Hobby Cheating 139 Ultimate Guide to Drybrushing

In this Hobby Cheating Tutorial, I take you through the most maligned of techniques, the humble drybrush. The old favorite has a lot of different applications and should be a part of your painting tool belt regardless of your skill level. I walk you through different methods of dry brushing to achieve different results and how you can change your technique based on the surface in question. Hope you enjoy!
Twitter: @warhammerweekly
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[@TravelingAnvil]

5 year old video still putting in valuable work. Thanks Vince.

[@VinceVenturella]

Glad it was helpful!

[@bethanygraham427]

Great video, many people show "how" to drybrush, great to see someone explaining "when" to drybrush.

[@VinceVenturella]

Thank you, my goal is always to give people more than just how, because the why and when are usually actually the tough parts. :)

[@IntrovertedWARGAMER]

When Vince says he is an "ok" painter it makes me look at my models and think about putting them in a blender lol

[@VinceVenturella]

It's the sort of thing where I am always aware of those whose work just blows me away and I always feel ok at best. :)

[@ricksanchez3204]

No no friend totally wrong attitude to have, when he says that I'm sure he's comparing himself to the other people that is on his level other professionals, and I know the kind of pressure that the statement comes there's like this weight to meet the standard so to speak but, that doesn't actually exist and as long as you are happy with your models that's what matters. Also remember that ninety-nine percent of the time they're going to be viewed from two to three feet away and I imagine that you like myself judge your own work from a zoomed-in level looking at it right up in your face picking out every single tiny detail that's flawed

[@jakelilevjen9766]

Hey, I’d be glad to share my minis with you so you can feel better!

[@Rogelio_007]

@@ricksanchez3204 Yep. Looking at a figure magnified well above normal, unaided eyesight is a much different perspective than looking at a 1.5 inch figure at arms length.

[@mtnjhutch]

@@jakelilevjen9766 me too

[@GalaxyStranger01]

This is, BY FAR, the best dry brushing tutorial on KZbin. I've been dry brushing like this since 1987 and I have yet to see anyone who doesn't dry brush with a wet freaking brush. They literally paint the subject and call it dry brushing... For skeletons, I like to prime with a black so that things like the rib cage is black where there isn't supposed to be anything have a kind of void. Then, I do a heavy dry brush with a dark brown or caramel that pretty much only catches the bone. Then I do a less heavy brushing with a lighter caramel or cream as a mid-tone and then finish off with a light dry brushing with just white to hit the highlights. When I want to do a more detailed job, I'll add steps of shade in between those to really bring the bone out and it winds up looking more realistic. Of course a wash at the end, (especially with water based acrylics), re-activates the paint and blends everything together real well. I use this technique with anything that has detail like that - even skin tones. I do the same thing with orc miniatures that have decent detail on them to give them at least 3 tones of green skin with lighter green highlights. I like to dry out the brush against discarded cardboard toilet rolls, etc. The color makes it easy to inspect how wet the brush is and it's real rough, so it dries it out a little more than something like paper towels. And since I poop a lot, there is no shortage of product.

[@VinceVenturella]

The discarded cardboard thing is brilliant. I wear an apron and so use that, but yes, the dryness is the key. Glad the video was helpful and thank you. :)

[@Rogelio_007]

"since I poop a lot, there is no shortage of product" belly chuckling

[@Straylight87]

Thank you for this! Zenithal prime drybrush is a real top tip. Consider me converted.

[@jaymanleonard]

I liked that too, specially for the early hours. Im a bit of a night owl and even my 'silent' airbrush compressor wakes the missus. Shes goes even more mental when I put gunwash through it in my room because its dark and raining outside...

[@VinceVenturella]

It's a great time saver and I am glad. It's something I wanted to make sure I included in a tutorial for a while, as I see people struggling over black primer and they don't have an airbrush.This is a fast, easy and every effective alternative. happy it was helpful. :)

[@davidkilby1043]

I agree. The zenithal part is amazing

[@Nan0guy]

It’s a great tip but can I ask. When “zenithal” drybrushing: do you dry and keep the brush at a certain angle (e.g. 45 degrees) to better mimic the directionality of an air brush? Or do you just come at the mini as needed so long as it’s all downwards strokes?

[@mikesmusicden]

Not only are you great at what you do, but you explain the rationales behind the techniques clearly and intelligently. Awesome channel!

[@VinceVenturella]

Glad to help! Always happy to answer question you may have. :)

[@BrandonWilliams-js8cv]

I’m 50 and have been painting on and off since I was a kid. In my teens I started painting GW pieces and my frustration concerning my outcomes vs. the box art was maddening. I stumbled across dry brushing and things started to make sense. To this day I still dry brush multiple coats each coat lighter in shade and pressure and then put colors on in the reverse with darker tints. Finally bring the colors in with filters. It seems to be backwards concerning convention but it yields the best results for me. Love your channel.

[@willmyers6537]

In a former Warhammer community i belonged in, we used the GW Tankbrush and a damp cold grey or a metal if the miniture was heavily armored. Applying pretty much all over black primer, so we could see what we was painting. Often I learn. Sometimes I remember. Every time I’m thankful, with what you do.

