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- Ron
When I posted my finished SBD-3 Dauntless thread on here a couple of weeks ago, some members asked if I would do a tutorial on how I brush paint all my models.
As we are all here to learn from one and other and I am flattered that people think my painting good enough for a tutorial, you are cordially invited to come along.
So what follows is aimed at raw beginners and is my way of doing it.
Please remember, there will be others who do it differently, so here goes....
My Rules
Always use good quality brushes, cheap ones are a waste of time and will ruin your model. I only use 5 brushes for each medium, Acrylics and Enamels. For large areas I have two nice flat heads No.6 and an old 3/8" which is around 10mm across. The remainder for detail are pointed. No.000,1 and 4, that's it. Don't overload yourself with too many brushes, you don't need them.
(John has some nice one's in the shop)
Respect your brushes and treat them gently. Clean them thoroughly, don't stub them whilst cleaning or ruffle the bristles the wrong way. Clean them in warm soapy water and rinse, then allow to dry naturally. Don't use a cloth, you will get bits on the brush. You won't see them, but you will when you do your painting!!
I won't be using masking tape on the fuselage. (only for the cammo on the wings) I use a fine, soft lead pencil line. That way a hard edge is avoided and makes blending in easier. I did this freehand method on the Dauntless where a tight curve would have prevented me using tape anyway!
Attack the painting head on. By this I mean DON'T FIDDLE! Use a full brush and get the paint on quickly, don't mess around.
Always use thinned paint. Thick will drag and gather in corners. Two thin coats are better than one thick. This method also helps retain the panel lines.
Use the correct thinners. I use either Humbrol's own, or turps for Enamels (I can't tell the difference in performance between the two, so take your choice)
For Acrylics, I use distilled or tap water. Again, I see no difference.
I said this last year in a thread, always paint light colours first. These are easier to cover with dark colours than the other way round.
The Subject.....
The seed for this was planted in my head by Steve (stona) when I read a thread where he described a Bf109 done in a unique stipple rather than the normal heavier mottle.
Thanks to him I found out the aircraft belonged to one Helmut Wick, who, during the Battle of Britain in 1940 became one of the leading aces in the Luftwaffe.
So this aircraft will be the one we will attempt to paint. I don't know how the 'Stipple' will turn out, fingers crossed!
I thank Steve for answering all my questions with his usual patience and good grace. I couldn't attempt this without his great input. Thanks to him I now know a fair amount about Wick and his machine.
Steve, if you read this and want to add more history about the man or his aircraft please feel free to do so.
The kit is a 1/48 Tamiya. I won't go into the cockpit build as this is really an exercise on painting the outside of the aircraft.
More to follow soon....I promise far less reading in subsequent posts!
Ron
View attachment 32467
As we are all here to learn from one and other and I am flattered that people think my painting good enough for a tutorial, you are cordially invited to come along.
So what follows is aimed at raw beginners and is my way of doing it.
Please remember, there will be others who do it differently, so here goes....
My Rules
Always use good quality brushes, cheap ones are a waste of time and will ruin your model. I only use 5 brushes for each medium, Acrylics and Enamels. For large areas I have two nice flat heads No.6 and an old 3/8" which is around 10mm across. The remainder for detail are pointed. No.000,1 and 4, that's it. Don't overload yourself with too many brushes, you don't need them.
(John has some nice one's in the shop)
Respect your brushes and treat them gently. Clean them thoroughly, don't stub them whilst cleaning or ruffle the bristles the wrong way. Clean them in warm soapy water and rinse, then allow to dry naturally. Don't use a cloth, you will get bits on the brush. You won't see them, but you will when you do your painting!!
I won't be using masking tape on the fuselage. (only for the cammo on the wings) I use a fine, soft lead pencil line. That way a hard edge is avoided and makes blending in easier. I did this freehand method on the Dauntless where a tight curve would have prevented me using tape anyway!
Attack the painting head on. By this I mean DON'T FIDDLE! Use a full brush and get the paint on quickly, don't mess around.
Always use thinned paint. Thick will drag and gather in corners. Two thin coats are better than one thick. This method also helps retain the panel lines.
Use the correct thinners. I use either Humbrol's own, or turps for Enamels (I can't tell the difference in performance between the two, so take your choice)
For Acrylics, I use distilled or tap water. Again, I see no difference.
I said this last year in a thread, always paint light colours first. These are easier to cover with dark colours than the other way round.
The Subject.....
The seed for this was planted in my head by Steve (stona) when I read a thread where he described a Bf109 done in a unique stipple rather than the normal heavier mottle.
Thanks to him I found out the aircraft belonged to one Helmut Wick, who, during the Battle of Britain in 1940 became one of the leading aces in the Luftwaffe.
So this aircraft will be the one we will attempt to paint. I don't know how the 'Stipple' will turn out, fingers crossed!
I thank Steve for answering all my questions with his usual patience and good grace. I couldn't attempt this without his great input. Thanks to him I now know a fair amount about Wick and his machine.
Steve, if you read this and want to add more history about the man or his aircraft please feel free to do so.
The kit is a 1/48 Tamiya. I won't go into the cockpit build as this is really an exercise on painting the outside of the aircraft.
More to follow soon....I promise far less reading in subsequent posts!
Ron
View attachment 32467
Last edited by a moderator:
and, of course, for the answers. Will try to check the dark grey acrylic although I'm just fine tuning my skill in thinning the paint. I might try the matt varnish and see how it goes.
