soft-edge camo with a paint brush?????

IIRC, traditional artists call what you want a "wet edge," but I have no idea how it is accomplished, or even if it can be with acrylics or enamels.

You could experiment with a wide brush, dip one edge in your thinner, then in the paint, and try a stroke. I've no idea whether that will work, but if yo try it, let us know.

I've seen it done a couple of different ways:

One is to make a feathered edge at the border between two colours with a dry brush technique using one or the other colour.

Another way I've seen is to put the camo down hard edge and VERY gently stroke the edges of your camo areas with very fine steel wool or sandpaper. You'll really want to let your paint cure well before trying that. If you use acrylics, I'd say substitute the steel wool or sandpaper with an old toothbrush.

It would help to know exactly what you're puting the camo on: Tank, aircraft... and what era its from. Different eras and different nations had different camo patterns. How you accomplish the pattern depends largely on what the pattern is itself.

As for the "wet edge" method, don't try it on models, its really is meant for traditional art mediums like watercolour paper and canvas that are semi absorbent. I doubt very much you'll get it to work on non absorbent surfaces like styrene.

One of the things I love about this place is that it is a fertile idea factory. I'd never have thought of the things upnorth recommends.

I do have another idea, though: dip a fine pointed brush in thinner (mineral spirits for enamels, isopropyl or ethyl alcohol for acrylics, and lightly run it along the separation line right after the second color is applied—just a very light wetting right at the line—and let the paint bleed slightly over the other paint.

But frankly, all of this looks dicey—a lot of potential to ruin the paint job altogether, IMHO. Save those shekles for an airbrush!

well its a tank,WW2 era,sturmtiger,german,i use humbrol enamel paints

 

matt

Matt, one technique that I used to use with good results was to dab the paint on with a small piece of foam rubber.  You could stuff a small piece of it into a straw of other hollow tube to more easily hold it.  Don't particularly flood it with paint or dab it on on some scap first almost as though you are dry brushing.  After dabbing down the edges, you can fill in the field with your brush.  The results won't be quite as good as an airbrush, but you may surprise yourself on how effective it can be. Godd luck.

Andy