[@VinceVenturella]

Thank you sir, much appreciated as always. :)

[@robbie604604]

Thank you for deliberately including some brief recaps of the basics mixed in with your explanations and examples here. As someone who is about 4 months into the hobby. I found this video to be particularly thorough, helpful and informative. It helped me to see what I was not quite doing right with the introductory techniques and it also helped me understand the new skills I need to work on moving forward. I wish I would have started here when I was learning about all this! Keep up the good work!

[@VinceVenturella]

Awesome, happy to help as always. :)

[@stuartnelson6557]

Hi Vince, I'm new to this hobby and just want to thank you for sharing your experience and knowledge.

[@VinceVenturella]

Thank you, very much appreciated and always happy to help. :)

[@adambo6630]

Great as always, Vince, your Hobby Cheating series is literally the best miniature painting school I have attended!:) I have just bought an airbrush thanks to your channel,now I just undercoat everything like crazy as I can't do much more yet!:) A few questions though,that came up after my trying to implement some of your techniques: 1.How to glaze metallics? It simply doesn't seem to work:(So how to utilize zenithal using metallics? 2.How to use zenithal highlighting with nontransparent colours or those that look awful on black?E.g. how to paint yellow pants using zenithal? 3.Are washes (products) as good in glazing as proper glazes? It would be REALLY awesome if you put a video including the whole process of speedpainting utilising zenithal,from the beginning to the end,describing the step you conduct and then fastforwarding most of the painting to the next step.This way most such questions would get an auto answer:)

[@chikhai]

Fantastic video Vince. Probably the best on the subject on KZbin. I discovered soft drybrushing a few years ago and haven't looked back since. One quick tip though; you can never go too soft. Makeup brushes are great, but if you use the very soft ones that are used to apply blusher (the big fluffy ones) you can achieve really subtle effects. The added bonus is they're super cheap too. They can take a little getting used to as they soak up a lot of pigment, but for building up layers of detail they're second to none. Worth a try if you haven't already.

[@VinceVenturella]

Absolutely great advice and you are right, I love those very soft brushes for very subtle effects, I should have shown one of those in use as well. :)

[@dreadpooled]

I hate KZbin for not recommending this insanely good tutorial any sooner.

[@VinceVenturella]

Well thank you, happy to help as always. :)

[@L3GHO5T]

I love how you take the time and break everything down on a technical level. I’ve only been in the hobby about 4 months. I just found you’re channel about a week ago and it is hands down the best channel for painting minis for a beginner coming from a beginner and I’m sure it’s the same with extremly advanced stuff. If you want to grow painting minis this channel is an absolute must! Thanks Vince I appreciate you!

[@VinceVenturella]

Thank you, that means a great deal to me and I am always happy to help. :)

[@L3GHO5T]

@@VinceVenturella I have a question maybe you could help me out. I’m not really sure what I’m doing wrong, or if this just happens but every single brush I use with a nice fine point with in a few dips in the the very tip it like does this flick it looks like a Nike swoosh almost I don’t know how to explain it. But then after about a half hour to hour the swoosh Turns to like a ball and it can be pulled off easily with finger tips and then a fine point brush becomes like a wedge. I know I use cheap brushes and that’s what I’m thinking my issue is because I’ve done tons of research on brush care and maintenance. I even went out and bought 2 citadel brushes and they were damn 34.99 each !!! And by the end of the first paint, they’ve turned into a pair of Nike shoes, same damn price anyways

[@Chris-so1tn]

Wow, I agree, this is the best dry brushing instructional video on KZbin. Thanks! Do you have a link to the makeup brushes you purchased? Amazon is getting harder and harder to search because they are tailoring results to advertisers. Without an exact name, I’ve found it impossible to find the better deals. Makeup Brush turned up nothing like what you have.

[@VinceVenturella]

Sure, here is what I bough recently, I have bought several different packs. - www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01LY8ICR6/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03__o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[@kazoden4225]

I've been drybrushing for about a decade now and I still found this video extremely helpful. The Zen drybrush I am going to try on my next model. I especially love the soft brush over smoother areas, and the moment the video was over I set out to raid my finances make up kit. Keep up the great work Vince!

[@VinceVenturella]

Excellent, always happy to help. :)

[@vincenthudon1520]

Your tutorials are exactly what I was looking for. Thank you so much for putting out these quality learning videos.

[@VinceVenturella]

Glad you like them! Always happy to help. :)

[@jacobauvinen8261]

I’m not sure if here is where to ask, but… “Vince, could you make a video about other artists that you have followed or learned from? People that have inspired or influenced your creativity and skill?” I really do appreciate your encouragement to help others of us in the hobby to keep honing our skills and learning from each other and for our own mistakes. You’re a boon to us all, man! Thank you!!

[@VinceVenturella]

Sounds like a fun video for sure.

[@isisnmagic1812]

Thanks for the videos , I've only been doing minis for over a year now and found your videos a few months ago. Watched many others before you but you have helped so much more as you actually instruc6 and show where others just show how they do , thanks to your videos I've now stopped grey priming and black Matt painting over before I paint as I thought I was actually black priming lol then I found out about undercoat painting and dry brushing and zenethal from again other videos telling what they do and not explaining , your videos have turned my whole thought process and miniature painting around to a much better understanding, thank you. And this video has helped me understand better dry brushing, I had given up on it and zenethal because I dont have an airbr6 or use cans for health reasons but after this i will definitely give them a try again knowing it can be done by brushing. I already have a set of make up brushes from my first attempt and a set of course brushes to ruin lol.

