Paintbrush recommendations?

Ghost

Ghost

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Oct 5, 2023
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I've perused multiple sites and forums searching for the answer to this, but what would y'all recommend as far as type and texture for paintbrushes; particularly for smaller wood builds (1:100 +/-)? I plan to do some staining with painted details. TIA!
 
Welcome aboard SOS. Ghost. I am really surprised that you cannot get an answer for what seems to me shouldn't be a difficult question. While, personally, I am not getting along with painting jobs, I am sure there are members who can offer you good advice.
Generally, IMHO, the brushes shouldn't be divided by the scale they will be used, but instead by the medium they were designed for: like acrylic versus oil-based. I am tagging a few of our members @Dean62, and @dockattner, just to start with, whose painting job is precise. I am sure others can add their opinions as well. Good luck!
 
dockattner said:
Thanks for tagging me, @Jimsky.

Hello Ghost, I would be delighted to assist if I can. Please tell me a bit more about what you will be painting on your ship...
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Thanks Paul. My plan is to stain the hull, masts, and deck, and use paint for some of the intricate details. I found an old pic of a Baltimore clipper that I'm using as my color guide, and an trying to emulate it as closely as possible.
 
Cool. Sounds like a nice project. Can you post the picture of what you are using for inspiration? Use the 'attach files' button right below and attach it 'full size' image. Sorry to be pedantic...but there is painting and there is painting ROTF and I'm eager to give you the best help I can.

For example...there is this...

IMG_9744 - Copy.JPG

And there is this...

IMG_7334.JPG

And then there is this...

1697653458882.jpeg
 
dockattner said:
Cool. Sounds like a nice project. Can you post the picture of what you are using for inspiration? Use the 'attach files' button right below and attach it 'full size' image. Sorry to be pedantic...but there is painting and there is painting ROTF and I'm eager to give you the best help I can.

For example...there is this...

View attachment 401026

And there is this...

View attachment 401029

And then there is this...

View attachment 401030
Click to expand...
I have that on my PC at home. I'll upload it after I get off work. Beautiful ship!!!
 
Ghost said:
@dockattner - and BTW, you're REALLY bad for morale using that as an example! lol. How the heck you get that detailed???
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...this is why I tagged Paul, I know and really impressed for a while with his skills and the work he does. BTW, WASA is the first model he built!!!! Yea... how about that!
 
dockattner said:
I could teach you to do that :). But I suspect you're aiming at something less... well, less...ROTF.
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Likely much less. I can barely draw stick figures! I do want to make this nice though. It'll be a present for my father who is in the hospital with heart problems. He's retired Navy and I know he'll appreciate it. Ultimately (if God keeps him around long enough), I'd like to construct a minesweeper like the one in my avatar (U.S.S. Fearless). That was his last ship before retiring. He was the one who shot the mines out of the water during the Gulf wars. :)
 
One thing I have found for the occasional paint application is to use the various sized of Micro brushes sold by many hobby shops and Micro-Mark or Hobby Lobby if in USA. They come is very small size heads for small parts.

For hull or mast painting they wouldn't work as you would need a nicer broad stroke brush.

But be aware, as I have learned with my other hobbies, stay away from cheap bulk packs as those brushes often fall apart and leave brush hairs behind in paint.
 
Kurt Konrath said:
One thing I have found for the occasional paint application is to use the various sized of Micro brushes sold by many hobby shops and Micro-Mark or Hobby Lobby if in USA. They come is very small size heads for small parts.

For hull or mast painting they wouldn't work as you would need a nicer broad stroke brush.

But be aware, as I have learned with my other hobbies, stay away from cheap bulk packs as those brushes often fall apart and leave brush hairs behind in paint.
Click to expand...
No bulk packs - got it. Very helpful! Any recommendation as far as bristle material? Is any one type better than another?
 
Nice.

So, your original question was about type of brush but let's back up a bit. You mentioned you wanted to do some staining with painted details. What were you going to stain and what details were you going to paint?

I see a black hull and cream-colored wales...and then some off-white or cream moldings. Wood cap rails.

The clipper is the Pride of Baltimore. Here are some more images (and there are hundreds on the internet):

c572176550d1e295d038d451459ea80a.jpg
PrideofBaltimoreII_signaturephoto-1658x2048.jpg
pride-of-baltimore-ii-fred-leblanc.jpg
 
dockattner said:
Nice.

So, your original question was about type of brush but let's back up a bit. You mentioned you wanted to do some staining with painted details. What were you going to stain and what details were you going to paint?

I see a black hull and cream-colored wales...and then some off-white or cream moldings. Wood cap rails.

The clipper is the Pride of Baltimore. Here are some more images (and there are hundreds on the internet):

View attachment 401101
View attachment 401102
View attachment 401103
Click to expand...
I was thinking of staining the deck, masts, and yardarms at the very least. If you think it would be better to simply paint those too, then I'm certainly open to your suggestions.
 
