Dry Brush: Techniques?

[Dandin]

OK, so me, being a complete newbie, doesn't know how to dry brush properly. Are there any good tutorials, pictures, or explanations?

[Gidian]

Drybrushing is not that difficult. Here the most important thing to know is: less is more.

The easiest and most used way is (example for shades of grey):

1. Start with a dark base coat and wait untill it dried completely.

2. Mix a dark grey from black and white color. Then take just a little bit of paint on your brush and wipe away most of it with a "paper towel" (I don´t know the English word for the stuff you use in the kitchen). Then brush over an old piece of paper until there is nearly no color left on your brush. Now it´s time to drybrush by brushing over your piece of terrain with just a little bit of pressure. You should move your brush over it quickly and you better repeat this several times than trying to paint your terrain with just a few strokes. As I said before: Less is more. That means less paint on your brush brings better results - even if you have to repeat the brushing more often.

3. Repeat step 2 with a lighter grey

4. Repeat step 2 with an even lighter grey - nearly white


That is basic drybrushing. There are a few more techniques but this will bring some nice basic results.

Greetings from Germany

Gidian

[Cale]

yep Gidian pretty much nailed it... and yes "paper towel" is correct

[Fatespuppet]

The most important thing I've learned about dry brushing is to emphasize the 'dry' part. Make sure the base and each successive coating when changing colors is dry. It's a slow technique, but it is one of the simplest ways of adding detail.

Now if only I could paint eyes...stupid unsteady hands.

[Dandin]

Thanks you guys! I was thinking about trying to make some rock formations (it seems popular these days).

[Raudulfr Shieldcrusher]

Originally Posted by Fatespuppet

The most important thing I've learned about dry brushing is to emphasize the 'dry' part. Make sure the base and each successive coating when changing colors is dry. It's a slow technique, but it is one of the simplest ways of adding detail.

Now if only I could paint eyes...stupid unsteady hands.

You can speed things up with a hair dryer in between coats.

[Cale]

Originally Posted by Raudulfr Shieldcrusher

You can speed things up with a hair dryer in between coats.

Just don't melt your foam!

[DrRansom]

Originally Posted by Cale

Just don't melt your foam!

Lol.. exactly.

But remember to drybrush only dry.. if it's wet then you're just blending.

[Lord Pyre]

I know this thread's old, but I'll ask this here instead of making a new one.


How do you do a wash?

I know it'll help my figures look better, than just painting them. Are there any good techniques? Do you have to take the figures off the bases, if you're just doing repaints? How do you do washes in small areas on the figures?

Any help is appreciated!

[hexplex?]

Originally Posted by Lord Pyre

I know this thread's old, but I'll ask this here instead of making a new one.


How do you do a wash?

I know it'll help my figures look better, than just painting them. Are there any good techniques? Do you have to take the figures off the bases, if you're just doing repaints? How do you do washes in small areas on the figures?

Any help is appreciated!

I'll start off my saying that I'm not trying to be smart a$$.

That being said. A "wash" wouldn't be a dry-brush technique. "Wash" implies that the application of paint/ink is a very wet. Maybe a "Wash Technique" thread is called for.

[braveheart101]

Originally Posted by Lord Pyre

I know this thread's old, but I'll ask this here instead of making a new one.


How do you do a wash?

I know it'll help my figures look better, than just painting them. Are there any good techniques? Do you have to take the figures off the bases, if you're just doing repaints? How do you do washes in small areas on the figures?

Any help is appreciated!

When you wash, you take diluted paint thats a DARKER color than your basecoat, load up a brush with the paint, and put the brush on the spot you wanna wash. You dont need to take the figures off the base, and to wash smaller spots, use a smaller brush.

[Daddio]

If I am not mistaken, I have also read that some people will take a little water and put just a drop of paint in it. This way, it's mostly water with a slight "paintyness" to it.

This, you apply generously, in effect hoping that just a little bit of the black will remain after the water runs away. I have not much used this technique yet, so clarifications may be in order.