons
1) they can be easily mixed to the desired colour
and
2)If (or in my case when) you go wrong they are easier to wipe off and start again
as they take longer to dry
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steve pickstock

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Re: Dry Brushing
« Reply #10 on: January 08, 2010, 08:26:35 am »

The beauty of acrylics is that they are water soluble - you clean your brushes in tap water. I was discussing this last night and we both have found that some enamel thinners attacks the hairs in brushes or the glue that is used to bind the hairs resulting in dead brushes.

By the way any one about to embark on dry brushing - use an old brush that you do not want to use for fine details anymore. I use a variety of brushes dfepending on what I am doing.

If I'm doing highlights on a 1/72nd scale figure I may use a size 1 or 2, possibly even smaller. If I am doing vehicles I will use a flat brush such as those sets you can get for £2 in The Works and Wilkinsons. Ideally the brush should have enough length in the bristle to retain paint and be stiff enough that the only the tip of the hair contacts the surface - not the whole length.
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Bunkerbarge

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Re: Dry Brushing
« Reply #11 on: January 08, 2010, 09:24:59 am »

Another point not mentioned so far is that dry brushing is considerably more effective on a matt surface as the roughened surface of the paint 'takes' the dry paint from the brush more effectively.  It is possible however to use the technique on glossed surfaces by applying a coat of matt clear coat first, then doing the dry brushing before finishing off with a coat of a gloss clear coat over the top.

I always use flat brushes for dry brushing, which give a much more shaded finish and seem to be easier to control.
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andygh

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Re: Dry Brushing
« Reply #12 on: January 08, 2010, 11:46:03 am »

I too learnt to use oil paints first but I do find acrylics are easier to use. They certainly dry a lot quicker but I've never found it to be a big problem, in fact it makes it easier/quicker to overpaint areas where I've made a mistake. The main difference is that most blending has to be done away from the model but that's OK once you're used to it.

I use Revell Aquacolour mostly and some artists acrylics.

Vallejo inks are good but I haven't tried their paints yet
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Turbulent

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Re: Dry Brushing
« Reply #13 on: January 08, 2010, 12:26:41 pm »

I use mainly acrylics myself, and for ease of acquisition I use the Games Workshop paints, but not solely.

They have a range of paints called foundation paints - plenty of pigment in them and the orange that I use is called Macharius Solar Orange - don't ask - but it's also a good colour for the deck of my 1/72nd scale Tarantul rebuild. You can then use Blazing Orange with that.

I like the Inks they do, very good for rust runs
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