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As some of you know I lost use of my primary hand, making brush control difficult at best. So I started using paint pens like DECOs for delicate detail work. This brought up a topic in my mind that I think would be interesting here. Well dakka peeps, do you think using paint pens pens instead of brushes for detail work an interesting approach or do you think it cheapens the paint job or cheating ect ect.

You should not paint with anything except a brush made yourself from hairs plucked from a yak's nostrils, and egg temper based paint.

Of course pens are fine! A very useful thing they are. I would just make sure of the solvent type before varnishing. I had some accidents in the old days with metallic pens.

Best elitist joke I've heard in a long time, well said.

I've found tree house paint pens and non-acrylic are best for the plastic models and come off nicely with a short soak in "Purple Power" or "Simple Green"

I had massive issues with adding pupils to my models, using a micron pen was an absolute gamer changer for me.

Good stuff.

Always wanted to try paint pens but never had the budgt.

Pens are extremely useful. I just Googled DECO pens and they're not the same thing I'm thinking of, but I use drawing pens (Unipin to be precise) to do things like text on scrolls and some other freehand bits and they're handy.

I used a really thin white paint pen to put company and BN symbols on my 1:600 Israeli army. I may have been able to do it with a brush, but it would have taken way too much time and effort.





I'm all for paint pens!

Very nicely done sir -applause- never got into historic tabletops but you're pictures may sway me to start

I've always wanted to try them. The ones I've tried using smudged so is there a particular band you guys would recommend?

Decocolor has great ones but make sure they are Opaque not Acrylic. Also SOME treehouse ones. The fine tip red I have came out too watery. You should have a few practice models to learn how to use the paint pens properly. Too much paint on the tip is just like too much paint on a brush. So the right pressure needs to be found. Hope that helps heartserenade

There is no such thing as "cheating" in painting, only tools that work and tools that don't work. If paint pens work and produce results equal to painting with a brush then use them.

Screw the elitists! (who haven't actually said anything)

A paint pen is just another tool in the toolbox for a painter to use. In some cases it may be the best tool for the job. Why use something inferior?

Or more nicely said, use whatever you enjoy most and gives you the result you are happy with.