Drybrushing , A dying art ?

Tools, Techniques, and Reference Materials Painting and airbrushing
1

Hi ;

I was talking with some train modelers and most if not all , don’t dry brush anymore . That did surprise me some .Over the years I have seen more drybrushing by modelers and then along came air - brushed .These are fine for many things , But , I feel that Dry - Brushing is an art . I can put a building say , or ship side by side with an air - brushed version of the same thing and you Can tell the difference

The air-brushed version looks almost commercially produced and doesn’t have , to me , the personality or draw of the one carefully dry - brushed by it’s builder . The builder is trying to tell a story .With Dry - Brushing it has a personal twist that it’s air - brushed counterpart seems to lack . That’s my opinion anyway . Anyone care to elaborate on this with me .Go for it !

2

I still dry brush on most if not all of my models. But what is air brushed.

3

Not a diying art at all I rely heavily on the technique .I suspect most of the modelers on this forum do as well.

4

Tanker I dry brush a lot, it makes things pop if not overdone. I really don’t think its gone away but like everything else, the more things change the more they stay the same. Terry

5

I do plenty of dry brushing myself. Washes and dry brushing used together are my main basic weathering technique on many builds.

6

I still dry brush wear and tear on my models.

7

For tanks and trains, I’d say drybrushing would be a crucial part in the weathering process. For aircraft, not much benefits from dry brushing, other than cockpits, wheel hubs, and maybe exhausts…

8

I use dry-brushing all the time.

9

Still at it and particularly for armor models it really brings out the details.

I can’t see abandoning the technique, it really works .

10

As for dry-brushing on the exterior of aircraft, I dry-brushed some Humbrol flat aluminum to replicate worn paint on this Hobby Boss MiG-17. The first pic shows the “aluminum” showing through on the starboard nose:

And here’s some use on the upper wing roots:

11

That camo is out-freaking-standing!!! I don’t mean to hijack, but are those numbers decals? They look sprayed on with a soft edge!! Beautiful MiG-17!

12

Thank you very much! The paintwork was done with my Paasche Model H. No, the numbers are just decals. Here’s bit more of her:

http://cs.finescale.com/fsm/modeling_subjects/f/2/p/153727/1651604.aspx#1651604

13

I love dry brushing, and do it frequently. I can do translucent weathering that otherwise would take an airbrush or dot washing. But it is so simple- so little preparation. No thinning, no cleaning airbrush afterwards. In addition to weathering, I make a steel-appearance by dry brushing Testors steel over a matt medium or dark gray.

I agree that it is used less these days than some of the newer techniques, but that does not mean the newer techniques are better.

14

I think dry-brushing adds a nice touch to bring out highlights, especially in aircraft cockpits. I am currently working on 2 F-15E in 1/48 and building one OOB, the other is going to AM decals. Other than that no other AM will be used, but I think that the dry-brushing brings out the small details as well as gives it that worn look as well.

I remember the first dry-brushing I did was probably 20 years ago and thought I’d discovered something unknown; then I picked up a modeling magazine and saw someone in there talking about it…talk about deflating a young man’s ego. LOL

15

As I am getting back into doing figures again and trying to reach higher levels of appearance with them. I am finding that I am dry brushing a LOT more to achieve those looks.

16

ANY raised detail gets dry-brushed on ALL my models. Sometimes for contrast, I’ll use a drop of grey or black or tan to darken the white or interior green I use to paint landing gear bays; only to dry-brush the raised details with the original un-altered color. Gives certain areas more visual depth.

Modern jet cockpits MUST be dry-brushed IMO. So many lines, seams and blank panels in-between the gauges and controls that don’t stand-out unless they are dry-brushed.