brush painting

Don Stauffer

You didn't say what genre of models, and whether you need flat or gloss finish.  Flat finishes are much easier to brush-paint.  A good gloss finish on a car takes a real artist. I'd say that hand painting a gloss finish is even harder than airbrushing.

I will be modeling mainly aircraft and armor. Pretty much anything military, perhaps some science fiction and figures in the future too. 

Thank you all for the great advice and examples of brush painted models. I do have a collection of about 26 mm enamel paints and about 7 Floquil enamel. When thinning the paint for multiple thin layers, what would be a good starting point?

One tip i picked up from ship modelers: multiple thin layers are the way to go when brush painting. It will also help in eliminating brush strokes due to the "wetter" paint.

Most brands will brush ok with the exception of a few (the afforementioned tamyia but also humbrol acrylic has proven to be troublesome) as long as you utilize my tip and be patient.

Richard

You didn't say what genre of models, and whether you need flat or gloss finish.  Flat finishes are much easier to brush-paint.  A good gloss finish on a car takes a real artist. I'd say that hand painting a gloss finish is even harder than airbrushing.

BTW, a decent spray booth should make airbrushing do-able just about any place, especially with backing off pressure a bit. In fact, in my shop, I seldom use my spray booth for airbrushing, using it mostly for rattle cans. I get very little overspray with an airbrush.

For brush painting, I very much prefer Vallejo or Lifecolor acrylic paints. Vallejo especially has excellent coverage and lays down smooth. I suck at brush painting and tend to be afflicted with brush strokes and other awfulness, but it's very much not a problem with Vallejo.

Depending on the color, Testor's makes some damn-good paint pens too... I did an A-26 in Gloss Black using one and was amazed at the quality of the finish.. No brush-strokes because no bristles, and remember to paint in ONE direction only...

For brushing, I prefer Model Master enamels, 100%... But you don't need an airbrush if you're doing a simple one or two color (even three with some really careful masking)camouflage finish. Rattle-cans are the way I go... Like for a three-color US Navy camouflage of Non-Specular Sea Blue over Intermediate blue, over White on an F6F, or for a USAAF B-17F/G, Olive Drab over Neutral Grey camouflage fits the bill... 

Eduard P-400 with rattle-can Model Master's OD over Wal-Mart "Tru-Color" grey primer, and red from rattle-can Krylon. Wash and silver-chipping has been applied, but not Testor's Dullcoat for the pastels :

Below, the Monogram P-39 in Testor's MM Afrika Mustard and Dark Green over Neutral Grey. This was a bit more time-consuming, but still, no airbrush needed.

I just shot the same W/M Grey Primer underneath, same as the other 'Cobra, then sprayed the white on the wing-tips. I then masked those and the grey, then shot the top overall with the Afrika Mustard.  Once the Mustard was cured, I masked the Mustard areas and shot the Dark Green on top... Tehn a gloss-coat for decaling and washes, then a dullcoat for the pastel "Paint-Fading"...

I detail-painted the wing-walks with a Flat-black paint-marker, added some chipping and scuffing with a brush and silver.

Obviously, metallics for a NMF work too.. I like Krylon Premium Silver Foil for unpainted aluminum, and plain ol' Testor's MM Aluminum for aluminum-laquered finishes, like on a P-51D/K ...  Krylon metallics, while robust (and almost chrome-like in brightness and reflectivity) , need a full 48 hours to cure if you don't want aluminum-powder on fingers though...  Also, don'y spray clear gloss OR clear flat on it either.. The clear isn't needed for decals to cling well, and the flat will negate all the "shine"...

Don't get me wrong,  I can airbrush quite well, but I choose not to if it can be avoided... It all depends on the camouflage scheme I want... Some, with heavy, mottled areas like on the fuselage sides of some WW2 Luftwaffe aircraft, almost require an airbrush (Note almost).  Stencils, made using a paper-punch and "Post It" notes or frisket-paper work pretty good too... Just mount the paper mask about a 1/4-inch off the surface for soft edges and shoot the rattle-can rioght over it. being careful not to overdo it.... Takes practice to get both distance and shape of the holes right, so keep a sheet of styrene or an old wreck around for tesing..

Armor can be 100% brush-painted and even if you DO leave some brush-marks, stragetically-placed mud, air-recognition flags/panel-markers,  or tools and persoanl gear will go a long way in hiding them..

 Brush-painted (Testor's MM Olive Drab FS 34087) number 1911.. Track pads and roadwheel tires are Testor's Rubber, 1183 with a few drops of Panzer grey mixed in.

When I first started airbrushing, about 30 years ago, I still used a lot of rattle-cans, but paint-matches were always difficult.  I then hit on the idea of using a cheap Badger (like 9.99 in 1981) to apply custom-mixed colors, or decanting rattle-can color for those I couldn't match.  It still sprayed like a rattle-can, and the finest line I could get was about 3/8ths-inch... This was still quite good, as I still masked anyway....

It wan't until just a few years ago that I went and invested in a higher-end airbrush, a Paasche H45630, and a Testor's "Blue Meanie" air compressor... (one setting, "ON" or "OFF"...)

I use it occasionally, but I still see no reason to forego using rattle-cans. I use it only for paint-schemes that call for a fine-line of "freehand" camouflage, like that found on a German Nightfighter in two-tone Grey..

...and for painting interiors of aircraft like the B-25, B-17 and other multi-engined bombers wih one single color that requires an even coating.

Thanks for the tips stikpusher. 

I will not have any replys for the weekend. I'll be out bowhunting in northern wisconsin this weekend. Thank you in advance for those who will post.

Good paints and good brushes are teh starting point. Certain paints like Tamiya do not brush well. Others handbrush very well. I prefer natural brushes like Red Sable over synthetics for most uses. Stir your paints thoughly to insure proper mixture for one coat coverage. Use larger brushes for large areas and smaller ones for fine deail work.