It's been a long time since I've tried drybrushing. I gave it a whirl yesterday and was fairly disappointed in the results...

Either I didn't have enough paint in the brush to actually leave the raised parts accented, or I had too much and the raised parts AND the lower area below the raised parts were getting painted.

Any tips on how to skip the base level and hit ONLY the raised parts?

Thanks!

The way I do it:
Stiff to medium brush. Too soft it will reach into the recess areas.
I wipe the brush on a rag or paper towel until I can't barely see any paint being left during the wiping motion.
Works usually good for me.
You might want to change the color, at least the tone. Maybe go with a slightly lighter one so a little paint will still highlight the edges.

One should never drybrush. It's a sin against God...

DON'T YOU EVER READ MODELING BOOKS???

Sorry...

A common drybrushing mistake is not loading the brush sufficiently prior to wiping most of it away. There should be very little paint LEFT on the brush, rather than very little paint PUT on the brush to begin with. Spend some time dabbing and wiping it on a paper towel, then test it on another surface before going to the model.

That teeny amount of paint left on the bristles not only transfers to the model, but it also provides a minute amount of lubrication to more easily propel it along the surface.

Pat
MMiR

Thanks, all! I may very well not have been loading up enough before wiping away.

And yes, it's a sin.. sue me I have a lot of rivets to make pop!

Drybrushing as a technique isn't a sin Pat; it's the harsh, heavily applied, bright mint green on a very dark green base color that needs to be reigned in.

Subtlety and color choice make all the difference.



*Personally I find dry brushing with black oil paint to be better*

What type of paint did you use? I only dry brush with enamels or oils, as acrylics tend to dry too quickly in the brush unless you add some type of retarder, and this encourages more use of paint which causes an unwanted build up in the brush. I also only use a couple of brushes specifically for dry brushing, and I don't use them for anything else. Thinners are important too-- I only use mineral spirits or turpentine to mix or thin paints for dry brushing as they seem to contain more oil, which inhibits complete drying on the brush. I keep a soft cotton rag on my bench that I run the brush over continuously to keep just the right amount of paint in the brush.
VR Russ

Are you saying cadmium yellow is NOT the ideal choice????

noooo...

Seriously, now-

Hello to All!!!

I tend to stay away from Artists' oil paints when I'm dry-brushing; I like to use TESTORS Model Master II Enamels, generally. Don't use acrylics for dry-brushing, such as TAMIYA, VALLEJO, etc. As mentioned before by several other modellers in his thread, acrylics tend to dry too rapidly for effective dry-brushing...

Now this is IMPORTANT:

MAKE SURE THAT YOUR SUBJECT HAS THOROUGHLY DRIED AT LEAST 24-48 HOURS BEFORE YOU ATTEMPT ANY DRY-BRUSHING!!! Dry-brushing is usually my next-to-last step before I apply my final "sealer-coat". I will apply a sealer-coat a few days PRIOR to dry-brushing, just to ensure that the dry-brushing will not affect any of my previous work. Some may feel that this step is un-necessary, but I do it anyway. Call it "an ounce of prevention"...

I adhere to my own personal rule of allowing for a 48 hour "drying-time", if not more. Sometimes, as long as several weeks go by, before I get back to any given project of mine, anyway.

I actually like using SOFT Red Sable brushes, or Red Sable/blend brushes. I keep quite a few Red Sable brushes on hand, in various sizes, for my Figure-painting, detail painting, smaller paint work, such as the cockpits of my 1/48 aircraft, and the bigger sizes for my dry-brushing. Soft brushes really DO work better; I like to use soft, old, cotton flannel shirts or cotton t-shirts that have seen better days. I don't cut or rip the shirts into sections, but I keep them whole- You'll see why, as you reads along.

I don't like to use paper towels for dry brushing or for cleaning my brushes with. Paper towels aren't as soft, (they're actually pretty abrasive), as the much softer (And much gentler on your brushes!) cotton shirts, and I've learned through experience that my brushes last LONGER, when I use the old cotton shirts, instead. Paper towels don't soak up the paint as well as the cotton flannel/cotton t-shirts, either. I fold the shirt over itself several times, so that none of my paint will soak through the bottom layer. Don't use an old cotton "dress-shirt"- the weave is usually to porous for this type of use...

