Brush strokes

johnboyjjb

Active member
I know I saw on here somewhere somebody asking about brush strokes. I just can\'t find it.
My Problem: while painting a flag the brush strokes become quite evident. You can immediately tell which direction I was pulling the brush. When I add another drop of water the paint bubbles. When I cut back a drop of water the brush strokes are just thicker. What am I to do?
 

Itchy

New member
If you know the topic\'s already been covered i\'d try this button;
Search.jpg


If you can\'t find it in there i\'d suggest using multiple strokes over the line to fill in the color untill it\'s solid and you can\'t tell the direction of the stroke.
 

johnboyjjb

Active member
Logic would dictate that I had searched for it. The simple statement \"I just can\'t find it\" does imply that a search has been made.

Following logic again we find that covering a brush stroke with another does erase the orignal but also imposes a new one on top of the previous. If both strokes are in the same direction the impression generally becomes stronger - not filling in the gaps.

My original problem was dark marks on a yellow flag. The yellow just wouldn\'t cover. I covered the whole flag over again with about 12 thin coats of scab red, followed by the same amount of red gore, blood red, and so on until I am about to get to fiery orange and sunburst yellow. I don\'t want to lay on those colors until I resolve this issue. I haven\'t come across it before since I have never had to cover such a large area.
 

QuietiManes

New member
You might want to try a softer brush, newer brush, cleaner brush. Or multiple thin layers cross hatching the brush strokes I.E. do the first layer horizontal, the second layer vertical, the third layer diagonal or horizontal etc. That\'s what alot of historical painters suggest for doing large area tanks and such. Or if there\'s a significant difference in the colours being applied, perhaps a middle ground between the 2. Depending on the colours, something like brown or light grey or orange under a yellow, pink or purple or orange or a darker or lighter red under reds. This wont help the brush strokes so much as make it less noticeable reducing the contrast. OR...last or...perhaps a surface tension breaker, Future Floor Finish, a drop of dish soap in a couple ounces of your thinning water.

I think there\'s several things that can cause streaking, might have to experiment a bit to find out what\'s causing it for you.

G\'luck either way
 

johnboyjjb

Active member
Thanks QuietiManes! You nailed. The old favorite brush just isn\'t working anymore. I switched to a new softer brush and I\'m back in business.

Since I have been using about a dozen really thin layers it looks really nice and smooth. There was just one section that would always streak. Your solution was what I needed. Thanks.
 

Itchy

New member
Originally posted by johnboyjjb
Logic would dictate that I had searched for it. The simple statement \"I just can\'t find it\" does imply that a search has been made.
Actually, it doesn\'t. Saying, \"i just can\'t find it,\" says to me you tryed looking manually instead of using the search function, most people don\'t even know it\'s there.
Following logic again we find that covering a brush stroke with another does erase the orignal but also imposes a new one on top of the previous. If both strokes are in the same direction the impression generally becomes stronger - not filling in the gaps.
The intesisty of the color will be strongest at the begining of your stroke and then fade out as you end your stroke. That\'s how you get smooth blends. So if you want a solid line you\'ll have to do many strokes with the same color. Correct, not all strokes will be the same direction, and not all strokes will start at the end of the line you\'re painting. But if you layer it, eventually after many coats you\'ll have a solid line. If your color is solid at the ends of your line painting on top of that CAN NOT make the color any more solid, it can, however, only make the thinner parts of your line solid.
My original problem was dark marks on a yellow flag. The yellow just wouldn\'t cover. I covered the whole flag over again with about 12 thin coats of scab red, followed by the same amount of red gore, blood red, and so on until I am about to get to fiery orange and sunburst yellow. I don\'t want to lay on those colors until I resolve this issue. I haven\'t come across it before since I have never had to cover such a large area.
If you\'ve tried multiple coats and just can\'t cover over the dark marks (mis placed paint?) then i\'d suggest reprimering and starting over. Sometimes loosing a little bit of work can save you frustration in the long run.

At any rate, i\'m not sure i have enough information on the situation to fully know what\'s going on. Maybe some pictures and more details on what\'s going wrong will get more help from the better painters. At any rate, hope this helps and good luck painting.
 
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