Technique Toolbox: Dry Brushing!
April 8, 2014 by elromanozo
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Been said before, but get the Bob Ross vibe from Romain’s videos, and it’s not just his “Ross pelt” beard.
Not sure cloth is the sort of thing I’d ever use drybrushing on (I enjoy painting cloth too much the “hard way” for that). Would a few layers of glazes reduce the powdery effect?
It would, and it does in my pre-brushing tutorial ! 🙂
What a stroke of good luck for me. I am painting my cygnar arcane tempest gun mages this week. This is just what I needed. Thank you Romain.
Good vid 🙂
This was another great video.
I mean this in the nicest possible way but thank you for making the mistake and painting brushstrokes on.
This mistake helped me realize my fundamental mistake every time i try this technique. I always assumed I just had too much paint on my brush but I now know that is not necessarily the case. The problem has been my brush is too wet after cleaning it to switch colours. Also showing how easy it was to correct it was immensely helpful.
Loving this series.
Thanks !
Trade secret : I did this one on purpose… 😉
Thanks Romain for another thought-provoking workshop. I’ve found both your dry-brush and pre-brushing tutorials entertaining and they have also challenged me to experiment with something new. This may sound a bit stupid, but I noted in the video that you started by touching-up the basecoat and then going straight to the dry-brushing. I wonder if you would recommend leaving the basecoat over-night. I’m quite new to miniature painting and the reason for the question is that I’m curious to know if going straight to dry-brushing gives a different result compared to when the miniature is left to thoroughly dry. I… Read more »
Thank you for your viewership !
Strictly speaking, you should never dry-brush on something wet. Wait for the paint to completely dry, otherwise it’s simply a mess. Luckily, acrylics dry in minutes, even seconds when applied properly ! 🙂
I’ve been dry-brushing for years but still found I learnt a lot from this. Thanks.
Very useful for ‘speed’ painting large units. I’ll still paint cloth the hard way, as morat calls it, for characters etc. I may end up using a bit of both. Dry-brush the first blend and then move on to high-lighting to avoid the ‘dusty/chalky’ look.
Thanks !
The purpose of this series isn’t to let you choose what technique you want to apply exclusively, but to let you see what each one does and how to mix and match them on the same figure, according to what result you need.
This is really nice series, don`t get me wrong, but I believe this should be free content. It is much more likely that backstagers are experienced hobbyists than regular watchers. I think the multipart complex videoguides (which are often free) are better stuff for backstage and could bring new people to backstage more reliably than technique showcase.
Nevertheless, good job, Romain.
I disagree. I think that the coverage of companies and their games is vital for both traffic to BoW and the health of our industry so needs to be as widely available as possible. Painting and hobby content is purely BoW driven and exactly the kind of thing that should be available to subscribers. I think the site has the balance exactly right.
Be that as it may, this is not solely my decision…
But there is a consensus at BoW that, for the most part, in depth videos (tips and techniques, exclusives, etc.) are for backstage, while the “showy” videos (unboxings, full tutorials, the weekender, etc.) are front-stage.
It’s often as simple as that ! 🙂
Right, drybrushing… I have always preferred layering but it is good to see this done properly and to a good effect! It’s all in the gradation between each coat, but Roman, I think you cheated a little here: can this be achieved in red or yellow? and how would you go about mixing the sades?
Another thing I’d like would be to know your view on the GW drybrushing brushes (many short hairs with a round section)!
Thank you again for your tutorials! I just keep on learning and learning…
Fernando
Thanks ! Yes, yes, yes, a thousand times yes, the same effect can be achieved in red and yellow ! Mixing on the palette is allowed. I’d use a tinge of purple for shading yellow, and green or turquoise for red, with some black. I’m not cheating, I’m using blue precisely because it’s easy for everyone to reproduce and to see what it looks like at home. This is a deliberate choice ! 🙂 The GW dry-brushing brush is perhaps the only brush truly well suited for the job in the GW range : it’s cruddy, and dry-brushing is done… Read more »
I’m aware (vaguely) that some people suggest the use of a wash over the drybrushed areas once completed. The idea seemed to be that it smoothed the final result. Must admit I tried it once myself and made a right mess so it didn’t seem to work for me. What are your thoughts on that? On the point of washes, I must admit I’m terrible at using them. I freely admit that this may have affected the previously mentioned technique. If you haven’t done a video on that, would you please consider it? How to use them, not the fact… Read more »
Ah, it’s the last video in the tips series that pretty much covers exactly what I was asking – pre-brushing and washing.
Indeed. Also, if you think you need perfecting at washes, you may want to watch one of the future videos in this series (the one about washing and glazing… oh, and probably the ‘eavy metal one too), yet to be aired.
Thanks for your interest ! 🙂
That sounds good. I’m looking forward to them already.
What’s the schedule at the moment? Is it one video a week?
Usually, no more than one a week, but it depends on how busy things are with news and “hot” topics.
I know the ‘eavy metal one is the next in line, though.
good video again, and yes a bit of bob ross came to me to. lol
Thanks for your kind words everyone ! I hope to see some of you at Salute ! 🙂
Apart from chainmail armour and guns dry brushing is not a technique I use a lot. Now I have seen it done properly it will be something to consider on future models.
Thanks ! 🙂
It was great finally meeting you at Salute !
Likewise. It was also great to get off my feet for a while 🙂
That was a fantastic tutorial, Romain! It´ll be really useful with my Chaos Warriors Army!