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I was wondering if there is any generalized advice or recommended techniques to produce a super-smooth finish on large, curved surfaces using brush. (Spraying is not an option for me. Also, I am painting a Knight, if that helps.)

Right now, I am thinning my paints as much as I dare, as going too far will lead to runny paint, which will pool and produce orange peel texture along the extremities of where I painted. I still end up with slight brush strokes though. Cross-hatching seems to help break up the lines, but the surface is still not smooth.

Should I try wet-sanding when the acrylic is bone dry? I always worry because acrylic is much softer than enamel.

How about using varnish as a leveler between layers? (So base, layer, varnish, layer, etc.) I have had good results using Vallejo Matt Varnish as a surface leveler in the past, but I am not sure if this works on a larger surface.

I've read that warm paint onto a cold surface will spread to a smooth finish. Though that was from coach painters so I don't know how much actual difference it makes on models with acrylic paints - but it can't hurt to pop the model in the freezer for a while and the paint on a radiator to warm up (warm NOT boiling)

That is an interesting theory... I will have to try it.

Before I got an airbrush, I would put a lot of paint down on the surface - one thick coat of diluted paint. You paint the entire area progressively, extending the wet edge outward, ensuring the paint stays thick enough before it dries, with no brush marks. You're not so much brushing it on as you are moving a pool of paint over the surface.

You have to constantly mix the paint so it doesn't separate on you (keep a toothpick handy). It's tedious, but when it dries it's basically a smooth shell of thick paint.

Result:


One single coat of Codex Grey over black primer.

Result:


The greys, reds/orange/yellows and gold was done with this method over black primer.

The hard part of this paint job is getting just the right thickness of paint. If you're not careful, you get to an edge or crevice and it runs away from you. Its slow as feth but it gets smoothness comparable to an airbrush, though I can't guarantee opacity with some colors (yellows) with a single layer.

For smooth coats over large areas, an airbrush really is the best option, but if you can't spray, this will produce a smooth coat.

I actually paint in a similar fashion at the moment. I start in the center, get some paint, extend the wet edge and mix with the previously applied paint, repeat. (This is done very quickly; I have learned that if I wait too long, I get a bit of resistance, signalling that the paint is beginning to settle.) I guess the only difference is that my coats are thin and even rather than thick and even. But those models definitely seem smooth.

Without any pictures in your gallery or this post it's really hard to tell what you're doing wrong.
All i know from your post history is that you're a year into this game and it's probably something that you need to practice a few times.

This might sound dumb but try using a bigger brush.

Layers, thin, Lots of

I used the same technique as John Prins, although I had to do 2-3 coats to get the right colour depth. Takes a bit of time (and looks awful to start with), but is really effective when it’s finished.

 Alex Kolodotschko wrote:
This might sound dumb but try using a bigger brush.

Also, this; I think one of the biggest improvements I’ve made to my painting is switching to bigger brushes. It works for everything from infantry to vehicles, use the biggest brush that can physically fit on the area you are painting.

@Alex
Ah yeah. I should get around to adding to my gallery some time in the future.

I discovered the bigger brush thing about six months into the hobby. I paint with #2 and #4 round brushes for the most part.

@Jadenim
Can you be a bit more specific about the John Prins technique? I would like to know more.

We've released a new additive to help thin paint down called Water+



There's more info at the website INSTAR Water+, but to give you a summary -

Water+ acts differently by crosslinking the paint and pigment particles in the solution, evenly distributing them compared to typical water based mediums which attract pigment particles to the centre due to surface tension leaving unsightly tide marks.

This allows for much smoother coats per brush stroke since the pigment is evenly dispersed throughout the head of the brush and leaves the brush in an even manner in comparison to other mediums which retain most of the pigment in the brush head until the end of the brush stroke where the pigment concentration will be higher.



You can check out MonkeysWithFire Stream where he uses it MonkeysWithFire Twitch Stream and Grey Paladin Arts Grey Paladin Arts Twitch Stream, Asset Drop recently had it in their latest discovery boxes and it has been received very positively by everyone who has used it.

It comes in bottles as small as 5ml to as large as 100ml, is non-toxic and used in the same way you would use any other thinning medium.