[@VinceVenturella]

Thank you very much, that's wonderful to hear and I'm always happy to help. :)

[@MrHacn]

Returned to the hobby after a over 10 year break. Been watching your videos avidly. Thank you for your work and for sharing your knowledge.

[@VinceVenturella]

Happy to help as always. :)

[@djjc76]

Not only did I learn new techniques but I was truly inspired to pick up the brush or two and get to work. Thank you for putting this video together

[@VinceVenturella]

That's wonderful to hear and happy to help as always. :)

[@Badartist888]

As someone who sucks at drybrushing and it at the level where it should be one of my most advanced techniques. I like the length of this video I'm about to watch.

[@VinceVenturella]

I get into it, hope you enjoyed. :)

[@neilmckie2768]

Brilliant - never even thought about blending dry-brushing! Always tried washes and glazes to 'join it all up', but definitely going to give this a go. Thank You

[@VinceVenturella]

Glad it was helpful!

[@AvantaSensei]

As a beginner your videos helped me immensely

[@VinceVenturella]

Glad I could help

[@Rogelio_007]

Vince has that favourite Jr. High School teacher vibe about him. Reminds me of one of my best teachers back in the day.

[@VinceVenturella]

Awesome! :)

[@adecook8282]

I used dry brushing on areas of my piece that scooped a bronze at the GD in February. It most certainly has its place in the repertoire. Great video Vince.

[@VinceVenturella]

Awesome and congratulations on the win! I totally agree, it's not about a "bad" technique, it's about using any technique in a good way. :)

[@Jesentra]

Fantastic video, thank you. This was way, way too close to home for me. My third mini was a space marine and that is what took me away from drybrushing just because of how hard it was and how much streaking I did. Also, lo and behold, I happen to have a black primed orc sitting in my bin...and now I can't wait to try this drybrushing technique on him to get him zenithal'd!

[@VinceVenturella]

Awesome. :)

[@lunahula]

If you wanted to get a good blue highlighted black on say an Iron Hands space marine, black undercoat, then work with soft drybrush strokes from base to top, hitting the underside edges in a dark blue like dark reaper or something more blue, your choice. Then work from the top down with a soft brush and top to bottom strokes with a lighter blue highlight. If you use it to zenithal the top area, you can then come in with a blue ink possibly mixed with some black ink and get it over those areas.

[@VinceVenturella]

Yep, I think that would work awesome and give some great transitions.

[@lunahula]

Thinking on it more, you could achieve a good imperial fists yellow by starting with something like scrofulous brown as a basecoat, then soft drybrush averland sunset, then glaze on a yellow ink and probably get quite a good contrasted result. So many things to try, so few models actually prepped to work on.

[@padrespeaks]

*dumps 12 makeup brushes* "This isn't all of them by the way" HAHAHAHAH Vince never change, love your channel.

[@VinceVenturella]

What can I say, I am a sucker for an amazon bundle deal for $6 and free shipping. ;)

[@padrespeaks]

Vince Venturella quick suggestion for follow up video: how to properly clean dry brushes. We can't all get then by the gross 😉

[@DanielAKA]

You got me curious. Do you have a link to the makeup brushes you used specifically?

[@celicynd]

Any chance you could link the ones you got? For some reason, I'm not finding bulk packs for that cheap.

[@hobbes7777]

You got me curious as well. Can't seem to find it on amazon. Hated the chalky texture on my space marines to highlight with a standard brush.

[@AviadMD]

I wonder how many of those people who "Never Drybrush" got a painted horde army... Seriously tho great video Vince, probably the one person out there who'll do 45 min on drybrushing and show some awesome uses to the technique

[@VinceVenturella]

Thank you, and exactly, sometimes, you have to paint 180 gor and they aren't going to paint themselves. :)

[@PaintsAreOp]

A friend of mine was scared out of drybrushing when a judge at a miniature painting competition basically said his paintjob is shit and no one should ever drybrush anything. Last year he won that competition with a model that had drybrushed parts.

[@albin3dklein]

Holy cow mate, your channel just have blown my mind with only 3 videos and I have learned so many tricks I was wondering how to achieve... It's not cheating if it works!. The cenital trick instantly my mind went like POOOOOGHHHHH!!!!!! Amazing, thanks a lot.

[@VinceVenturella]

Thank you, always happy to help. :)

[@TerrierHalo]

These videos have been so useful while I’m (re)entering the hobby. Thank you.

[@VinceVenturella]

Glad to help :)

[@kendo5862]

Wow ... Fantastic in-depth and illustrative tutorial ... and I'm sure the world now has a sudden increase in "missing" make-up brushes!

[@VinceVenturella]

Glad it was helpful!

[@karlolson4094]

All the things you've figured out with your wife's stuff lol. It's great how much she's done for your hobby, great video 😁

[@VinceVenturella]

Where would I be without here. ;)

[@codelicious6590]

Artis Opus does some very cool things with drybrushing techniques. I had no idea drybrushing was so versatile as a matter of fact.

