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I'm struggling when it comes to painting anything smaller than the entire head.
In fact, the head and face would be a good example.
I do my base layer, washes, and a few layers of highlights etc and there arent really any problems.
But when it comes to doing the eyes, or a moustache, or any little detail, physical limitations get in the way and I feel like i'm missing some technique.
Basically when I try to apply a tiny amount of paint obne of two things happens.

If I put a little bit of paint on the brush nothing happens, the paint simply will not transfer from brush to model unless I press harder which obviously means the brush bends and the tip can 'flip' to one side unpredictably, smearing paint all over.
If I apply a bit more paint then the surface tension holds the paint in a blob on the end, or near the end, thus altering the profile of the brush and making it impossible to slip it into eye sockets etc without getting paint on the surrounding areas.

Also if i use ANY amount of water ithe paint ends up acting like a wash, running off into the cracks and giving zero coverage.

How do you get the paint to go where you want???

It's not like i'm useless, i've painted traditionally before, i understand mixing and watering down but when you get to such a small detail I feel I need some specialised microscope with tiny little motorised arms that i can manipulate from a computer lol.

ps i'm using very fine hand made detail brushes which seem better quality than the GW ones and the tip is narrow enough to let me get into the detail areas, the problem comes when i want to get paint onto the model.

I'm no expert but I can paint eyes and gems ok. For those small details your paints need to be watered down to the right amount which is something you have to experiment with. Also try using a slightly larger brush but witha nice tip, this way you can get more paint on the brush and it won't "dry" up as fast.

Also for small details you need to lean your hand on something( table or your other hand), you also need a good light source.

Thanks karokk, i'll give that a go, i really want to get this sorted so i can finish my reiksguard knights.
Also thinking of starting an imperial guard army so being able to do faces would be essential!

You can also try not watering it down at all and trying to get a bead of paint on the tip of the brush and dabbing it on instead of a brushing motion. This works really well for gems, rivets, buttons and hardware on models and especially eyes.

Apply a bit more paint. Wipe off the excess on the sides. Profit.

Here are a couple fo things you can try.

1. Sometimes for small details, I use larger brush, namely a #2 flat. They have nice edges that allow you to paint things like mustaches, small skulls, and edges crisply. ... you might be trying to use a brush that is too small.

2. Overpaint a detail and then highlight. For example eyes. I paint the entire eye socket brown then try for a single horizontal white bar and then a small vertical dark brown bar.

3. Break out the throw away test figures and practice a bit on the little pieces

Cheers everyone, i'll put it to the test!

When you are applying paint onto your brush a good way is not to wipe or jab your brush into the colour, but if you 'roll' or 'twist' your brush through the paint and off to the side, this wipes off excess and gives you a finer point on your brush while still having enough paint in the bristles, you should then be able to almost use it like a micro pen for fine detail! or if doing eyes isn't your thing you can simply shade the sockets with glazes to give the impression of eyes with expression e.g squinting ;-)

Sounds like you're having issues with flow control.

There are three factors at play:

Paint consistency. Tiny application areas need good flow (thin paint). You'll only be using a very small amount of paint on the brush, and you need to be able to control it. Paint that's too thick simply won't spread evenly. You'll find it very difficult to produce even lines or edges with paint that doesn't flow properly.

Brush quality. A good brush will release paint smoothly with just a little pressure, and should have a very fine point. How wide it is at the ferrule and how long the bristles are simply change the amount of paint you can hold to release in one stroke. You are aiming to 'pull' the brush and leave paint behind. You should never really 'poke' or 'push' the brush around. This will only bugger up your point and have potentially unpredictable results. Dirty brushes tend to have bristles 'stuck together'. This leads to a bad point, and more frequently an uneven release of paint - you'll get to a certain amount of pressure on the brush, then 'sploosh'!. Have a good clean brush, with a nice point.

Brush load. The more paint you have in the reservoir (brush) the less pressure on the tip you need to make it flow faster. So for small, controlled application you want only a little paint in the brush. Load it, then pull it back against the back of your hand to test the flow. Let paint out till it flows like you want it to.

Remember - 'flow' is not 'running all over the place'. Flow is how the paint leaves your brush and is pulled by it or by the surface itself.

I had a similar problem, early on. First, I tried using an overly fine brush and only slightly thinned paint - it would dry on the bristles before I could get it to the model. Then, I tried thinning it more to counter the rapid drying and it ran off of the detail I was trying to paint.

The trick was reasonably dilute paint in a slightly larger bellied brush that was lightly loaded. Even tinted water will stay where you put it if there isn't enough of it to pool and run. Take a clean, damp (but not wet) brush, dip the tip in your dilute paint, then wick away the excess by lightly touching the tip to a paper towel. Try it on your hand or some scrap - you'll notice that paint leaves the brush easily, but you're making a line, not a line-shaped pool.

I have to say i'm impressed with the responses here - i've been a member of other forums for different things and nobody was ever this helpful and detailed.
Sounds like you've all hit th enail on the head, need to sort out my flow (giggle). Luckily those new brushed I got, the handmade ones, are far far better than any other i've had and already I can feel a big difference.

Thin your paint with acrylic media that extends the drying time. This will prevent the paint brush drying up on you.

It's also a note that painting traditionally does not translate with painting miniatures. I thought I would be boss right away when painting miniatures since I'm pretty good at traditional painting, but I was proven wrong and i need to practice for a couple of years to get to the level I am now. It's mainly because you're using a different set of muscles to paint: when painting traditionally especially on big canvases you use your whole arm and wrist on the details. When painting miniatures you don't even use your wrists: you mainly use finger muscles.

Hey Mike,

Im sure its already been said, but IMHO the trick to painting details is having enough paint mixed to the right constancy before you even get started. Also cleaning the brush after each prolonged application helps to keep the brush fresh with a defined point. As for the "right" constancy, well thats where it gets tricky, you'll just have to experiment but proper thinner is very helpful, water does tend to separate the pigment giving the paint a more chalky texture of time.

There is another thing that help to, but i'm sure you are aware of it. It really is just simple brush technique, when putting paint onto the brush of onto the mini, slowly spin the brush. This keeps the application of paint even and the brush point defined.

I hope this helps you out, and if your interested if have a tutorial on painting faces here http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/285141.page

Hi Mike, I know everyone else's suggestions here are fantastic (and I only just started learning to paint today) but I work in dental and that requires quite a steady hand and attention to tiny detail. One of the best tricks I found was with arm/hand and finger placement to steady the miniature. It's only a little tip but it worked for me as I was able to paint super tiny eyes on the dragon helmet of a High Elf Horse by doing that (and my teacher had told me not to bother because he said I wouldn't be able to paint anything so tiny)

Sometimes with a figure I paint the eyes first and then use the flesh colour around the outside to correct it to the right shape and size. That's easier than trying to pop the eyes on last with a precision dot as they often end up looking in different directions. Most important things to me are that the eyes are the same size and looking the same direction.

i'll check that out now Hits - thanks everyone got the dark vengeance box set on the way so i'll get a lot of practice soon!