Here's what Asset Drop had to say about it

"Thinning your paints is arguably one of the most important aspects of miniature painting. How thin your paints are will change how they act on the miniature; from how well they cover to the uniformity of the end result. It also opens up different techniques like glazing and washing.

Because thinning is so important, it’s no surprise that there are a variety of products which can help you with it; from distilled water to flow improver to acrylic thinners, all from a number of different manufactures. For most painting applications, I’d recommend a high quality thinner over water, as good thinners change the base properties of the paint much less than water will.

How do you pick the best acrylic thinner though?

This is fairly subjective as different people will want different things from their thinner, in a thinner, and why amongst the ranks of other thinning products, Water+ really stands out. For me, there are four key attributes a thinner should have to make it excellent. Water+ has all of these!

Low Viscosity

I personally prefer my paints to be thin, with lots of flow, for as smooth application off the brush. Having a thinner which isn’t too thick (or too thin for that matter) is a great start.

High Transparency

As well as looking for a thinner with the ideal viscosity, I also look for thinners which won’t alter the opacity of my paint during application. Good thinners won’t make your paint more opaque when dry, but thinners which come out of the bottle milky will make your paint look more opaque when it’s
being applied, and may even alter the colour tone during application. I find this undesirable as it’s harder to judge the end result of your painting this way.

High Compatibility

Although it’s uncommon, I have experienced thinners that don’t behave well with some paint brands. I like to keep painting as straightforward as possible and not have to worry about how my thinner will react with new paints.

Great Value

Finally, being good value for money is the final hurdle. I get through plenty of thinner so being able to buy it in larger bottles is a must.

Water+ has all of these attributes exactly right, while also providing two further outstanding features!

Pigment Suspension:

With Water+, INSTAR have managed to engineer a formula which provides pigment binding properties. What I mean by this is that your paint will no longer separate as readily on the palette! This is an issue which can arise with other thinners, especially water. Now when your paint dries, it will give you a very smooth and solid coverage, even when using thin paints, or paints with larger pigment particles. This is an impressive property of Water+!

Finally, the high precision bottle INSTAR have used for their Water+ has a super fine nib. This helps you to get exactly the right amount of thinner, exactly where you need it. Ideal for keeping waste and mess to a minimum, and getting the correct thinning ratios."

 Suzuteo wrote:
I was wondering if there is any generalized advice or recommended techniques to produce a super-smooth finish on large, curved surfaces using brush. (Spraying is not an option for me. Also, I am painting a Knight, if that helps.)

Right now, I am thinning my paints as much as I dare, as going too far will lead to runny paint, which will pool and produce orange peel texture along the extremities of where I painted. I still end up with slight brush strokes though. Cross-hatching seems to help break up the lines, but the surface is still not smooth.

Should I try wet-sanding when the acrylic is bone dry? I always worry because acrylic is much softer than enamel.

How about using varnish as a leveler between layers? (So base, layer, varnish, layer, etc.) I have had good results using Vallejo Matt Varnish as a surface leveler in the past, but I am not sure if this works on a larger surface.

What I do to get ultra smooth finish is sanding the undercoat with a toothbrush. or Scoring .. Than base coat than scour .. Than base again. Followed by another scour and touchups. At this point I break out my model knife with a fresh blade and look for impurities and out of place trim. I shave off any bumps. than touch up the base coat again. Layer as normal . Wash etc.

You can also try Wet Sanding.

interestingly I've always gone the opposite direction, to get a smooth finish I keep the brush as dry as possible and effectively do a very heavy dry brush until the whole model is coloured, it takes a while and destroys the brush but you end up with a very smooth matt finish because there never enough pain to leave the brush strikes in

Right now, I am thinning my paints as much as I dare, as going too far will lead to runny paint, which will pool and produce orange peel texture along the extremities of where I painted.

Sounds excessive and there is no point in doing that. Prime, apply base coat, wash, apply base coat second time, highlight and then apply Matt Varnish. After Varnish part there is no way there would be any brush strokes left to see even under magnifying glass. Use good brush, for something the size of the IK I'd use kolinsky №3.

The way I was taught:
Thin paint, wide, soft, brush, low load (effectively smooth even coats, almost like a glaze - aim to avoid stroke and to build up colour gradually).

Apply each coat across the coat before.