Weathering - Drybrushing

Good day fellow otakus! Today I'll be sharing about Drybrushing - a simple yet highly effective detailing and weathering technique that can bring out the dormant details on your model.
Here's what you'll need:

1. paint and appropriate thinner
2. old but clean flat tip paintbrush
3. paint mixing dish
4. paper towels

Click on the Read More link for the rest of this post...


Drybrushing is performed to highlight raised edges and details on a kit. It can be used to simulate weathering effects such as faded paint or bare, scuffed metal. The drybrushing color is usually a lot brighter than the base paint. You can use any type of hobby grade paint to drybrush, as long as it doesn't react with your base paint. In this example I'm drybrushing silver over a base of flat black to emphasize the details on internal frame parts.

Thin the paint down a bit for easier application, but keep it slightly thicker than regular hand-painting consistency.

An old flat brush is preferred. Load the brush with some paint and wipe it against the edge of the mixing dish to squeeze out most of the excess. Remove as much of the paint as possible from the brush in this step to conserve paint.

Wipe the brush thoroughly on a paper towel. Keep wiping until the brush is "dry", and hardly any paint is left on the brush. This is where the technique gets it's name from.

Lightly brush over the edges of the part. Go against the grain: if the edges are horizontal, brush vertically, and vice versa. The objective is for paint to collect on the edges, and paint left on flat surfaces is kept at a minimum (unless you're trying to achieve some other effect).

The effect may not be immediately visible on the first pass. Keep repeating the process to build up the color slowly. Don't try and rush it by leaving more paint on the brush, as you run the risk of getting more unwanted paint on flat surfaces - ruining the effect.

Before and After

TIPS: 

• Drybrush with enamel over an acrylic base. This lets you clean up mistakes with a cotton swab dampened with lighter fluid.
• Experiment with different shades and layers of drybrushing for interesting effects.

Here's an example of a unique finish achieved by modeler Death2Death through layered drybrushing.

His guide on this technique can be found here --> Death2Death drybrushing technique

Until next time, keep building plamo!