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A Little Drybrushing Last Night. . .

Careful dry-brushing of black horses with dark blue produces subtle blue-grey highlights on the raised areas of the horses, picking out the musculature of the miniature animals as well as the strands of hair in the manes and tails.


Had a little time for dry-brushing those final nine horses last night. So, I dug out an old brush and got to work. Don't use your good brushes that still hold points for dry-brushing. Nothing kills a good brush faster! So, dip the tip of you bristles in the paint, brush most of the paint off onto a handy folded paper towel, and then quickly apply the remaining paint on the bristles to your figures. Dry-brushing is actually a much easier thing to do than it is to describe.

Anyway, here are a couple of photographs that will hopefully illustrate the benefits of this step for painting better looking black horses. Of course, you can skip this step if you like, but I prefer the extra subtle difference that careful dry-brushing with dark blue brings out. It seems to help make those heavy cavalry horses come to life.


Here's a comparison photograph, showing a dry-brushed horse on the left next to one that has not been dry-brushed. Look very closely, and you'll notice the subtle difference.

Comments

Pjotr said…
Hello stokes,

Fine looking horses. Seeems that at the Stollen household things are shaping up nicely for a wonderfull X-Mas season.
I use a flat brush for drybrushing, flikking the bristles over the model after removing most of the paint. I think it's easier than using a round brush. Or was that a flat brush you were using and just a trick of the camera?

Frohe Weihnachten und einen guten Rutsch!!!

Peter
12:10 PM
A J said…
Yes, dry-brushing then a wash is a valuable technique for bringing out the dimensions of a figure. I compare my current dry-brushed crop of figures with some painted not too many years ago and the difference is striking.
2:30 PM
Der Alte Fritz said…
Try mixing some flesh into some black to create a nice highlight color of black for your drybrushing. It doesn't take very much flesh color to get the right color. I keep a batch premixed in a spare paint jar.

AJ: wouldn't a wash negate the effects of dry brushing? Perhaps you could elaborate on this technique.
7:53 PM
Bluebear Jeff said…
Jim,

I agree with your comment re: drybrush, then wash. But reversing them works okay. Wash, then drybrush.


-- Jeff
12:58 PM
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