Thinning paint for brushes

Myelf I use Tamiya acrylic paints with a 50:50 paint to thinner ratio. Dip your brush in the mixture and then dab the brush ONCE on a convenient place (like a rag or the edge of your paint pallette) to remove the excess paint on the brush tip. THEN apply the brush to the model. This will minimize your brush marks and not only that, the paint can be brushed over again without leading to brush marks because the paint is so thin. Do the brush-over sparingly, though.

Let the paint dry before applying another coat on top. For acrylics it can be as little as 10 minutes!

jwb wrote:

Any brush painter's out there with words of wisdom?

• First I start with somewhat fresh bottles of paint [I have some that lasted for years, but we won't go there LOL].
• I stir them thoroughly with a toothpick, digging down to the goo on the bottom of the bottle.
• Here's a helpful tip, but not easy to figure out. Find a color/bottle of paint that spreads and settles smooth for you if you can. Experiment on plastic milk jugs or the like.
• I add drop by drop of oderless mineral spirits/paint thinner to the "too think to brush with" paint. Stirring each drop in with the toothpick. I then watch how it drips and sticks to the toothpick. Here's were having a bottle of paint helps out, you can match the drip properties.
• It usually doesn't take more than 2 to 4 drops of thinner per new full bottle to get it "thin" enough to flow and settle right.
• I found that you have to do the above on a per bottle basis as each color or bottle seems a bit different.
• When practing on the milk jug, watch as you apply the paint (not too dry of a brush and not dripping with paint either), it should flow with the push of the brush, but not all over on it's own.
• The less you work the paint with the brush, the smoother the finish should be also. I usually use one continuous brush stroke. If the area is too long to cover in one pass, over lap slightly while it's still fresh and wet.
• Almost forgot, use a good quality brush. I use natural fiber, soft bristles, not those little white Testor brushes with hard nylon strings for bristles.

An airbrush, just like a paint brush, is only a tool and nothing more.  It's the hand that provides the talent and ability.  I've seen hand brushed paint jobs that looked like they were airbrushed and I've seen airbrushed paint jobs that looked they were done with a brush.  It all depends on the person.

I highly recommend an airbrush, they are invaluable tools to me, but at the same time I have a lot of admiration for people who can create a good paint job with a hand brush.  I can't do it and I wish I could.

You can get good paint jobs with a brush, but it will take practice.  So will an airbrush.  If you want an airbrush then by all means go for it.  Just don't discount a good hand brush and don't think that an airbrush is the answer to everything.  Practice is what will get you there.  Get some old milk jugs or soft drink bottles and pretty them up.  They make for good practice.

MusicCity wrote:

Take a look at This Page here on FSM.  It has a link to the "Basics Of Brush Painting" and might help you out a lot.  I don't brush paint anything except small details, but getting the paint to the right consistency is the key, I think.  It has to be thick enough to cover and thin enough to level itself out.