Hi everyone ! I am attempting " Dot Method" for the first time. I hope I am not repeating someone elses question. I looked through alot of articles and did not see mention of these specifics; 1- How long do you let the " dots" dry before working/ fading them ? 2- Should you start working/ fading them with a dry brush then work with wet brush ? or wet brush the whole time ? Thank you for looking and any help. - Bobby

Bobby,
Although I am not a big fan of the "dot" system, I believe I can answer your questions. You can begin blending the oils immediately as the whole purpose of the technique is to create subtle variations in tone and character over the base coat. Letting the oil dry too long will result in having to re-wet the oils in order tyo acheive the results you're looking for.
Also, use a brush moistened with whatever thinner you choose ( I recommend Turpenoid as it is distilled and less-harsh than most synthetic thinners). The method also points to using vertical strokes when blending, no doubt to create the rain-streak effect.

Kirchoff

ok, gotcha. unless I hear different, I will go with that. Sounds logical as well. Thank you DrumThumper for your insight - Bobby

Just a small addendum to Mike's post above.

Do not use "natural" Turpenoid (green can?) as people here and on other forums have reported that it does not dry well and can be sticky even weeks after application. Use the mineral based version in the blue can.

understood. Thank you Phil. - Bobby

Just one more addendum: If you are weathering on sloped or vertical surfaces use vertical strokes but if you are using the dot method on a horizontal surface use a circular motion to blend the paint.

Good luck.

Ok. I will have to try the horizontal / circular stokes method. Thank you Karl. Great idea. So far I have learned; 1-oil paints and mineral spirits. 2-only let dots sit about 5 minutes before fading them. 3-soft brush for working dots. 4- use a tooth pick. Smaller dots are easier to work with. 5 - soft strokes and not alot of thinner on brush. 6- use method on large flat surfaces that are easy to get to / work at. 7-one direction only. This has been my experience with a 1 hour first session. Was pleased with results. - Bobby

The beauty of oils is that they take a long time to dry so you have a longer working time. No need to rush on this method. It works best over flat acrylics that act as a barrier, the rougher surface will make it better to blend. The trick is to remove most of the oil paint just leaving a hint for color modulation.

Are there specific colors to use for the dot filters or is it based on what scheme your painting?

hi Dave,
check out my old thread where i go through the steps of painting a Jadgpanther. i go through the colours i used for the dot method with oil paints. hope this helps. cheers, bd.