Choosing Miniature Paint Brushes
- 1. The most important, in my opinion, a parameter of a brush is a bunch. It is important that it be “clean”. There should not be any protruding hairs, it should fold up on its own when wet. This parameter greatly affects the cleanliness of the painting, as well as comfort.
- 2. Brush stiffness. A soft brush gives the paint better and also applies liquefied paint more evenly. But a very soft brush requires more control of effort, which tires you out. Balance is important.
- 3. Pile exposition, or hair length. This parameter is critical for a small brush used for painting small parts, edges. The shorter the exposition, the more comfortable it to work with, fewer blotches.
- 4. A subjective point – control of force. Some brushes require more pressure to recoil paint from the base of the brush. Also, some problems arise when you try to use the side of the brush for work, not the bundle. I don’t know exactly what this parameter depends on, but it affects the cleanliness of the work quite a lot.
Careful Selection
Brush quality should be tested on three characteristics: sharp tip, elasticity, and fluidity control. First, remove the glue from the bundle. Dip the brush in water. It will take you longer than usual for the new brush to soak it up. Then, tap the brush lightly on your index finger: the bundle of a high-quality brush will take on a pointed shape. The hair of low-quality brushes will take on an unkempt appearance. After checking for a sharp tip and elasticity, run the brush across the surface to determine flow properties. You’ve probably noticed that finding the right brush isn’t that difficult. Here are some more of my tips to help you make the right choice.
- Don’t buy brushes at random. You should check the bundle thoroughly first. Many brushes come on the market with protective caps. If the caps have been removed and then put back on or replaced, there is a chance that the brush bundle is damaged. After that, try the brush out.
- Any serious seller will give you some water and a place to test it.
- A general rule for all brushes is to make sure that the clip is securely attached to the handle.
- When selecting bristle brushes, check the bristles carefully-do they have many split-tip hairs?
- Run the synthetic brush over your fingers, feel its relative resilience? Is it suitable for working with paint?
- Keep your brushes clean to prolong their life considerably.
So, what Paints For Miniatures should be chosen and why. By consistency, all paints are conventionally divided into:
- enamels – thick, viscous, shiny surface after drying, not good;
- semi-enamels – just vicious, semi-glossy, sometimes, rarely goes into the primer;
- hiding, normal – the surface is more often matt after drying
- dispersive, finely dispersed – most likely matte – depends on the solvent, good for glazes.
Why Is It Important?
Model paint should remain matte (rarely semimatte) after drying, except for some metallics. It’s especially disgusting when the paint is shiny – especially where your face and hands are. Hardware, wood, fabric – all of these things are matte in nature, which is why ordinary nitro enamels are not suitable for miniatures. The best paint – fine nitro (for modelers), produced by companies that produce miniatures. The best solvent is 646!
How Do You Know Which Brush Is Best for The Job?
The answer to this question depends on many factors, chief among which are: which of the materials you use, what technique you use, and how much money you intend to spend? Imagine how cool it would be to walk into a brush department of an art store and see a “sea” of labels like “Fine’ Lessish Brush”, “Brush for Paste Technique”, “For Transmission of Texture”, etc. But the reality is that there is a limitless choice of brushes, long or short, soft or stiff, natural or synthetic, silently looking at us from the art salon shelves – their unique qualities and advantages, like the sphinx, remain a mystery to us. Brush prices are usually in the range of $1 to $100. Which one should I choose? And how do I know if the purchased brush will justify the money? (Yes often, I go to the salon and see everything new and new, and if the counter is also a young saleswoman, then sensible advice from her not to wait).
Thus, as it seems to me, using this information, you can confidently enter the department of brushes of any salon, firmly knowing that you can and what is undesirable to do with the selected brushes.
