Looking for tips on detail painting

[Andrew McD]

I typically use Tamiya acrylics when doing detail work with a brush; such as picking out details on a dashboard, interior console or door panels.  I try to flow the paint on but all too often get an excess of paint and it flows to places I don't want it.  Of course then in trying to clear it up if I brush over the acrylic paint repeatedly it tends to clump and streak.    Any tips on brush size and type, paint (is there something better I might use for the detail work), and general technique would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Andrew

[JollySipper]

Get yourself some of these pens, man.... They are most useful!

 

[espo]

I know it can be hard to resist putting to much paint in the brush when you're going to do some fine detailing. Think about alternative applicators beyond even a very fine brush. Just a few that I have used, and there are many others as well, I will often us a simple pointed wooden tooth pick at times. I will even get the paint from the inside of the cap since the paint isn't deep enough to get very much paint on the tooth pick when I dip it. I have used some ink pens that are usually used for drafting drawings. These can be found at both Hobby Lobby and Office Depot along with others. There are many colors available and very easy to control with little or no cleanup. The good thing is I'm sure there will be many others who will offer ideas that they have used. Maybe we'll both learn something new. 

[Fantom]

I’ve heard many people say that they are useless, but I like to use a 10/0 liner brush on smaller stuff…and like said above..toothpicks work well in some circumstances.

[jchrisf]

I found this figure painter's channel to be very useful for detail painting.  He has a lot of cool videos that have taught me a lot

 

[Rodent]

For black background gauges, I have used a white or silver colored pencil to highlight the raised numbers, etc., followed by red/orange/yellow for the pointers.

[bill-e-boy]

That is an excellent video. It reinforces a tutorial we had at the local model club I attend held by a figure painter. The interesting thing is they use huge brushes for fine detail work. The important thing to to load up the brush and shape it before application. Using smaller brushes such as 2-10/0 the same applies

Often paint like Tamiya acrylics are too thick and need some thinning to work well. Water is a slower thinning medium than X20 thinners and helps. I too find that you only get one chance with Tamiya acrylic paints as any further coats tend to clump up paint application and his can be frustrating

For really small detail a tooth pick is OK but I prefer a sharpened bamboo skewer - it seems to work better. Easy to clean - just wipe it off

The other thing than can be done is mixing paint colours to get the exact colour you want. The tooth pick comes in handy where you put a couple of drops of colour to be mixed with one or two drops of colour B etc. I use old business cards and dish style frost plugs for bigger amounts. The frost plugs just need to be wiped off when finished with. 

Also keep your hands steady as mentioned in the video by grounding them on you work surface. Sometimes small items need to be held in some way so that it can be moved for working on it. Alligator clips with long handles are good for this

The main thing is to practice and practice and then practice some more 

[Andrew McD]

17 hours ago, JollySipper said:

Get yourself some of these pens, man.... They are most useful!

 

Thanks, I will look into these.  I have some silver and gold pens that have been useful I wasn't aware of the various colors available.

[Andrew McD]

15 hours ago, Fantom said:

I’ve heard many people say that they are useless, but I like to use a 10/0 liner brush on smaller stuff…and like said above..toothpicks work well in some circumstances.

Another interesting direction to check out, thank you.

 

[Andrew McD]

14 hours ago, bill-e-boy said:

That is an excellent video. It reinforces a tutorial we had at the local model club I attend held by a figure painter. The interesting thing is they use huge brushes for fine detail work. The important thing to to load up the brush and shape it before application. Using smaller brushes such as 2-10/0 the same applies

Often paint like Tamiya acrylics are too thick and need some thinning to work well. Water is a slower thinning medium than X20 thinners and helps. I too find that you only get one chance with Tamiya acrylic paints as any further coats tend to clump up paint application and his can be frustrating

For really small detail a tooth pick is OK but I prefer a sharpened bamboo skewer - it seems to work better. Easy to clean - just wipe it off

The other thing than can be done is mixing paint colours to get the exact colour you want. The tooth pick comes in handy where you put a couple of drops of colour to be mixed with one or two drops of colour B etc. I use old business cards and dish style frost plugs for bigger amounts. The frost plugs just need to be wiped off when finished with. 

Also keep your hands steady as mentioned in the video by grounding them on you work surface. Sometimes small items need to be held in some way so that it can be moved for working on it. Alligator clips with long handles are good for this

The main thing is to practice and practice and then practice some more 

I will try thinning the Tamiya acrylic and see if that gives me a bit more control of the flow and avoid the clumping and streaking problems.

[Andrew McD]

15 hours ago, jchrisf said:

I found this figure painter's channel to be very useful for detail painting.  He has a lot of cool videos that have taught me a lot

 

I will check out the video, thank you for the link!