Ghost said:
@dockattner - and BTW, you're REALLY bad for morale using that as an example! lol. How the heck you get that detailed???
Click to expand...
He layers different shades of each color to add detail and depth. Look at the shades of white, green and yellow on the figures below. The effect is not something you can get on such tiny figures using a single color or a dark wash. A dark wash of brown would dull the overall brightness of each figure. Painting lighter shades on the highlights maintains the overall brightness of the figures. Dark highlights were used on the faces below the figures to enhance the cheeks and jawlines a bit. The effect is wonderful. But, it takes TIME.

1697674766507.png
 
Ghost said:
I've perused multiple sites and forums searching for the answer to this, but what would y'all recommend as far as type and texture for paintbrushes; particularly for smaller wood builds (1:100 +/-)? I plan to do some staining with painted details. TIA!
Click to expand...
Always use real sable hair brushes of different sizes and shapes, and CLEAN THEM properly when you are done. Never use poly bristle brushes, like the ones found in Testor's enamel paint sets for plastic models. Here is a quick article on paint brushes for modeling: BEST PAINT BRUSHES
 
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Great. Now that we have a better idea of the scope of your project I think others will weigh in...

The decision to paint the decking/masts/yards would be a personal preference...but, no, I would either stain them or leave them natural.

So the painting is basically limited to large surfaces. That's not something I have done a lot of but here are some best practices...

1. Since you asked about type of brush, I assume you don't have an airbrush. That's probably the best solution but I certainly wouldn't purchase one just for a one-off build (though you did mention making a plastic ship next and plastics guys use airbrushes all the time).
2. I would recommend acrylic paint not oil-based paint (I just annoyed a bunch of guys).
3. I would spend an eternity getting the very best wood base I possibly could - this means filling cracks and sanding the hull smooth (leaving some of the planking visible gives a nice result but on a scale model this is often overdone in my opinion).
4. I would prime with a wood primer and then evaluate the surface and go back and fill gaps and voids and re-sand until you are satisfied.
5. Rather than a thick coat of paint I would use multiple thin coats. Acrylic paint is easily thinned with water. You might even want to sand or steel-wool between coats. I can't imagine getting a good surface with less than 3 very thin coats. Just use a soft flat brush (sable brushes are nice) - if your paint is thin enough brush strokes will be essentially nonexistent.
6. Don't forget a finish coat of your preferred finish. I would go with matte or satin poly or something similar.

My specialty is really in painting the very finest of details so hopefully others will offer suggestions or corrections to what I have shared here.

Be sure to start a build log!

PS: Here's a particularly nice painted hull (begins here and continues):

HMS Vanguard 1787 1:72 scale by ADoyon - First Build

It’s been a while since I last worked on my ship model and I’m now glad to be back. Hoping to accomplish much before the summer weather arrives. I recently completed installation of the upper and lower Wales, and some exterior hull details.
shipsofscale.com

There are others but this one popped into my head.
 
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dockattner said:
Great. Now that we have a better idea of the scope of your project I think others will weigh in...

The decision to paint the decking/masts/yards would be a personal preference...but, no, I would either stain them or leave them natural.

So the painting is basically limited to large surfaces. That's not something I have done a lot of but here are some best practices...

1. Since you asked about type of brush, I assume you don't have an airbrush. That's probably the best solution but I certainly wouldn't purchase one just for a one-off build (though you did mention making a plastic ship next and plastics guys use airbrushes all the time).
2. I would recommend acrylic paint not oil-based paint (I just annoyed a bunch of guys).
3. I would spend an eternity getting the very best wood base I possibly could - this means filling cracks and sanding the hull smooth (leaving some of the planking visible gives a nice result but on a scale model this is often overdone in my opinion).
4. I would prime with a wood primer and then evaluate the surface and go back and fill gaps and voids and re-sand until you are satisfied.
5. Rather than a thick coat of paint I would use multiple thin coats. Acrylic paint is easily thinned with water. You might even want to sand or steel-wool between coats. I can't imagine getting a good surface with less than 3 very thin coats. Just use a soft flat brush (sable brushes are nice) - if your paint is thin enough brush strokes will be essentially nonexistent.
6. Don't forget a finish coat of your preferred finish. I would go with matte or satin poly or something similar.

My specialty is really in painting the very finest of details so hopefully others will offer suggestions or corrections to what I have shared here.

Be sure to start a build log!

PS: Here's a particularly nice painted hull (begins here and continues):

HMS Vanguard 1787 1:72 scale by ADoyon - First Build

It’s been a while since I last worked on my ship model and I’m now glad to be back. Hoping to accomplish much before the summer weather arrives. I recently completed installation of the upper and lower Wales, and some exterior hull details.
shipsofscale.com

There are others but this one popped into my head.
Click to expand...
Thanks Paul. I'll certainly do some shopping around this weekend and pick up what you suggested. I'll look into airbrushing later, but for a ship this small I don't know that it would be worth doing that. I REALLY need to practice my "steady hand" method with brushes first. That's my biggest downfall due to my hands shaking too much. That ship you posted as an example looks pretty sweet. Is that considered a faux finish to give it that distressed look on the hull?
 
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