overspray

overspray Drybrushing...
Dry brushing is another critical skill in model making. Some details on a small plastic model just don't stand out like the real thing. The best way to bring out the detail is to dry brush a slightly lighter color over the model to really bring out those details. One of the primary uses I have of dry brushing are freight car roofs and wheel sets. Below is a great pic of how dirt and dust accumulates on the wheels of an engine. This B&O GP9 looks like its wheels were painted light grey, when they are actually black or dark blue. You can replicate this look through drybrushing light grey over the blue or black wheel sets.

How to Drybrush:

Dry brushing is exactly what it sounds like, brushing a model with a "dry" brush. The key is to get just the right amount of paint on the brush so it is practically "dry". I like to use a paper towel to wipe off the extra paint. When I see that I am just putting paint on the raised detail of the paper towel, I know the brush is ready to apply paint to the model. Below are some examples of dry brushed models.

This is a hopper that has had the wheel sets drybrushed with a light grey. Notice how nice the detail stands out now.

Below is a B&O box car that I applied an overspray of rust in part of the roof and then dry brushed some light grey on top of it. This really brings out the detail of the roof. Also the sides received a light dry brushing. Notice the top of the door is highlighted by drybrushing.

Below are two pics, slightly out of focus. I just wanted to show how you drybrush on a paper towel until you are just coloring the raised detail. Also an example of two roofwalks, the front one has not been drybrushed, the back one has.