After I've mixed the paint color(s) that I'm going to be using for my dry-brushing sessions on a separate palette, I load a good sized "spot", (about 1 1/2 inches - 2 inches in diameter), onto the shirt with an older 1/4 to 1/2-inch brush, like a hog's bristle brush, for example. The next step is really easy. I then very gently wipe my Red Sable on the spot that I've put down on the cotton shirt. By this time, enough of the "dry-brushing paint" has soaked into the cotton, which will keep too much paint from being soaked up onto the brush that I've selected for the dry-brushing task at hand. This is part of why I like to use old cotton shirts for this job.

The second part is, that you now have enough of the cotton material left to wipe excess paint on that you may have soaked up onto your brush. Once I've gently wiped my brush on my "spot" of dry-brushing color, I usually wipe my brush on the cotton anyway, just to "test" how much paint my brush will leave on my subject, BEFORE I go ahead and start the dry-brushing process. If you have a "junk"-model handy, you can "test" on that before you actually "commit", as well. If your "spot" on the cotton starts to dry before your dry-brushing is done, you can always go back to the paint your palette, moisten the paint with a few drops of enamel thinner, and "load" your "spot" up with the old brush that you originally used to transfer your paint with from your palette.

IMPORTANT: Don't use your brush in a perpendicular angle to your subject when dry-brushing! GENTLY swipe your brush over your raised details nearly "DEAD-LEVEL" to your model's surfaces. This will also help you in not hitting surfaces that you don't want to be dry-brushed. Work in small sections at a time; getting impatient and working in big sections just to "get done quicker" with your dry-brushing will only yield unsatisfactory results. DON'T use rapid strokes when dry-brushing, either- You COULD knock off or break smaller details on your model. Working slower and steadier will pay dividends for you in the end. These few, but very important practices were the first things that I learned by reading the many "How To" and "Build" articles and pamphlets that the Late, Great Sheppard Paine wrote. Many of us older, more experienced modellers miss Shep and his outstanding work...

Sometimes, for "extra-flat" finishes, I will sprinkle a little bit of appropriately colored Weathering Powder, usually White, or VERY light Gray, because White weathering powder will take on the color of your dry-brushing paint. Just the tiniest amount of weathering powder will keep your dry-brushing paint from becoming even semi-glossy. I use the same trick sometimes when I'm airbrushing a surface that needs to be "dead-flat". You don't want any larger granules of the weathering powder in your mix- The powder that you add should be the consistency of talcum powder, which you can also use instead of weathering powders. Once you become more accomplished and with practice, you'll learn that you can also use these kinds of mixes to create all kinds of special "effects", such as staining, streaking, and "caking" dirt on your subjects...

As far as the actual dry-brushing is concerned, A LIGHT HAND IS DEFINITELY REQUIRED-

Start out with a dry-brushing color that is just a little bit lighter than the color of your subject, and gradually add a drop or two of White or Yellow, or a combination of both, to your dry-brushing "mix", in order to successively "pop" your details a tiny bit more,as you go along in the process. You may have to do this 3 or 4 more times in succession, in order to achieve the results that you want. PATIENCE IS KEY. Wait a while before you go on to your next lighter color, allowing the color that you just applied to "set up".

Dry-brushing is like putting on your clothes in cooler, or in colder weather: First, the underwear, then your regular clothes, possibly a sweater, and finally your winter jacket, parka, snowmobile suit, or whatever.

DO NOT start out with your LIGHTEST color first!

Dry-brushing is meant to be a very subtle process; otherwise your subject will look like it just ran through a Flour Mill!

Get used to the idea that you will need to PRACTICE FIRST! Don't "experiment" on your latest subject, because you may come to regret it...

If by chance you see that you HAVE overdone, all is not lost. You can always "correct" the situation by spraying over your dry-brushing with a very thinned-down mix of the last color that you used on your subject, depending on which type camo scheme you might have selected. I don't know if you're into pre- and post-shading, but the last color of your post-shading, appropriately thinned-down, will reduce the "harsh" effects of over-done dry-brushing. If you've applied ANY weathering powders before dry-brushing, you will definitely want to SEAL your model with an appropriate Flat or Gloss coat before you start dry-brushing.

Hint: Dry-brushing a "flat" surface will yield much better results than a "glossy" one...

GOOD LUCK!

Dennis, thanks for sharing your workflow, very helpfull.