[@VinceVenturella]

Yep, it can do a LOT. :)

[@FPS-WIFI]

Your tutorials are seriously the best. Thank you for sharing your knowledge / techniques!

[@VinceVenturella]

You're very welcome!

[@dualkatana-spandauwielding849]

I love your style man, so sassy xD This and the other tutorials by you are so encouraging rather than overwhelming. You make it look easy, which makes a beginner like me confident I can do it, not without practice of course! Also I love how you advocate for buying cheap stuff (or free if you can jack it from your wife hehe), because even with that you can make things look great and game worthy.

[@VinceVenturella]

Glad you like them! and you're dead on, I always favor cheap/free. :)

[@themodelhobbyist]

Thanks greatly for this I used to drybrush ceramics 20 years ago and was pretty good at it but now I see what I need to know with minis thanks again. 🙂Thomas over at The Model Hobbyist

[@VinceVenturella]

Glad to help

[@dl-q3387]

Just gonna binge watch all of your videos and instantly like em now lol They’re all well done

[@VinceVenturella]

Well thank you, I wish that were true, there are several where I am notorious for being out of camera or focus, but I do try and I hope there is value in there and always happy to help. :)

[@arturstasienko2234]

Have you ever tried to do dry brush edge highlighting.... I guess is what you might call it. Same as using hight lighting with side of brush, except you don't have wet paint, but a dry brush (I use hard brush for that, but highlight than very very gently) . it leaves an insanely thin and sharp line. especially on side of weapons.

[@VinceVenturella]

Yep, there are a few different ways to go about it, I actually like it as an initial edge highlight sketch and then I carefully refine it later.

[@ben_______123abc]

Dry brushing can be used extremely effectively and is also great for non metallic blade effects. Small textured items are great for this but it can also be applied to very large areas. There is always a texture difference on anything but people just need to be a bit more patient with flat areas. Great video dude. I use my drybrush as an extremely portable airbrush however as of yet I'm less accurate with a drybrush. Have fun guys.

[@VinceVenturella]

Agreed, Dry Brushing is much maligned, but it's a shame, as it's such a useful tool in your toolbox.

[@ben_______123abc]

@@VinceVenturella most of my stuff is Dry brushed even the bits I've done for charity in the past but it's just one of many useful tools

[@dannymcgrath1571]

I'm slowly trying to squeeze in the time to get back into painting. I work as a mini sculptor and also print at home so I'd love to get painting again. I had massive, fully painted WFB armies back in the 1990s, and I got to a pretty decent GW box art standard((as it was back then) at 13 or 14 yo, but back then there was no thinning paints or a million different named techniques. In reality, we didn't really know what we were doing as kids. It was all trial and error. There was no tutorials, other than the 'Eavy Metal guides that Mike McVeigh used to put out in White Dwarf. It seems crazy now, the amount of differnt paints and mediums and methods and schools of thought. Back then it was just straight from a Citadel pot(the only paint you could buy), one basecoat, ink it, highlight it. Done. Maybe do some wet blending on a magic sword, but I had no idea that's what it was, I was just blending wet paints as I would as a kid doing a watercolour painting. 😆 Anyway, I've decided to try the so-called Slap Chop method to get back into painting, so I'm here to see how much drybrushing has evolved since the early 90s. 😉

[@VinceVenturella]

Fantastic! Welcome back and there are many videos on the channel about undercoating and thin paints, check out the beginner's playlist as many of them are there, but in general, happy to have you back on the hobby journey.

[@Karina-Loves-Andreas]

? Would you consider "masking off" a smooth area, like a big cloak, or a bald head, with Silly Putty, then dry brushing a big fur collar/mantle? Or just dry brush the fur FIRST, then cover the overage areas with the colors and paints for bald head & cloak on either side of the fur? IF you got a lot of dry brush texture on the head, I guess you could clean it up afterward with tight make-up Q-Tip applicators & denatured alcohol before proceeding to paint the smooth head in flesh tones? The denatured alcohol probably wouldn't remove an actual primer from the head or cloak, right?

[@VinceVenturella]

Sure, I don't mask often, but yes, I would use something like silly putty, I have a few videos on it, but it can be an easy way to use the tool in a more targetted fashion.

[@chucklamb3496]

The very best video of dry brushing on KZbin!

[@VinceVenturella]

Thank you, very much appreciated.

[@Hushai1979]

Hey, I appreciate your teaching.... your a good talker... a lot of fun ... and vary helpful... thank you . From Aiken South Carolina 😃👍🇺🇸

[@VinceVenturella]

You are very welcome

[@MrTourette666]

You and your HC videos are revelations! Thank you so much for sharing your wisdom!

[@VinceVenturella]

Thank you, that is very much appreciated. :)

[@MartinTheMartian1]

"Cuz they go on your face!" Hahahahaha. Got some comedic delivery skills there Vince.

[@VinceVenturella]

Thank you, always going for the easy jokes. :)

[@l33tpie]

There's something so satisfying dry brushing skeletons. It's so easy and looks amazing I feel a bit guilty. Sort of like going to a really cheap restaurant in a poorer country, paying 2 bucks for the whole meal, only for it to be one of the best ones you've ever had. Except, there's no people around show appreciation to, only a cheap old synthetic brush... Do I just tip the shop I bought the brush and paint off of or what?

