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Brushes and their uses


Mick Bonwick

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Nearly all of the items weathered in this blog have been attacked by one or more of the following brushes:

 

  1. Comb
  2. 1/2" flat shader
  3. Rigger
  4. Filbert

 

The use of these brushes is detailed below, in the sequence they appear in the accompanying photograph.

 

The comb brush is used to work on paint that has already been applied in order to create uneven streaking. The combination of long and short bristles, when dampened with or dipped in thinners, will unevenly remove or displace more or less paint with each stroke, depending on the pressure applied.  Strokes are usually vertical from the top to the bottom of the subject to replicate the runs and streaks created by falling precipitation taking some of the accumulated grime with it on its journey rail-wards. Used mostly on boilers and tender sides.

 

The 1/2" flat shader is used to manipulate areas of paint into corners, remove excess should it have been inadvertently applied, applying an overall wash for subsequent partial removal and creating regular vertical streaking where relevant.

 

The rigger has long bristles but a thin point, and this configuration helps with the application of pin-washes, the so-called process of applying a wash to corners and edges of panels and detail to replicate built-up grime or to highlight detail. Capillary action will take a suitably thinned wash into all the detailed areas that are connected to the contact point.

 

The filbert brush has soft but firm bristles with a rounded end and is used for the application and manipulation of pigments, applied in small quantities at a time.

 

With the possible exception of the comb brush, the use of these brushes has been mentioned in many of the topics in this blog.

P1000566_Cropped.JPG

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4 Comments


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  • RMweb Gold

Very useful Mick, thanks. I hadn't heard of a comb brush before. It does exactly what we normally want to avoid! But I can see the relevance for weathering of course.

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  • RMweb Gold

Can you recommend a decent brand and source for a filbert brush please Mick.

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  • RMweb Gold

I have been using Daler and Rowney System 3 SY67 filberts for pigment application for a long time. They're not the cheapest but  they do last well. I find sizes 2 and 6 the most useful.

 

Over the years mine have come from either Jacksons Art Supplies or Great Art, but I have recently noticed that ARTdiscount are selling them as well.

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