Kind regards
Steven

You must not be into great detail if you never dry brush. It's a weathering technique that only the talented should use lol. Ahhemm.
You take your base color..then your mid color..(lightened base color) ..then drybrush your highlight color (mid color lightened even more) Start out with dark green...add a flesh color as your lightener...keep lightening it...try it. Your not suppose to use white as a lightener but.. I never listen.
You can use any color....but use a good paint light vallejo ..thinned ...with a semi stiff brush. Lay your brush sideways if ya have too...take most of the paint off.Gently..ever so gently...go across the same edge about 10x ...that's how much paint you don't have on your brush lol.. The correct paint thinning is key to your success + amount+brush+ stroke. = Coolness. Practice, practice.
A good drybrush is one with the bristoled all f'd up. Like an afro lol.
It's hard to explain but dry brushing is a technique that will never die.
Using black is not really drybrushing..its weathering "well worn area's" ...dry brushing is the same paint lightened on the edges.
My 2 cents.
PS- you know when you get it right because it will look ace.
Remember 3 tones not 2.

;)




Dry brushing is a technique, brushing a relatively dry brush across raised details to highlight them. The chosen color has nothing to do with that.

Claiming that using black negates that is silly.

'Dry brushing' *is* weathering, regardless of color.

You can find cheap, nail art brushes on eBay. They work great! I bought some, intending to use them for washes and the application of gloss coats. But, fate intervened and I found out they work better as dry brushes.

When I mentioned black, some guy said he uses black to drybrush on a surface, which is wrong...thats not dry brushing...its weathering . Dry brushing has more to do with imitating the reflection of light on a surface....or did I miss something all these years?
The word you use, "highlight" should be noted. So, would it be smarter to use any color , as you say, when you start with a color "dark green"...then use any color to highlight the edges? Or would it be smarter to lighten that "highlight" with the paint you just used , dark green? So, a lighter shade of the same dark green...
Drybrushing is imitating the reflection of light on a surface ..which would be a lighter shade of the base color....not weathering it...using any color.
What I meant to say when stating "you can use any color" ...is that you can start with any color as a base & lighten it ..for dry brushing.
I apologize if my explanation sucked a**. But, it's my opinion & nothing more.
Learn it, practice it & watch the details pop out. Especially when combining it with a dark wash.

For dry brushing acrylics, I've been using these brushes I bought at my local hobby store.

http://store.spruebrothers.com/product_p/mcbu10.htm

The bristles on these brushes are exceptionally stiff; virtually no natural bend at all.

I dip the brush in a tiny amount of acrylic paint, fold a paper towel over the brush bristles, and try to squeeze the moisture out. I then try to briskly drag the bristle tips at an angle over the raised detail of whatever I'm dry brushing.

I'm no expert by any means, but I've achieved what to me looked like good results. The heads of the brushes can also be bent to adjust the angle of the brush.

I have found over the years, that crappy brushes that are cheap at art stores or walmart are the easiest to use simply because you can toss them without crying over the money wasted on them. I find that paper towel and a clean tissue (kleenex) are the best way to get the excess off the brush and know exactly how "dry" your brush is. I have also found that building up a bit at a time is better than trying to do it all at once. Sometimes less is more and its not always evident at first. Good luck!

Have you considered colored pencils for highlighting? I tried them and worked well as I was also doing colored pencil art. I use Faber-Castell Polychromos as they are soft and don't break as well as being artist grade pencil. The pencil allows the control which I also prefer.

I mentioned black in this very thread. I use it on edges to highlight them. I try to represent reference photos, I have yet to see a reference photos of a green tank with bright green edges. I have seen dark worn edges though, so I do that.





Yes, the word I used. I used it as a verb.

Highlight

verb
1.
pick out and emphasize.

I used the color black to pick out and emphasize the edges of the raised details.





Again, dry brushing is a technique. It can be used to do many things, you're describing the outcome of your dry brushing, I could dry brush dust on a flat surface, I could dry brush rust on some edges, those are outcomes, effects. Dry brushing is a paint technique.





What happened to "gimmie a break I just woke up"? I didn't say your explanation sucked anything, I just didn't completely agree with it and voiced my opinion, nothing more.





Thanks, but I'm good. I haven't done the bright dry brush/dark wash thing in a very long time.