[@VinceVenturella]

Not sure who to tip, but I agree, a great dry brush is so satisfying for sure. :)

[@byrondenman3343]

Clearly, this video has been around for a while, but i just discovered it. I have primed exactly ONE mini and was about to start bringing it to life! Your guidance is perfect for what I need. Thank you. Separate question: If I am going to buy an airbrush, do you have any to recommend or advise against?

[@VinceVenturella]

I have many videos on starting with the airbrush, so check those out in the playlist. BUt for your first airbrush, anything cheap so you can mess it up, like a master airbrush combo will be good.

[@coalitionofrob436]

Flashbacks. Dad taught Me to dry brush my HeroQuest skeletons in the 90s! With Humbrol enamels …. Good old days

[@Humatra]

My friend is a really messy artist and when he showed me dry brushing I thought it was a waste of paint seeing him wipe a ton of paint on a paper towel. I was painting some bases and started dry brushing them and was blown away, now I dry brush all the time.

[@VinceVenturella]

Yep, it's really great.

[@davidkilby1043]

I am getting back into doing fantasy busts after 20 years away. Getting all this knowledge from you has really given me confidence to do a bust for my girlfriend. Thanks, Vince

[@VinceVenturella]

That's awesome buddy. Happy to help along the way and good luck, busts are a lot of fun. :)

[@justinlilo1541]

Hey Vince, could you use this to do a quick and good looking NMM chainmail/scalemail? What’s your go to technique for something like that? Another great vid, thanks!

[@VinceVenturella]

You could likely combine this with my latest video (using a dark blue in the mid tone instead of a dark green) to do this across a small area.

[@willmyers6537]

Oh my god I’ve been a closet makeup brush user for years. Thank you Vince for helping me come out.

[@VinceVenturella]

Yes, we need to be brave and speak out. :)

[@D00M3R_MAVS]

for dry brushing round surfaces on a space marine you need a small eye shadow brush or something similar. artis opus are actually bringing out a dry brush set with some of these in it. it allows you to do fades and stuff on bare plastic surfaces. pretty cool.

[@D00M3R_MAVS]

I spoke to soon. ha ha. you were going to say this. ha ha.

[@VinceVenturella]

It's my go to. :)

[@D00M3R_MAVS]

@@VinceVenturella I just ordered some small make up brushes as I have some goat mops, but they're all quite big, even the small ones. this was I can us them on minis as well as tanks and stuff.

[@thebrewgeek]

I'm a drybrushing fool and you gave me a some new methods to try. Thanks for posting.

[@VinceVenturella]

Awesome, happy to help as always. :)

[@gwayawan]

old video but so great Vince!

[@VinceVenturella]

Thank you!

[@TheIcemanModdeler]

Awesome in depth video on dry brush, thanks for sharing, i mostly use Vallejo Game Color and they use a liquid medium just like u mentioned in another video and because of that it dries super fast, to combat this i like to use Retarder Medium, it's a gel and keeps the paint dry. I've had great results by doing it this way, think pastels might be the best paints to use for drybrushing.

[@VinceVenturella]

Happy to help

[@Scubasgamecorner]

Absolutely the best dry brushing video I have ever seen ....Any chance you could link to a decent set of makeup brushes

[@VinceVenturella]

I don't have any sets I really favor, I just grab random sets from Amazon. You want sets that have Contour brushes (those tend to be softest). I have bought many sets, here is one of them, but I have tried many and most are pretty similar. - www.amazon.com/EmaxDesign-Professional-Eyeliner-Foundation-Cosmetics/dp/B01EWBYUDU/ref=sr_1_23_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1543285336&sr=8-23&keywords=make-up+brush+set

[@joesturn7740]

"happy little nose" 😂 Vince Ross, folks.

[@VinceVenturella]

You know it.

[@oliverp3545]

Dry brushing is perfect for how I paint. Because I just base, dry brush (usually a 50/50 mix of the base and another colour), wash, shade and highlight.

[@VinceVenturella]

Nothing wrong with dry brushing. :)

[@spartandon6075]

Awesome video as always :) Ordered some of these make up brushes right away ;) As an inspiration for another hobby cheating video and because you have been talking about travelling with your minis, you could do a hobby cheating on "transportation of minis". I would be interested especially in how you transport bigger minis like your knight titan or your big maw krusher rooster. Thanks again for the input! :) Really appreciate you taking the time to do all this!

[@VinceVenturella]

Yes, this one is n my list as I have several transportation methods I would love to share.

[@Veroni23]

Thank you for all the great tips! I think I have the wrong brush (it is an Army Painter small drybrush), it does not have enough and close enough bristles. Also, I realize I probably have too much color on when I drybrush. I use to drybrush when I paint fur, and it tends to leave streaks and gets into the recesses. So yeah, different brushes and less color will probably help this. There are two problems with drybrushing that you did not talk about, that I have problems with: First, I do not seem to be able to get the right color consistency. I use both vajello model color and army painter war paints and a wet palette. Whenever I use the color without the wet palette it dries so fast I cannot mix it very well any more (we have verrrry dry air, especially in winter), but when using the wet palette, the color is too wet. What is the right consistency for the colors? Second, I am unable to mix the right shades/colors to get a good transition (especially on fur, especially on browns). With glazing, it is easy to “repair” the wrong / too light color, but with drybrushing I have difficulties to fix a too big step in color difference.

