This is probably one of the most simplest of special techniques that you can use to create a three dimensional look on your miniatures. But be warned, you are going to need to set aside a brush for this method, as Drybrushing will deteriorate the structure of the bristles. So it's a good idea not to throw away your old brushes, as they will come in very handy for drybrushing.
When you look at a miniature, certain parts of it are raised, and need to be highlighted to create the feel of depth. Such things might include amour plates and facial features. Basically, drybrushing can be applied to any area of a miniature that requires a highlight. So how is it done?
Well, to start with, you should have already applied your base coats to your model. Drybrushing is going to pick out the raised area of the miniature. So what you will need to do is choose a lighter tone of your base color. Once you have decided on that, follow these simple steps
- Dip your brush into the paint.
- With a clean piece of tissue, wipe off as much of the excess paint as possible, so there is only a trace left on the bristles.
- Carefully drag the brush over the area to be highlighted, so the paint on the brush will come to rest on these raised areas.
So there you have it. Piece of cake, really, isn't it? But take some care as to where you want the bristles of the brush to go. You don't want to be drybrushing something with orange, and accidentally get it on something that is green. You'll only have to patch it up again later. Once you r first highlight is dry, you can even go up to another lighter tone, and do the same process again, but applying the brush in a lighter fashion, to only pick out the top most areas.�
Here you can see that this Minotaur has a very hairy back. I decided to paint the hair black, and then drybrush it using a lighter tone. I used a mix of Chaos Black and Elf Grey, as Elf Grey was too bright to be painted on by itself. After this is dry I would then go on to use pure Elf Grey, with a lighter hand.�
 |
|
Personally, I very rarely use the drybrushing technique, except on large metal areas. I prefer to use the Shading and Highlighting method instead, as it allows a lot more control. I only really use drybrushing on very rough surfaces, such as fur and hair, which I find to be very viable for drybrushing.
