Damp Brush Technique

By Andy O'Neill

Having worked as a pro painter and now having a life, I like fast techniques. Damp brushing produces a similar effect to dry brushing for most purposes and is far faster as you only use one or two layers, as opposed to five or six. You also need to clean the brush less.

To get faster and more subtle effects you can combine this with a blending technique if you damp brush onto a wet, stained, surface.

1. Dollop out a bit of your paint, unthinned, onto your pallet.
2. Dampen your brush.
3. Remove excess water on a tissue/whatever.
4. Dip very end of bristles lightly in paint.
5. Draw across pallet to draw off some paint and smear. (With practice, you're ready to go)
6. Draw across tissue to remove excess and judge thickness.
7. Slap it on.
8. Reload brush off smear until it dries, then it's time to wash brush and repeat from dampen.

Applying to the figure takes a bit more practice than dry brushing.

Start on a bigger less detailed area like a cloak.

Draw across detail rather than along it, bristles at an acute angle.

First time, use this as part of "my" undercoating technique ( see painting guide on my page ).

Try thinning the paint and see how you can get a more subtle, thinner layer.

Try two layers, second lighter to give a layering effect.

This is best done with a pretty big brush, forget twiddly size 2 and go for a 5 or 6. I like the Humbrol red handle brushes, which Beatties do cheap.

As with dry brushing you can get lines across the grain of a figure if you're not careful. Since the paint stays wet longer, you can work it and fix these easier.

Apply a very top highlight by painting detail in to cover the most noticeable lines if you get them and can't fix them. 

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Last Updated: December 9, 2003

Questions, comments, suggestions welcome.
Send them to Chris Brantley, brant@erols.com.