[@VinceVenturella]

In general, I stay away from the wet palette. I use a dry palette for my dry brushing and my basement is pretty dry. I just put a glob of the paint on the palette and go. If you are mixing, put a slightly larger glob (are you using like a very tiny amount in the hopes not to waste paint? If so, stop worrying about that. All that paint drying out will waste more and besides, dry brushing is about wiping 90% of the paint off your brush, so you are always "wasting" paint.) of both paints and then just dab between them. Don't worry about getting some mix on the palette. Get both in the brush and then when you work it around on the brush and wipe it, it will mix. Think of how bob ross used to mix with his large flat brushes where he would repeatedly stab at multiple paints. Hope that helps.

[@Veroni23]

@@VinceVenturella I will give that a try then, thanks! So what do you recommend the use of a wet palette for? I found it really improved my glazes, but that was before I "discovered" glaze medium. :D

[@gmoney1664]

As always, an insightful tutorial which has taught me things - love it! I use classic dry brushing less than ever because of the chalkiness of it, though this has got me intrigued by the soft make up brush technique! Also, any idea what I'm doing...(using this for faces on 1/12 scale figures) using a large, flat, dry brush, but mixing the paint with a touch of water to thin it, then wiping most of it off, while keeping the brush damp/moist, then very lightly brushing this over the raised areas to bring out the highlights (shadows already punched in with pre-shading/washes), slowly building up to finish with the lightest skin tone. I always assumed this was a version of dry brushing as I wipe a load of paint off?

[@VinceVenturella]

It sounds more like you're doing a version of feathering with wet paint, but I don't think it matters what the name is, if it's working for you, then it's working. :)

[@gmoney1664]

@@VinceVenturella ah, I've heard the term 'feathering' but wasn't sure what it was. I'm self taught and only just reading up on techniques!

[@matthewweber6207]

Hey Vince, great video as usual. Do you have a link to the brushes you use in this video? I can't seem to find them. (USA) Thanks.

[@VinceVenturella]

So they are just generic eye makeup brushs, look for items for applying blush or eye shadow, they are really soft. I just find whatever generics I can grab off amazon at that time, they change all the time.

[@CreativeFosse]

Totally great video!! I'm new to painting minis and I was ontroduced to drybrushing right away when I started painting. And I love it! But now I've learned some more and the only thing for me to do now is to explain to my wife WHY I need to buy some makeup brushes... :p Anyway, thanks for sharing your tips and tricks.

[@VinceVenturella]

It's a tough explanation for sure, but totally worth it. :)

[@Megasharuno]

Always enjoy your videos, so much professionalism and great explanations. Thanks for sharing your knowledge

[@VinceVenturella]

Thank you, that is very much appreciated. :)

[@codelicious6590]

Even paint made for spraying models (rattle can) comes out very grainy in white. I do my zenithal with black and grey then dry brush my lighter stuff with a muted white cool or warm depending on the plan.

[@VinceVenturella]

Sure, if you are keen to airbrush something white, then white ink is a good option, it generally doesn't go chalky as easy, but that method is good as well.

[@Nergling]

Great video mate!

[@VinceVenturella]

Thanks!

[@zzador]

Did I get it right? You principally doin a grey undercoat, then you are doing a dark wash (shade), then you drybrushing with white to do the highlights and in the end you paint your model by applying colored washes? So you basically doing the shading and highlighting BEFORE painting?

[@VinceVenturella]

It's a zenithal base, then a quick wash and drybrush. I have several videos on the topic, you can see one here - kzbin.info/www/bejne/gF7HgohjmbiBl5o

[@celtcelt2669]

Loving it, thanks Vince!

[@VinceVenturella]

My pleasure!

[@OYMInternetRadio]

HI, well done on the video. When you say "wash", what are you using, water?

[@VinceVenturella]

Yep, water

[@philipreed8031]

great video. really good idea about the make up brushes i think i will invest in some. Do you use dry brushing for metallics? ive used it before. i did an iron warrior with a brown base colour then dry brushed sliver and got a really rusted metal effect.

[@VinceVenturella]

Yes, I had thought about including that, but I think it will be it's own video, as it's got some neat tricks of it's own. Short answer, you can certainly do it will all the techniques i talk about here.

[@RobCrawford23]

In the past I used watercolour mop style brushes for multiple gold tones on Stormcasts, the gold tones ended up as the only thing I liked about the figures

[@VinceVenturella]

well, at least there was one thing to like. ;)

[@darrenrussell5046]

Hi Vince, When you dry brushed the Space Marine you switched to the softer makeup brush. I inferred that this was a better type of brush to use in all situations and not just on the Space Marine type model. Am I correct would you recommend a softer brush whatever the model? I'm a complete beginner and your videos are some of the most informative that I've found. I've learnt so much before I've even picked up a brush. Thank you.

[@VinceVenturella]

So I use the soft makeup brush for nearly all dry brushing. The only exception is really heavily rough textured surfaces like basing grit. I will tend to still use make-up brushes, but harder ones, not the super soft variety.

