Brushing without brushmarks

[steelpillow 1,022]

Many modellers struggle with brushmarks when painting their masterpiece.

Choosing the right brush (chisel-ended for large, flat areas), thinning the paint to just the right consistency, applying just the right thickness and brushing it on confidently without dithering or messing with detail is all very well, but can take a lifetime to master, if ever. Certainly, a high-quality brush with fine fibres helps, but there are other techniques that can really up your game.

One is to apply a first coat, not too thick, and brushing only in one direction. When dry, apply a second coat, brushing across the original direction at right angles. Even housepainters use this one!

Another is to apply multiple thinned layers, or washes, to build up the desired thickness. You get the opportunity between coats to sand down any dust or blemishes that have appeared. And the first coat or two are great at revealing any surface dips that need a quick dab of filler. This is how masters of the airbrush do it, be it a 1:76 scale vintage motor or the real thing in your garage. If you make your ordinary brush coats fairly generous, the paint will flow round fine detail better and not leave bare spots, but will then dry down nice and thin.

I use a combination of the second two: three or four thin layers, brushed in alternate directions until sufficiently opaque.

Weathering is another moment when streaky brushmarks can ruin the effect you are trying for. Here again, thin washes mean that the streaks are faint and hardly visible. After a few layers, they merge into the general weathering effect. You can also target each layer to build up the effect where needed and fade it gently away, without having to get it perfect first time round. For example a decal may take up more or less of the pigment than the surrounding paint. An extra layer over the less affected area can soon fix that.

[steelpillow 1,022]

Always start by working your way round the edges and the little details. Get a coat on them, before tackling the big, broad areas in between.

This was taught me by a cabinet-maker back in the mid-sixties. It is so much part of me that I forgot to mention it.

[Miggers 8,463]

He's right you know.

I use these techniques cammoing 1/72 scale fighters,airbrushing say, a 1/72 Hurri,Spit,Mustang,WHY with a 

three colour cammo scheme can be a real pain with all the masking that's required.

[Thatsmyboy 1,603]

All very sensible and practical. I do despair sometimes at the number of comments along the lines of "but, I just can't brush paint. I need an airbrush etc,etc and so forth"! Nobody NEEDS an airbrush, it's a matter of choice and, there's no magic to brush painting. Like any skill it takes time to master and, therein I think lies the problem. Too many modellers now seem to lack the patience, give up and, seem to think the airbrush is a sort of panacea that will cure their woes! Of course, like any tool, it's only as good as its user.

I had an airbrush once, even got quite proficient with it  but,I  gave it up about 25 years ago. I reverted to brush painting, a decision I have never regretted . To be honest, I thought all the faff and hassle that went  with using the wretched thing just turned painting into a chore. The tips you give are quite easy to follow. I don't bother with any off the faffing about with masking camouflage either. I draw the pattern on the base coat with a soft pencil and then fill in using flat brushes of 2.5 - 10mm size. It's quite easy to learn.

I'm not anti airbrush though. Far from it. It just doesn't work for me and I'll never go back to it. 

[Thatsmyboy 1,603]

10 minutes ago, Miggers said:

He's right you know.

I use these techniques cammoing 1/72 scale fighters,airbrushing say, a 1/72 Hurri,Spit,Mustang,WHY with a 

three colour cammo scheme can be a real pain with all the masking that's required.

Totally agree. The inordinate amount of time faffing about with masking etc was one of the things that made me revert to brush painting. I've described already how I got round that.

[Miggers 8,463]

3 minutes ago, Thatsmyboy said:

Totally agree. The inordinate amount of time faffing about with masking etc was one of the things that made me revert to brush painting. I've described already how I got round that.

Though if I want an all-over HSS finish,I'll hand paint(such as anti-glare/dazzle panels)some details,

mask 'em out and then use one of my airbrushes to blow in the HSS(or any other single all over colour).

Edited September 24 by Miggers

[Thatsmyboy 1,603]

1 hour ago, Miggers said:

Though if I want an all-over HSS finish,I'll hand paint(such as anti-glare/dazzle panels)some details,

mask 'em out and then use one of my airbrushes to blow in the HSS(or any other single all over colour).

I no longer have an airbrush full stop!!. Any single over all colour , I use good old fashioned rattle cans! 

[steelpillow 1,022]

I still tend to mask dead clean breaks, such as upper/lower camo colours on a fuselage. The same junction on wings is just a matter of keeping the brush at a steady angle.

Yes, for the rest it's either by eye or a that soft pencil somebody mentioned.

I used to faff with masking canopy frames, but there's always somewhere the paint gets underneath the tape, or the special expensive rubbery gunge adheres so tightly in some places that you scratch the transparency trying to lift it. Nowadays I just use the finest brush I can find and keep a sharpened matchstick, with lightly rounded end, handy. As some wayward wobble starts to dry, it goes through a short period when it can be gently scraped off. A quick wipe on a tissue and the matchstick is ready for another pass (Tip: as you wipe, rotate your wrist to and fro. This gets any rogue blobs you might miss with a simple wipe).

Edited September 24 by steelpillow

[steelpillow 1,022]

Then, there are those real-life airbrush fades, especially on WWII German upper-surface camo.

Don't throw that old round brush away, cut it off flat about 2-3 mm (1/10 in) from the end. This is now your stippling brush. A No.2or 3 is about right, but for larger scales use a larger brush.

Thin your paint around 50% or more, dip the brush in and dab off any excess with a tissue. Now dab it lightly on the model. You'll soon find the consistency and quantity for the effect you are after. Better to over-thin and under-apply to start with, then build up to the full monty. You can always come back and add more layers - and the more you add, the more it all merges into that airbrushed-fade effect.

But be wary this is really what you want. If you are rivet-counting (and why not?) then you may want to check those photos and see if the original was actually stippled on too, in which case mix it thicker and dab it on harder.

Finally, unlike me (cough!) you may become over-enthusiastic and overdo it in some places. Easy. Let it dry, then dab right back with the base colour until satisfaction is achieved. Just keep those layers thin, so you don't get knobbles which show up under that last topcoat of varnish. You know, an airbrush fade into the same colour is not going to hurt anybody!

[Miggers 8,463]

3 hours ago, Thatsmyboy said:

I no longer have an airbrush full stop!!. Any single over all colour , I use good old fashioned rattle cans! 

Now,if I use a rattle,I'll decant it into a small glass jar(squirt it through a straw)then pour it into the airbrush's cup,

air on,adjust the needle and squirty,squirty.

[steelpillow 1,022]

26 minutes ago, Miggers said:

Now,if I use a rattle,I'll decant it into a small glass jar(squirt it through a straw)then pour it into the airbrush's cup,

air on,adjust the needle and squirty,squirty.

Can we keep this thread to brushing, please?

[Miggers 8,463]

1 hour ago, steelpillow said:

Can we keep this thread to brushing, please?

Course we can Steely.

Just that some folks go over board with a rattle,so just passing on a wee tip for'em.

Edited September 24 by Miggers