Problems with drybrushing panzer grey

Sounds like your brush is to damp I dont even thin just straight from the jar or pallette if you will. You must wipe the brush until almost no color is coming off of it. Subtle is always better just be patient and practice on a piece of scrap until youv'e got the look you want. In my opinion the 38T is one of the nicest German tanks to paint and highlight in grey.

QUOTE: Originally posted by cplchilly Sounds like your brush is to damp I dont even thin just straight from the jar or pallette if you will. You must wipe the brush until almost no color is coming off of it. Subtle is always better just be patient and practice on a piece of scrap until youv'e got the look you want. In my opinion the 38T is one of the nicest German tanks to paint and highlight in grey.

Acctually, the thickness of the paint is ok. It's just a problem with highlighting. The color itself is so dark that subtle variations don't show, and lighter shades show as streaky.

Cmon, guys! I'm not the only one here to paint panzer grey! Any suggestions?

I almost forgot when your dry brushing you need to apply less pressure with the brush with each successive application, so that by the time your on your lightest shade your barely touching the tank. I also use as wide and soft a brush as I can, Hope this helps.

I got the same problem Larry. I prefer painting my Panzers gray as well. Camo is nice, Desert yellow is better, but that gray is just foreboding. Awesome.
Drybrushing my 222, 251 and Tiger 1 has been less than successful. Dont even ask about my washes....ugh. How transparent should it be?

QUOTE: Originally posted by Critr Gitr I got the same problem Larry. I prefer painting my Panzers gray as well. Camo is nice, Desert yellow is better, but that gray is just foreboding. Awesome. Drybrushing my 222, 251 and Tiger 1 has been less than successful. Dont even ask about my washes....ugh. How transparent should it be?

Ain't it a pain, man? Maybe a different drybrushing technique would be better.

I just gotta keep practicing.....
Ryan

Thats all it is.........practice.

I use two techniques.
1) Americana makes an acrylic paint that works quite well for this application. It can be found in craft stores and is inexpensive. .99 for a 2 oz squeeze bottle. (I use french grey blue, dove grey and sage green)There are two schools of thought here. Straight from the bottle will give you immediate results but the potential for going too far is higher and over drybrushing is the result. The other option using this paint is if If you use 2 differnt brushes, one for mixing and for the dry brushing you'll get the result you want. The softer the brush the better. Thin the paint down for the first application. Almost transparent and use a dry...not wiped in the towel till it seems dry, but dry. The initial application lays down a base coat for the subsequent coats to build up on. Though you can't see it real well, its there. The second coat you use will be just a tad more pigment. Again hit your highlight areas and let it dry. Once dry the pigment of the drybrush coats start to act like "tooth" on paper. The thrid coat will start to become apparent and really begin highlighting the detail. At this point you'll adjust and applay where you feel necessary.
2) Oils. A mixture of thinned oil paint in the highlight color, drybrushed on adds a depth to your drybrushed highlights that is not there with acrylics. You can blend the edges and featerh your color so that transitions are smooth and the highlights pop.

In both cases, some areas can be finished with white as the final highlight but only on sharp edges or at the pinacle of points of detail.

Hi Larry,

I was wondering what color were you using to drybrush your gray panzer? You should try using silver. When drybrushed correctly it really brings out your high points and it helps to make your flat areas look like there's a metal base under the panzer gray. This also gives your tank or other AFV the look of metal and weight which is what you're trying to achieve. I hope this tip helps you out. On the link below, you'll see what I mean. Eventhough the Mk III is painted Desert Yellow the drybrushing with silver brings out metal underneath and highlights your high traffic areas and highpoints.

Tiger II

http://www.kitpic.com/is.php?i=761&img=2004_0427PzkpfwIII0003.JPG

what panzer 38(t) are you doing, is it the Italeri version. ive built one of them and have loved it. i agree with the comments above, the panzer grey painting just makes for a very formidable looking tank, almost a scary looking one.

Tiger II - i see you have the book by General Guderian at the bottom of your post, you have read it already, but try reading his memoirs Panzer Leader, its one of the most fascinating memoirs ive ever read from the time period.

Everyone has there nuances with techniques, so here are mine.

Fairly scruffy flat brush, not dipped in thinner first.
Matt surface on the model. I seem to find this minimises streaks, it sort of bites in better.
I use Tamiya acylics. For Panzer grey, I would do a medium drybrush with lighter version of the base, and then finish with deck tan. I use buff for warmer coloured models. I remove a lot of paint before i touch the model, and I start light.
I often use the stuff in the lid, because it gets a little thicker, which seems to help.

Good luck Larry!

Yeah, Panzer Leader is one gripping read. I read it once already and immediately started reading it again. Highly reccommended. Check out Otto Carius' Tigers in the Mud as well.
Ryan

Larry,
Have you tried artist watercolors? Not for a wash, for highlighting or just plain painting.
You can get subtle transparent highlights. You can also change at will until sealed with clear. My entire whitewashed Tiger project is watercolor over Tamiya Dunkelgelb. Nothing but watercolor used anywhere besides the mud mix.

I'd be interested to see this technique would work besides weathering. I'll try it if I ever build something clean.

I once did Tamiya's German field kitchen in panzer grey, I did all the highlighting with chalks. Used a lighter grey. turned out nice. Spray on a coat of flat to seal.

I base coat Tamiya Panzer grey with a mist coat of neutral grey. Wash with a heavy mix of Burnt umber artist oils with a little black then lighter umber mix when the dark is dry. Flat coat the lot. Then I use Humbrol Panzer grey lightened with a little white and a light blue. Make sure you mix them on a piece of card to dry the thinner off. Best results are several layers of drybrushing, each lighter than the first, with brush strokes ranging from good contact with the first layers to feather light for the later layers.

Gives this effect:

I perfer to use white oil paint as my base, adding soem enamel color to darken it to the correct shade. I feel the oils giv eyou a better feathering, and a longer working time to get the correct variation you are looking for. However less is more in panzer grey. It is way to easy to get carried away. I always stop when i feel one more application will make it perfect.
Bill

Great pics Renarts and Petbat,
They really illustrate your techniques.

I don't dry brush panzer gray I just shoot a dust coat on it then rub the high points with powdered graphite. I'm a little on the lazy side.