[@readhistory2023]

You might try using cardboard for dry brushing. I find that a piece of brown cardboard works better than a paper towel for getting the right amount of paint off the brush. The cardboard is smoother so it doesn't leave the odd glob of paint on the brush like a papertowel can.

[@VinceVenturella]

Yes, I've done it in the past, but I just enjoy the paper towel more for what I'm going for, but I get it. :)

[@jeromevandeneynde3895]

Hi Vince, quick question about using an undertone dry brush: What undertone colour would you use to make a red armour look more 'cooler' instead of warm orange like this one on the blood angel? I know you used flesh tone for the dry brush technique. Thank you

[@VinceVenturella]

Yeah, I mean it would be a sunny skin tone or something similar like a Buff if I wanted warm. If I wanted cold, something like Glacier Blue would be great.

[@jeromevandeneynde3895]

@@VinceVenturella Thank you so much

[@GreenLightSolarOG]

Watching this 4 years later, it’s funny how you just demonstrated the whole concept of Contrast Paints and “SlapChop” on that ork before the crazes swept the hobby world.

[@jackiefranken590]

New to the hobby and a friend who was teaching me, told me to go buy those same makeup brushes to zenithal highlight an undercoat. There may well have been someone at citadel watching this video when they decided to launch contrast

[@Gnomerable]

Hello, Vince! Have you ever heard of a technique (don't know how it's called, but some refer to it as ''semidry brushing'') when the paint is basically rubbed into bristles of a slightly damp brush and applied in the same manner as the dry brushing?

[@VinceVenturella]

Not sure of that exact technique. But it sounds like the idea would be to smooth out the paint a little in it's application.

[@slipperysquid]

Yet another informative and easy to follow vid matey, thanks!

[@VinceVenturella]

Thank you and always happy to help. :)

[@danf98989]

"the bones come to life" "bones come to life" this is why i was brought here today

[@VinceVenturella]

This is the reason I make tutorials. :)

[@karnage27]

Question on your glaze at 18:30... Newbie here sorry... so how do you bring up the color in the areas that are black so that the skin of the orc isn't black in those shaded areas. Do you put multiple coats of a dark green glaze in those areas? Thanks.

[@VinceVenturella]

Sure, you have a couple of options. 1) You can give the model and allover pre-wash. Use that pre-wash to tint the shadow, then dry brush,then glaze. Alternatively, if you either target those areas, or do a few glazes, you will eventually tint the darker area.

[@Grumdy]

Hey Vince, thanks again for these videos. They are extremely helpful even years after you published them. Question for you on this subject: How do you care for and clean your makeup brushes? I have a bunch of these cheap makeup brushes, and my attempts at cleaning them have resulted in them disintegrating. My impression from the video is that you use them a few times and toss them.

[@VinceVenturella]

So I use the Winsor & Newton brush cleaner, then I clean them with soap. You can see that here - kzbin.info/www/bejne/naq3e3ysibJ0f7s

[@Grumdy]

@@VinceVenturella Thanks for the reply :) Sounds like you clean them like they're any other brush

[@PalmerDemetrius]

Which drybrush technique would you use on Tau troops and battlesuits? Awesome video.

[@VinceVenturella]

I would use a makeup brush with almost no paint and use it for the edge highlights, would make the normally laborious process much easier.

[@PalmerDemetrius]

@@VinceVenturella What color would you recommend drybrushing if i'm using Grey Seer as my base. I was thinking a lighter grey but then I saw how using the white came out for you on that SM. I was trying to get a gritty look using a lighter grey.

[@VinceVenturella]

@@PalmerDemetrius Grey seer is pretty light, that's the challenge, there isnt far to go, but really, yes, any very light grey or a good white (like a heavy body acrylic or similar) white would work.

[@AlCapwndYou]

Really neat idea about the makeup brushes, never thought of that. Any other particular uses for them besides drybrushing that you have found? Weathering pigment maybe?

[@LXGoat]

A lot of people use the little Eyeshadowbrushes for weathering.

[@VinceVenturella]

Yes, I use them for light "dust" weathering (i.e. when you want to capture a dusty atmosphere on part of the figure). The eye shadow brushes are also awesome for heavier pigment use.

[@brushhammerdice4438]

And again, thx for the tutorial. What's your opinion on the dry brushes by army painter, green stuff world or AK? Would love to herif they are worth the money or useless

[@VinceVenturella]

My honest opinion is they are all not worth it. Dry Brushes can be bought in bulk extremely cheap by buying make-up brushes from the dollar store/amazon, etc. Those will do better than any of those hobby dry brushes and they are about 1/10th to 1/100th the cost.

[@13Robzilla]

Vince, absolutely loved this video. Gonna have to pick up some of those make-up brushes. Is there a way to glaze metallics? Every time I try to thin the metallics to that level they just fall apart. I also like to use drybrushing before the wash and use it as a guide for the later edge highlight.

[@VinceVenturella]

Metallics are really tough to glaze. I am actually going to do a whole video dedicated to dry brushing metallics as they are have some unique challenges, but also some opportunities. The short answer is that something like Vallejo Metal Color can be glazed, but most can't and it's always going to a tough fit.

[@frankmike9931]

I have noticed that the different paints we use, oils, enamels, and acrylics, produce different effects when dry brushed and require somewhat different techniques. Your opinion on this.

