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Hi Everyone,

When dry brushing small mini's I sometimes find my "small" GW dry brush is big enough that it is hard to get to a smaller detail without hitting unwanted areas. Perhaps common sense but i was thinking of taking a standard brush that is well used and just cutting it closer to where the bristles come out effectively making a smaller dry brush? Anyone ever done this?

Palmer

I love GW's stuff but I can't justify the price of their brushes...so as a result I get decent synthetic brushes from the craft shop (Michaels). I find that a really small flat (like an 1/8th) is perfect to dry brush detailed/hard to reach areas without pigment spilling over to other areas. You might want to try that route, and at worst it will only put you out 2-3 bucks....

I found a brush to make into a drybrush in an art store for about £1.

 Kaiserbudheim wrote:
I love GW's stuff but I can't justify the price of their brushes...so as a result I get decent synthetic brushes from the craft shop (Michaels). I find that a really small flat (like an 1/8th) is perfect to dry brush detailed/hard to reach areas without pigment spilling over to other areas. You might want to try that route, and at worst it will only put you out 2-3 bucks....

I'll have to check out Michaels and look for what your talking about thanks,


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 sing your life wrote:
I found a brush to make into a drybrush in an art store for about £1.

Did you do the same thing just cut it shorter or used as is?

I cut off the brush so it was really short.

The best drybrush I've found to date is made from Mongoose hair. Which can be a bit tricky to get since they became endangered :( there are a couple of brush makers who stock piled before such a thing happened who can continue to use it. Rosemary and Co is one of these brush makers.
Theyre not the cheapest of brushes... but while youre there; the Kollinsky sables compare to citadels pricewise, but are so much nicer to use

I haven't even bothered trimming them down. The white nylon and synthetic blends I've relegated to that role are stiff enough to use, as-is (splayed with (ab)use, but otherwise unmodified). If you want to use a very soft-bristled brush, though, a bit of trimming might be in order.

Were I to buy a new brush for the purpose, I'd opt for a small filbert over a flat. Still gives a broader stroke than a round, but is more controllable than a flat and holds a usable shape longer, in my experience.

I tend to use cheap brushes for drybrushing. Home bargains has a set of 20 artists brushes for under £5 that are perfect for the job. I have cut down citadel brushes before, with good results. Just don't cut them too short.

 oadie wrote:
I haven't even bothered trimming them down. The white nylon and synthetic blends I've relegated to that role are stiff enough to use, as-is (splayed with (ab)use, but otherwise unmodified). If you want to use a very soft-bristled brush, though, a bit of trimming might be in order.

Were I to buy a new brush for the purpose, I'd opt for a small filbert over a flat. Still gives a broader stroke than a round, but is more controllable than a flat and holds a usable shape longer, in my experience.

The mongoose hairs I recommended are very soft, yet have amazing spring and keep their shape even after a lot of drybrushing. Cleaned with the propper brush soap ofcourse. Out lasted my GW ones ten fold, and give a much nicer subtle effect thanks the softness and spring combined.
Cleaned with the propper brush soap ofcourse.

Theyre sold under the name 'Masters Choice' on Rosemary and Co.

I sought them out after running out of 'decent' ruined brushes to use

Angular is my usual weapon of choice, but flats, rounds and filberts all have their place.

I would just go to Michaels or walmart and pick up a set of dirt cheap brushes that is what I have for doing dry brushing, washes, layers on large areas they are cheap so you can cut them and I have cut them before actually lol

I use my good brushes for doing details and fine layers, first good brush made a significantly better painter because it was way easier to control where I wanted the paint so I just highlight instead of dry brushing. I would recommend a 0 size brush it's the perfect size for everything! Brand wise I don't really know what brand I use can't remember off the top of my head :p

chiefbigredman wrote:


I use my good brushes for doing details and fine layers, first good brush made a significantly better painter because it was way easier to control where I wanted the paint so I just highlight instead of dry brushing. I would recommend a 0 size brush it's the perfect size for everything! Brand wise I don't really know what brand I use can't remember off the top of my head :p

Which is precisely why its worth having a good drybrush and good wash brush too. Cutting bristles is a bad idea, atleast you do it to cheap ones though. A natrual hair has a belly and a point all by itself, cutting them will take the point off, and totally ruin a good brush.

Oh I know it would probably be better to have a good dry brush brut I rarely dry brush anymore that's why I just use cheap brushes for that because of how rarely I use it.

Can I ask how a good brush would make washes better? I still find my cheap brushes do the job I want when I do washes.

I only cut 1 brush because it was a dead brush because it was so cheap so I wanted it to be flat to do base edges lol but I know it isn't good for quality brushes :p

Ahh well a good brush holds a lot of colour, and has good flow characteristics. Will lay down the wash nicely, but more importantly will suck it back up very well too if you remove most of the paint from it and touch it to areas with too much wash pooling up it will suck it back with capillary action. A good one will hold more.