Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

So I saw a buddy of mine playing Dark Eldar and he had the usual but load of venoms. Now he's not a bad painter but these were freaking perfect. Obviously air brushed (not something I've gotten good at yet myself) but I noticed that every line that ran along the various hard edges were PERFECT. Not just very nice but PERFECT. The width was the same throughout and the color was consistent. Mine are usually neither :( How's that possible? My buddy couldn't tell me because they weren't his models - he was borrowing them from someone outside the club. Is this really possible with a brush?! If so, in God's name, how! I refuse to believe it's talent/skill. Mostly because I'm not that talented or skilled so there must be a way.

Taping off or using a mask would allow you to get straight lines like that. Free handing or just an airbrush would be imperfect and very noticeable where the flaws were.

I have seen this on a model before here on Dakka. I asked what technique he used. His reply was that he just used a brush. Therefore a steady hand is needed.

You can totally paint a perfect line using freehand. It's just a lot harder.

A good trick when free handing stripes is to start from the middle of the stripe and work out to the desired thickness. You then have plenty of time to adjust where the line needs to be and it looks a lot smoother. For fine lines you probably want to look at a pinstriping brush, and those are a skill all their own.

These:
http://www.dickblick.com/products/kafka-design-pinstriping-brushes/

Look like the ticket.

Or get extra fine tip paint markers

for fine edge highlights, i find that using the side of the tip makes a huge difference for brush control...
using the point of the tip is very hit or miss...

for freehand lines that are not right on the edge, like cloak designs, or shield motifs, i use the tip of the point, and then clean up with the original midtone of whatever surface i'm painting...

hope that helps...

cheers
jah

With a lot of plated things (such as venoms) you can use a larger brush (or airbrush) and paint both sides of the join at once. Then later after it dries you can paint over the gap with clear water so that it is wet. Then just dip the tip of a fine brush with some black into the wet gap. The pigment gets drawn along the gap via capillary action giving you a perfect black line between the plates, and divides your larger line into 2 neat highlights along the plate edge.

For my vehicle markings that need straight lines, I just use masking tape. It's easy and guarantees a perfect line.

Use the wide end of a number 2 flat brush