Hi, ALL!

Not to put anyone else' techniques down, but I was just describing what works for me, and what I learned about dry-brushing over 40-some years ago-

There are good reasons why I choose to use the more expensive SOFT Red Sable brushes for my detail-painting, Figure-painting and dry-brushing...

The "cheap" stiff brushes leave a more "ragged" appearance, whereas the more expensive "soft" brushes leave a much better and a more subtle, diffuse appearance on my subjects' high points. The sole purpose of dry-brushing is to "fool the eye", in that this technique highlights the high points of any subject, by EMPHASIZING their raised and prominent features WITHOUT making these features too prominent. The effect is essentially meant to SIMULATE LIGHT catching the details of say, the high points of bolt heads, certain "raised" details, and also to emphasize very, very slightly, certain RECESSED AREAS, by "popping" the higher details immediately surrounding, and/or next to your "high points".

In my own personal experience, the "softer" brushes carry this "special effect" off with more pleasing, less obvious results. The "dryer" your brush, the more subtle the effects. I don't go "too light" with my final dry-brushing color; the effect is supposed to be subtle and not to pose too stark a contrast between the "high points" and "lower areas" of my subject...

Another benefit of the soft Red Sable brushes is that they will not "lose" their bristles as quickly as the "cheaper" stiff-bristled brushes, so I can get several years-worth of use out of them. Personally, I'd much rather buy an expensive brush every few years, rather than a bunch of "cheap" brushes every few weeks. I only use "cheap" Hog-Bristle brushes to transfer paint from my paint bottles to my palettes, with...

Sigh...

When Shep (or anyone for that matter) dry brushed gun metal on machine guns it was showing scuffs and wear, not SIMULATING LIGHT.

When he dry brushed gray on his rubber tires and tracks he was showing fresh worn rubber from surface contact, he was not SIMULATING LIGHT.

DRY BRUSHING is a "painting technique" that can be USED to "create" many different RESULTS, "simulating light" is ONLY one of them.

[quote]


Sigh...

When Shep (or anyone for that matter) dry brushed gun metal on machine guns it was showing scuffs and wear, not SIMULATING LIGHT.

When he dry brushed gray on his rubber tires and tracks he was showing fresh worn rubber from surface contact, he was not SIMULATING LIGHT.

DRY BRUSHING is a "painting technique" that can be USED to "create" many different RESULTS, "simulating light" is ONLY one of them.

[/quote





Right- Shep also stressed that we don't ordinarily display our creations outside in sunlight, rather, we display them on shelves, in display cases, etc. This is where dry-brushing comes into play- We really ARE "SIMULATING LIGHT" in actuality, and we dry-brush to "pop" the details of our subject matter, i.e, emphasizing high points, IN ADDITION to simulating other special effects, i.e, "wear, scuffing, etc".

Not to be argumentative, because actually, we REALLY ARE in agreement, let me just take this a step or two further.

The "SIMULATION of LIGHT" HITTING the "/features" of any given subject is PRECISELY the point of EMPHASIZING "wear-points, scuffing, rubbing and the high points" of the modelling subjects' features which stand proud of "flat" surfaces- We're essentially saying the same thing, only in different words. As I said earlier, this technique serves to "fool the eye", i.e, EMPHASIZING a perception which really isn't there, physically. Without bright light, such as sunlight, these "wear points, rubbing, scuffing, etc", would be lost to some degree, as would be our "high points". This is why we dry-brush; in order to simulate the sunlight that we cannot fully capture inside our homes, Hobby Shows, contests, rock-throwing competitions, etc...

If you look at 1:1 scale object(s), and the way light hits them, the effects are of surfaces that are in light and shadow, and the "high points" of the subject(s) seem to be emphasized, in turn forming a greater contrast between the actual color(s) and the shadow-effects of the subject(s) in question. On a flat surface, such as an artist's oil painting, the effects of light are emphasized by using successively lighter and darker colors to simulate three-dimensional objects, when in truth, they only have TWO DIMENSIONS.