[@VinceVenturella]

It's true, I don't use enamels ever really outside of some occasional streaking grime, but yes, because of the thickness, you will often get very different paints, you can even do the same with varied acrylic paints (HBAs vs. traditional miniature paint).

[@Karina-Loves-Andreas]

? Could I use "Reverse Dry Brush" colors to get a Dire Wolf to look like a "typical" black & tan saddled German Shepherd? Base him in a creamy warm ivory tone-light tan all over, dry brush midway up and front of legs with a warmer cinnamon, and finally dry brush black on the "saddle", getting very dark at top of back & tail? I always see light colored dry brush over dark bases, never the reverse. I'm thinking I could use glazes afterward to create shadows if/as necessary. Do you think it's worth a try? Have you ever seen dark colors dry brushed over pale? PS: You don't have a Patreon, do you?❤

[@VinceVenturella]

So it's a tricky thing. The short answer is yes, but you have to be really careful with stuff like this, as the human brain thinks deeper areas are shadows (note, the areas will be cast in natural shadows, so that will conflict). But if you're careful, yes, you can do it.

[@Karina-Loves-Andreas]

@@VinceVenturella I'll post the photo on the PMP Page afterward, so everyone can laugh at how awful it looks before I strip it down to plastic again, OR I can bask in pride at my accomplishment...🤣😄😂🤣😄😂🤣

[@SwashBuccaneer]

Creepy at the time of watching this video there's exactly 3 thumbs down. lol

[@daimochspainting8993]

Yeah! Exactly my thoughts. :D

[@VinceVenturella]

Dark angels' players one and all for sure. ;)

[@Derpwalker]

I am a Dark Angels player and I thumbed up. :p

[@Serra7racon]

Men if would only READ before I write... Internet sick...

[@jpf338]

how can anyone dont like a tutorial from this channel is beyond mortals minds to conprehend

[@LoftOfTheUniverse]

I find Eldar to be harder to dry brush than space marines even. Have you painted any eldar before?

[@VinceVenturella]

They are because they have less defined edges in a lot of cases, I have only ever painted one eldar and it was a Harlequin, so a very different experience.

[@ericdeutsch9665]

Sir I am a Bolt action and flames of war guy how do I use this highlighting technique on tanks because one of things I hate on KZbin is people treating tanks like their space Marines tank for nasty disgusting dirty things?

[@JohnpenninoVO]

understanding dry brushing by painting skulls was my entry point too lol

[@VinceVenturella]

Yeah, it's a basic but really important set of skills. :)

[@phoen31]

going to look for makeup brushes..but I think this is going to totally change the way i paint..little afraid..but I want to see it through

[@VinceVenturella]

Yeah, they are so valuable. My best advice, just hit up the dollar store and you can see what they have.

[@southpaw5483]

Hi Vince, is it OK to Dry Brush with Primer paints (i.e., Vallejo Surface Primer, Stynylrez, etc.)?

[@VinceVenturella]

Yes, absolutely, it can be a great trick for underpainting.

[@LoftOfTheUniverse]

I see you said "glaze", if I base coat over a zenithal, will it lose the lighting effect? I want to do a base coat, a layer coat or two, a wash maybe as well after.

[@VinceVenturella]

If you apply a full base coat, you lose the effect of the zenithal. That being said, it can certainly make base coating easier than something like black. But the goal is to have something where some of your values (lights and darks) are already present, and eliminate the need for the later steps in that order.

[@LoftOfTheUniverse]

@@VinceVenturella I just don't want to take time doing steps (like zenithal) only to cover it up. I don't want to waste time. So should I just really water down my paints and do a lot of coats? I'm going for a vibrant red.

[@LXGoat]

Great video Vince, thank you! The Orc looks fantastic. Now I have to get some makeupbrushes :)

[@VinceVenturella]

It's a worthwhile $6. ;)

[@ewcrp01]

Question: can I use drybrushing for PRESHADING? and then USE AIRBRUSH for color base?

[@VinceVenturella]

Absolutely, your dry brushing can be your pre-shading and then you can go from there in lots of ways. :)

[@aarontylee7243]

Loved this! I'm currently doing raven guard boys, can I follow this approach with some dark grey drybrushing, or would it be better with white and do layers of nuln oil?

[@VinceVenturella]

You could go either way honestly. The latter will likely give a stronger finish as you could alternate it a few times to build up stronger reflection points, but both will work. You want to use the soft method, but it would work very well. I would likely advise the latter (with the glazes) as it will make the end product smoother with the glaze on top (but take more time to be fair).

[@mattcappelli5822]

Just started watching your videos and have learned so much already! Thank you! Wasn't sure if you said this so I apologize, but what should I do after dry brushing? I've found while I'm still working on the model, I lose some of the highlighting from the dry brushing.

[@VinceVenturella]

Yep, in general, you will mute out the dry brushing from your glazes (which is intentional). You can always do a very (VERY) light drybrush again and then reglaze with a very thin glaze and it will really pop out those highlights. Hope that helps.

[@mattcappelli5822]

Vince Venturella ok, great! Thanks for the quick reply. So the glaze will also "seal" the dry brushed paint as well as tie it together? That's my biggest concern is the dry brushed effect wears off as I'm painting the fig as I've been painting the power armor fully first before the other details