To drybrush or not on Pelt

[dshavers]

When doing fur, specifically a bear fur/pelt, is drybrushing still a viable technique for a display quality? I'm working on this model in particular,
http://banelegions.maelstromgames.co.uk/?tag=bnl-020

The pelt seems pretty detailed, and i'm sure the drybrush would bring out the details nicely, but I would really like to avoid the chalky and "dry" look that drybrushing sometimes gives. I'm going for a more cooled down version of the one painted, so I've already based the bear with VMC london grey with a touch of dark sea blue to give it some color.

Yellow one has a nice example of doing a bear's pelt that IMO doesn't look drybrushed at all.

http://www.coolminiornot.com/247461?browseid=1056652

 

[kathrynloch]

Ah yes, I remember that one. It's still mind boggling. But I can comfortably say that I don't think a single drybrush was used - it is all layering, my friend. Every time I look at it, I wonder how long it took him to paint.

 

[AllTerrainMonkey]

You can do something that I've heard called "sidebrushing". Take your paint and leave it somewhat thick; start at your normal drybrush consistency and add water as you go if needed. Grab a decent brush with long bristles (I usually use a #1 or #2 Winsor Newton) and load the first 1/2 or so with paint, then wipe off the excess on the corner of the well/damp paper towel/whatever you use to unload the paint from the brush when you layer/etc. Take the brush, and instead of coming at the figure perpendicularly with the brush lay the bristles flat against the fur. If that doesn't make sense, think of the barrel of the bristles like the roller of a paint roller. You're not going to roll the brush, obviously, but make light, even strokes with that semi-thick paint on the bristles. When done correctly it will pick out all the raised areas of the fur but be thick enough not to flow down into the crevices, so you'll want to basecoat and wash the fur first, or just start dark and slowly work up through your normal color ranges.

If that made zero sense lemme know and I'll try to get a few quick pics to show you what I mean. In addition to fur, sidebrushing can make highlights on hair and doing NMM chainmail much easier as well.

The other more time-consuming option is to use the point of a good brush, load the paint, point the tip into the recess of a fur fluff and pull upwards towards the high spot, and slowly layer all those peaks, which will get you a nice result, but possibly cause mental anguish in the process.

 

[Einion]

When doing fur, specifically a bear fur/pelt, is drybrushing still a viable technique for a display quality?

It depends on how much of it you use, how you do it* and your standards for 'display quality' which isn't of course a standard - there are plenty of people painting for collectors that use drybrushing, even on large-scale historicals

The bottom line is probably what you already suspect, most of the time for the best effect you really need to do it slowly and meticulously.

*How heavily, stiffness of brushes, exact technique used (cross-grain versus along-the-grain brushing), the colours used, modified with glazing afterwards or not etc.

Einion

 

[dshavers]

Thanks!

I believe that Natalya uses a very similar technique. I'll give that one a go. Worse case, I'll just use some thin glazes to blend it in.

You can do something that I've heard called "sidebrushing". Take your paint and leave it somewhat thick; start at your normal drybrush consistency and add water as you go if needed. Grab a decent brush with long bristles (I usually use a #1 or #2 Winsor Newton) and load the first 1/2 or so with paint, then wipe off the excess on the corner of the well/damp paper towel/whatever you use to unload the paint from the brush when you layer/etc. Take the brush, and instead of coming at the figure perpendicularly with the brush lay the bristles flat against the fur. If that doesn't make sense, think of the barrel of the bristles like the roller of a paint roller. You're not going to roll the brush, obviously, but make light, even strokes with that semi-thick paint on the bristles. When done correctly it will pick out all the raised areas of the fur but be thick enough not to flow down into the crevices, so you'll want to basecoat and wash the fur first, or just start dark and slowly work up through your normal color ranges.

If that made zero sense lemme know and I'll try to get a few quick pics to show you what I mean. In addition to fur, sidebrushing can make highlights on hair and doing NMM chainmail much easier as well.

The other more time-consuming option is to use the point of a good brush, load the paint, point the tip into the recess of a fur fluff and pull upwards towards the high spot, and slowly layer all those peaks, which will get you a nice result, but possibly cause mental anguish in the process.

 

[Dragonsreach]

As has been said sidebrushing works well with care and attention.
Get your shadows right and the highlighting is easy, you just have to remember that Fure is like fabric and needs to be highlighted according to the fall across the model, and not All over.

 

[ischa]

again natalya comes up, i quote her vid:"never drybrush". the technique she uses is stoppling, i also use it, for pretty much everything xept for nmm. time consuming, yes, as hell. but it really does the trick. display minis will take time, but taking time with your techniques is the best way to get a result you´ll like=)

 

[ischa]

by the way, that mini is hella awesome, might get it.

 

[MightyChad]

If you want to do one layer of drybrushing to pick out the detail, that is fine. But then start layering, and use come glazing. Should be a great mini for it.

 

[Jericho]

Never drybrush, Natalya? But I'm painting scenery