Brush-painting with acrylics

[John Howling Mouse]

A fellow on another forum asked what my "technique" was for handbrushing acrylics:

I use Krylon sandable primer (spraycan) and this seems to be a key ingredient for me (all my finishes look way better since I started using it).  It provides just the right amount of "tooth" for any kind of overpaint and erases all fine sanding lines....mmmmmm.

The paint I use is Testors Acryl (some weird, exclusive patented version of an acrylic), thinned a little bit with dirty tapwater----no joke: part of the field-quality paintjob I purposely seek comes from using a little container of water that has a little residue from every other paint I've used that week!   

I also seldom use paint colors straight from the bottle.  To get a slightly mottled surface, I mix some paints with a few drops of that dirty water on a surplus plastic lid as I go.  There's always some subtle personalized touch to the colors I use (I couldn't begin to tell you which RLM-dunkengroenbrau-12 or whatever is correct for any given aircraft!      Something about that mixing of two or more colors of paint always seems to prime the paint-----it just works better than a single color straight from the bottle but I don't know why.

I don't even use fancy brushes for the airframe: just those old junky Testors nylon bristled brushes.   

One tip would be to not ever re-stroke the paint.  Once it's down, move quickly onto the next area and don't get hung up on trying to get it perfect the first coat. Acryl has an awesome ability to self-level (can't recall what the ingredient in paint is called that does this but someone here will know) so even if it doesn't look spot on, don't fret.  Like Future, the Acryl paint will level out better than you think it will.

It does take two or more coats for everything as the Testors Acryl paint is not 100% opague right out of the bottle to begin with and I've thinned it with the water to make it behave better, anyhow.  Each of those Python insignias also had to be painted twice      Since Acryl dries within minutes, this doesn't cause much of a delay.

As for the overpainted RAF markings, I simply made a slight tint using a drop or two of camo grey to lighten the other colors.  Because acrylics dry darker than they appear while still wet, this can be challenging because you're trying to guesstimate where the paint's hue will really end up.  I test-paint right onto the leftover (dried) paint on the mixing pallette/lid to help me gauge how much camo grey to add.

Hope that helps!

[The Rat]

Thanks Baz, all these years I thought I was doing it wrong! 

[cthulhu77]

You can also buy an acrylic leveling agent at most art or craft stores...get the thinnest medium for acrylic they sell, it will work wonders, though retard your drying time.
Dirty water is faster.

[John Howling Mouse]

I was told to add a drop of washing up detergent to the tin/bottle. Anyone got any experience of this please??

I've only used it for panel line washes.  I put the drop of detergent in the "dirty water" container though, I've never put it in the actual paint tin/bottle.  It does make thinned acrylics flow farther into the panel lines, that is for sure.

[nev]

What is your dirty water:paint ratio Baz?

[John Howling Mouse]

What is your dirty water:paint ratio Baz?

Depends on the paint type and amount of paint being mixed on the palette at one time.  Usually, I'm using a single drop of paint from each of 3 paint jars.  I mix those together and a single dunk of my already wet-with-paint brush in the dirty water is enough to bring sufficient water to the palette.  Sometimes two dunks.
Because I'm working with acrylics, the paint does dry fast on the palette even though I'm moving quickly.  So, I load up the brush, apply it to the model and come back for more.  It seems I re-dunk the brush into the dirty water about every 3rd or 4th load of paint.  I use more water when seeking more translucent effects, like the old stains and streaks I'm currently dribbling onto my A-5 Menaz.  That way, the water evaporates, leaving just the outline of the stain, much like many real stains.

HTH   

[Allan]

Nice little tutorial, this one.
Many years ago I tried brush painting Tamiya acrylic and must have hit upon the perfect ratio of paint to thinner (Tamiya brand) because the RLM light blue 76 flowed beautifully from the brush with nary a brush mark.
Allan in Canberra

[Daryl J.]

Awesome tip!

Testors Acryl can also be buffed with Novus 1,2,3 to an orange-peel free high gloss.   It's great for GSB Navy and USMC airframes.


Daryl J.