We, as modellers, have a distinct advantage over 2-dimensional artists, in that we work with subjects that are 3-dimensional. We use dry-brushing as an aid and/or technique in order to emphasize this 3-dimensionality- Many modellers have abandoned dry-brushing as a technique altogether, in favor of post-shading and highlighting. As for myself, I like to pre-shade, paint, AND post-shade, following up with some VERY subtle dry-brushing, and I also use weathering powders in certain places to emphasize shadow effects, such as the surfaces underneath Fenders, etc, in order to "fool the eye" still further. Many times, I will diffuse the effects of dry-brushing by air-brushing a very translucent "filter" over my subject, which "blends" the various different steps in my paint-work into a somewhat more "harmonious" whole. I like to use these various painting techniques and special effects on my Figures, as well...

Dennis, are you French by chance? You sure say 'we' a lot.

I truly appreciate all the time and effort you put into your post describing your modeling philosophy and methods and such, but to be honest we are not really in agreement about a few things.

But that's okay! We don't have to be.

I don't display my models on a shelf or display cabinet, the ones I keep are packed away once they are completed. I don't dry brush to highlight or pop any details that we can't see in our homes etc. since I model specifically for the camera. Most of my work is for publications, so I display my models in print after the camera catches them under controlled lighting. I have to take this into consideration with everything I do and it is very influential in shaping my approach to painting and weathering.

I do agree that we are trying to fool the eye, but you have to understand that you and I are going about it very differently, for very different reasons.

I had a long and wonderful talk with Shep at the last Nationals I attended prior to his passing and I can tell you that he was so impressed by how the hobby has continued to evolve since his, Verlinden's and Letterman's work inspired everyone one of us all those years ago. He did what he did back then because he was pushing the boundaries, trying to improve, searching for better ways to accomplish what he wanted. Painting has become more sophisticated, more precise, and in some ways more realistic and not only was he okay with that, it warmed his heart.

Anyway, my initial point was not to get into this deep discussion of 'what modelers do and why' because that is a never ending cyclical conversation with infinite variables. I was merely pointing out that dry brushing is a painting technique and can be used to do many, different things.

Thanks for the help, everyone! I've learned some good techniques.

I've also learned that this seems to be a third rail issue in the hobby. Ha!

And as long as we cling white knuckled to the nostalgia of our past out of some perceived moral obligation, it always will.

Hi, Ken!

No, I am only about 1/20th French, on my Mother's side! When I say "we", I'm including our modelling-community at large, and not alluding to some personal "delusion of grandeur" or Royalty that is infesting my mind! I say "we" a lot because saying "I" too many times can be misconstrued as being "stuck-up" or even "megalomaniacal", "narcissistic", or "egotistical"!

I too, employ many "modern/up-to-date" methods in building my models; the dry-brushing is only ONE of them, and yes, I still have a use for that particular "antiquated" process. I also do A LOT of "highlighting" and "shadowing" with my airbrushes. About the only technique that I refuse to put my name to, is the popular use of "overall" washes, aside of "pin-washes". I can achieve the same, or better results with my airbrushes, "pre-and-post shading", the use of my extensive collection of "weathering" powders, and a few other techniques that are more-or-less in common use by "advanced modellers".

My descriptions of "what I do" are merely explanations of "what I do", and were never meant to be adopted by anyone who cracks open a model box... Unless they want to, of course! I don't have any patents on them, seeing as most of my methods are in common usage, anyway!!!

I used to build some of my models for fun and profit about 25 years ago, but now I build them strictly for my own pleasure. What's more, I also do not "cling white-knuckled to the past nostalgia of my life out of some perceived obligation"- I do what works for ME, that's all.

If you look back at my original post in this thread, I started out by explaining WHY I prefer "soft" Red Sable brushes for my dry-brushing over "stiff"-bristled brushes. The "HOW" was part of the explanation of the "WHY", and NEVER meant to be some kind of a "tutorial" of my methods...

Now Ken, did I use enough "I"s instead of "we"s or "one"s for you..? All in fun friends, all in fun!!!

PS- I admire you for your opinions and for the fact that you build your models for modelling publications, especially since there are so many modellers that will put your models under close scrutiny, the "nit-pickers" notwithstanding!!!

For the record -

The reason I was asking about the drybrushing was because I wanted to highlight the great many rivets on a WWI Mk. 1 Male tank. From pictures, the rivets really, really stand out but my finish had sorta washed them out. I'm planning on applying a dark wash to help pop them, but I wanted them to really jump off before I applied the dusty weathering.

It seems silly to me how much angst is generated about this technique. If it works, it works. Moving on!