I apologize if this question has been asked before, though I didn't see it when I searched. I cannot afford an airbrush, so I have no choice but to use a brush. My problem is that my paint always seems to pool and streak when i paint. I've tried cleaning the plastic and using primer, but those do not seem to help. Any ideas on what could be causing this?
Thanks.

First of all, what sort of paint are you using? Enamel, Acrylic, brand? My guess would be (not having seen the problem) that you either aren't shaking the bottle enough before you use it, or you're adding too much thinner before you start.

If the paint you're using is just plain thin, try using a little less on the brush and doing a number of coats. Any chance you can post pics of your paints/brushes/work area?

Good choice with the cleaning and primer though - two very good habits to get into.

Good luck!

Hi

What kind of paint do you use?

I assume that you use acrilyc paints

If you dilute them with water try to add a drop of dishsoap to it. Soap reduces the surface tensions and this can help yo to have better results.
Another tip could be that you have to apply two or three thin coats rather than a thicker one. Appliying some thinnest coats avoid the paint streak.
Furthermore use very good brushes and don't cross the brush strokes. Work always on a primer coat. You have to use flat brushes to paint the larger planar surfaces and round brushes for the other parts.

I hope this can help you

I paint my models with a brush and I do have some advice on this. All my advice applies for acrylics. First, never expect to do a perfect job with the first coat. This is next to impossible with brushes.

Also, take some paint and use that as a primer. It doesn't matter if this coat streaks or not since it will be fully covered anyways. This will make the paint stick much better but may also smother the smaller detail on the kit itself.

As, for the brushes, you don't need the most expensive brushes out there, but a don't be a cheapo with brushes. You can be a cheapo with paint but not with brushes. After all, it doesn't matter if you bought the most expensive paint you could find if it just streaks on the model.

I hope this helps. Just remember to always experiment and see what works for you best.

Thank you for the quick responses. I use Tamiya and ModelMaster acrylics, and I just got a bottle of vallejo to try. I'll post pics as soon as a find my camera cord.
Thanks.

Tamiya and Gunze are not the best for hand painting

Lifecolor and Vallejo are far better, I can't say anything about MM

anyway i think you won't have any problems with Vallejo model color paints

Cheers

Painting is much better now. I tried the bottle of vallejo I got, and it works a tad better than tamiya.
Thanks for the help.

Ive been going through similer issues with what to use for brush painting, I have tried vallejo, tamiya and Revell aqua..
I have found i prefer Revell, my reasons are, its the easiest to work with, its tougher and does not rub or scrach off easily when dry...Also its more forgiving and can be mixed with water.. Revell say 1 part water to 4 parts paint, but ive found i can mix more water than that.
It also does not tend to drag paint up with it so quickly with repeated brush strokes, ulike tamiya and vallejo.#
One last thing when your applying dont be to concerned it it does not look good, use thin multiple coates and be patient. It may look wrong as it goes on sometimes, but i found that once dry it looks a whole lot different, hard to even see brush marks....
Try it and see what you think:)

SnowOwl;
You can get a good airbrush from ebay for $30 or so. Even a simple Tireinflator/compressor can be a good start and will run $30 at Sears or Harbor Freight. Or a CO2 tank might be another option. You'll spend $30 in brushes in a few months and the investment is worth it if you can swing it. The other option is to go with the Tamiya spray can. This will help the sooth coat and eliminate some brush strokes. Cheers.

Vallejo Model Color and Panzer Aces lines, is by far the best brush paint out there.

Those having problems with it rubbing off, you aren't preparing the surface properly.

Clean your styrene or resin with a mild detergent to get rid of oily release agents, and then give your parts a quick primer coat. ANY acrylic paint is going to have a hard time sticking well to a bare plastic surface.

You should also thin Vallejo out of the bottle slightly. Most people use water, but for best results, you should use their own thinner as it is formulated to work with their own paint and will help with adhesion. Been using the stuff for 10yrs + and there is nothing better out there for brush painting.

If you thin Vallejo 1:1 you should get the best brush painting results of your life. Vallejo is simply the best paint in the world.

i need Help with brush painting.[url=http://www.kiransweet.com/%5dkiransweet%5b/url%5d

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