Dry Brushing Details

[bluepony78]

[bluepony78]

I know there’s stuff about how to antique and dry brush. I’m not very good at finding stuff, I’m actually not sure how to search so I just flipped through old postings. I have the Windstone article open, and I’ve read it about 4 times in the last 2 minuets. But, alas, this is my first time trying, and my horse’s neck keeps looking muddy.

I’m doing 2 Unicorns, both pinto’s, first time I’ve ever hand painted anything. I’m sure I”m doing something very wrong. I just wanted to get that effect where the top of the hiar is lighter than by the skin, but instead I’m loosing some of the layers of paint when I carefully remove the (thinned paint I’m using to antique).

So, do I need to seal the finish first? Is the paint I’m applying too thin? It did say use thick paint, and when I tried to brush that off, the horse looked scratched.

Thanks! 😀

[Andrea]

I would suggest not thinning the paint at all.
I’ve found drybushing works best with thicker paint in very very tiny amounts.
The brush size and shape also matters.
Stiffer bristles and a flatter tipped brush work best for me. Soft touches as well.
Good luck!

[Kachina]

Before you start drybrushing, be sure you have almost no paint on that brush. I haven’t done any PYOs yet, but I used to love to paint ceramic dragons to be sold at ren faires. I would just barely dip into the unthinned paint, and wipe on a paper towel until I could barely see any color still coming off the brush. Keep brushing over the area until you have the effect you like, or go over it again with just a touch more paint if it isn’t enough.

[bluepony78]

Thank you both. I think I’ll try again tomorrow. I think part of the issue was that I am sort of impatient, and they may not have been DRY. They weren’t wet to the touch, but the paint came off really easy with my finger, so of course the brush took it off. 😕 So I am going to seal them (they’re dry now) and play again tomorrow with them. I dig them, I’ll see if I can get a good picture to post.

[Andrea]

Kachina had a good point. Wipe on a paper towel or something until the paint barely comes off.
I get impatient as well and mine start off really cool, and then I add a little more paint and then you can see the lines of the paint from the brush. Then I have to start over.

[bluepony78]

Phoenix wrote:

Kachina had a good point. Wipe on a paper towel or something until the paint barely comes off.
I get impatient as well and mine start off really cool, and then I add a little more paint and then you can see the lines of the paint from the brush. Then I have to start over.

I let them dry overnight, and I tried again. I think they STINK. I’m so bummed. I am trying to download pix right now, but so far none really turned out. They just didn’t get the effect I was going for. I tried almost no paint on the brush, but I didn’t really see any difference on the horse. This is defiantly something that’ll take a while for me (I’m a slow learner 😳 )

[bluepony78]

Ok, you have to be nice 😀

This is Sunshine. I just blocked her pattern, I haven’t done anything to the white. I wanted to get the brown finished and sealed before I did any white. She’s actually a nice color, she needs some shading, sorry if she looks weird yellow, she looked ok on my screen. She’s a palomino tovero.

[bluepony78]

This is patches. I have painted some of the white in, but haven’t made the brown and white edges meet yet. I wanted the brown parts to be totally finished first. I don’t really like this one much, honestly. I think the brown looks sloppy. 😥

[Andrea]

I like the patterns you’re using.
I have to constantly go over the paint to smooth out the color on the unicorns I do. They usually end up getting darker than I imagined, but I like sooty colors over normal bays and chestnuts.
So I would say keep going over it until you can’t see the discoloration on the bay.

I still haven’t been able to find a palamino/buckskin shade of paint I’m happy with.
Yours looks great.

I can’t really see where the drybrushing is, but does look like the highlights come through. So you’re doing a great job!

I usually hate the unicorns I paint until they’re finished! So just keep them going!

[bluepony78]

Phoenix wrote:

I like the patterns you’re using.
I have to constantly go over the paint to smooth out the color on the unicorns I do. They usually end up getting darker than I imagined, but I like sooty colors over normal bays and chestnuts.
So I would say keep going over it until you can’t see the discoloration on the bay.

I still haven’t been able to find a palamino/buckskin shade of paint I’m happy with.
Yours looks great.

I can’t really see where the drybrushing is, but does look like the highlights come through. So you’re doing a great job!

I usually hate the unicorns I paint until they’re finished! So just keep them going!

(at the risk of sounding like a snob) I’m so used to painting something with an airbrush, and it not looking awful, painting by hand is a real… 😯

I have a lot more admiration for folks who paint everything by hand. Hail to them.

I think the patterns aren’t bad. I actually almost like the palomino’s color. I haven’t dry brushed her, but somehow that happened?? So I’m thinking maybe I’ll skip over trying to drybrush that one, I might just move along to the shading, and then white markings 😀

The bay looks “lumpy” uneven color, even with thin paint.
I am blown away that anyone can do this on a regular basis. I’m gonna keep trying. I hope these two turn out, that would be encouraging 🙄

[Andrea]

The bay may look lumpy cause your paint is too thin. It’s especially easy to see the discoloration in the darker paints. Maybe use a bit thicker paint?

Yes, painting by hand is hard! I have an airbrush, but I’m too afraid to use it! All the cleaning required when changing colors or putting it away for the night. Now that’s a pain! I’m a lazy slob. If I have to buy new brushes every couple sculptures is ok. But I’m not diciplined enough to take care of the airbrush 😆

[bluepony78]

Phoenix wrote:

The bay may look lumpy cause your paint is too thin. It’s especially easy to see the discoloration in the darker paints. Maybe use a bit thicker paint?

Yes, painting by hand is hard! I have an airbrush, but I’m too afraid to use it! All the cleaning required when changing colors or putting it away for the night. Now that’s a pain! I’m a lazy slob. If I have to buy new brushes every couple sculptures is ok. But I’m not diciplined enough to take care of the airbrush 😆

HA! I got a chuckle out of that last part 😆

I’d have never thought my paint was to THIN. I think I thinned it down to less than skim milk, thinking 100 light layer would be better than 5 “semi” thick ones.

My husband made me promise not to cheat on these and go use my AB. What a weenie. 🙄

I bought an airbrush once someone didn’t clean too well, and ended up putting $100 of new parts into it. I bought it through eBay, and ended up getting a full refund since I was buying it as “well taken care of”, and it was so messed up the peices all kind of glued together. I had to soak it for about a week to get stuff loose enough to break the needle to get it out. What a nightmare. It still doesn’t work quite right, but it’s good enough I suppose. So yeah, if ya don’t clean it, don’t use it hee hee.

[Author]

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