drybrushing

In the past, the result of my drybrushing wasn't great. I didn't know why until I recently got to know that acrylics were not great for drybrushing. I bought some MM enamels and practiced drybrushing on my guinea pig model. Well, now I know I'll use only enamels for drybrushing.

I usually consider drybrushing as one of the techniques I use in weathering.  If I am using several weathering techniques it usually doesn't matter which I use when, as most of the techniques tend to be translucent or transparent.

I always use enamels/oils for drybrushing.  They dry slower than acrylics and you can blend them in better.  You could get a similar effect from acrylics if you were painting just the edges or surface details like bolts or edge of turret etc.  Which mimics the same effect as drybrushing its just a slower process.  But you wanna always use enamels/oils for drybrushing.

Do you dry-brush before or after weathering?

Hi.....I've just said.....are good: enamel paint , acrilic vinilic (Vallejo,Italeri,Andrea color,Lifecolor),and oils....peraphs the better....even if they dry more slowly........My two cents!!

Think ill give the oils a go as i cant get the hang of acrylic paint for tge reasons you said. And of cours ill try enamel too just for good measure :-) thanks guys.

Yes, I know a number of people who use oils for drybrushing.  Personally I just stick with the enamel, the regular Testors stuff I use for normal painting.  The guys who use the oils like them because they stay wet longer and you can take more time using them.  However, once you get the hang of it, I find the enamels work fine and I don't have to stock a type of paint just for drybrushing.  I also use the enamels for washes.  So I only stock the enamels.

Better to ask Don, I think :)

Hmmmm i have some humbrols around somewhere, ill give it a go. Is oil paint any good for drybrushing?

Humbrols are great.

Thanks, Don. Ill try enamel paint and maybe get some retarder too. I really do have to crack this drybrushing lark somehow.

I use enamels, so cannot help much with a specific acrylic paint.  I would try mixing some retarder in the acrylic, however.  Even with the enamels, they dry VERY fast when drybrushing, and it is easier when they are not completely dry. I pick up a little paint on brush, smear it on card stock, and pick it up from there, and it is  hard to keep it wet enough to apply, but dry enough to get the translucent drybrush effect. I do only the smallest amount at a time, as I know it will dry and become unusable immediately.  So, for virtually every stroke I dip the brush in paint, smear it on card, and go from there.

Funny that you say this.  I just tried Tamiya Sky Grey to drybrush the detail in a cockpit for the first time and it worked really well for me.  Prior to that I was using Model Master Acryl.