[Sandboarder]

I would suggest watching a few “how to paint mini’s” videos on YouTube. That certainly blow my mind when it come to paint thinning, pigments, application, techniques and tip to thin paint without over loading the brush so you can place the colour pigments exactly where you want them.

 

Also learnt about about brush care too.

[Andrew McD]

15 hours ago, bill-e-boy said:

That is an excellent video. It reinforces a tutorial we had at the local model club I attend held by a figure painter. The interesting thing is they use huge brushes for fine detail work. The important thing to to load up the brush and shape it before application. Using smaller brushes such as 2-10/0 the same applies

Often paint like Tamiya acrylics are too thick and need some thinning to work well. Water is a slower thinning medium than X20 thinners and helps. I too find that you only get one chance with Tamiya acrylic paints as any further coats tend to clump up paint application and his can be frustrating

For really small detail a tooth pick is OK but I prefer a sharpened bamboo skewer - it seems to work better. Easy to clean - just wipe it off

The other thing than can be done is mixing paint colours to get the exact colour you want. The tooth pick comes in handy where you put a couple of drops of colour to be mixed with one or two drops of colour B etc. I use old business cards and dish style frost plugs for bigger amounts. The frost plugs just need to be wiped off when finished with. 

Also keep your hands steady as mentioned in the video by grounding them on you work surface. Sometimes small items need to be held in some way so that it can be moved for working on it. Alligator clips with long handles are good for this

The main thing is to practice and practice and then practice some more 

I hear you on the practice, practice, practice......now if I just get better at learning from my frequent errors! LOL

[Andrew McD]

22 minutes ago, Sandboarder said:

I would suggest watching a few “how to paint mini’s” videos on YouTube. That certainly blow my mind when it come to paint thinning, pigments, application, techniques and tip to thin paint without over loading the brush so you can place the colour pigments exactly where you want them.

 

Also learnt about about brush care too.

Thanks for responding .......I've not made enough of the youtube resources.

[Sandboarder]

14 minutes ago, Andrew McD said:

Thanks for responding .......I've not made enough of the youtube resources.

Some times knowing what to look for helps a lot.
 

You may not want to paint miniatures or Warhammer or use Citadel paints but their techniques can really help understand how acrylic paint works and flows. From what you said in the first post, I think if you dab your brush on a paper towel to absorb some moisture while leaving the pigment on the brush it’ll help to stop the excess mess. Similar to a technique called glazing but don’t thin the paint as much. 

[Andrew McD]

1 minute ago, Sandboarder said:

Some times knowing what to look for helps a lot.
 

You may not want to paint miniatures or Warhammer or use Citadel paints but their techniques can really help understand how acrylic paint works and flows. From what you said in the first post, I think if you dab your brush on a paper towel to absorb some moisture while leaving the pigment on the brush it’ll help to stop the excess mess. Similar to a technique called glazing but don’t thin the paint as much. 

Good advice on dabbing the brush on a paper towel.  I've started doing so and paying more attention to the "load" of paint that the brush is carrying.  Getting a balance between having just enough paint on the brush so I can cover the detail area in one application and avoid having to apply more paint which leads to the clumping and streaking is going to take some more practice.

[jchrisf]

1 hour ago, Andrew McD said:

I will try thinning the Tamiya acrylic and see if that gives me a bit more control of the flow and avoid the clumping and streaking problems.

You'll notice from the video I posted above that he uses a wet pallet.  These people who use wet pallets will keep the paint on their pallets for weeks without them drying so it saves on paint.  They also use flow improvers and retarders in the mix.

[Sandboarder]

33 minutes ago, jchrisf said:

You'll notice from the video I posted above that he uses a wet pallet.  These people who use wet pallets will keep the paint on their pallets for weeks without them drying so it saves on paint.  They also use flow improvers and retarders in the mix.

I just looked at that video and it is a great reference which shows examples of the techniques I mentioned. 
 

?

[El Roberto]

You could also try Mr Color leveling thinner.  It's basically a thinner with a retarder.   

[Andrew McD]

14 hours ago, El Roberto said:

You could also try Mr Color leveling thinner.  It's basically a thinner with a retarder.   

Thanks for the tip.  Looks like a good product and I've just placed an order.

[OldNYJim]

On 9/18/2021 at 6:11 AM, Sandboarder said:

Some times knowing what to look for helps a lot.
 

You may not want to paint miniatures or Warhammer or use Citadel paints but their techniques can really help understand how acrylic paint works and flows. 

This is true - I’ve been watching a bunch of aircraft and military modeling videos lately picking up tips on painting!