Handbrushing only?

[Swanningabout]

I have used an airbrush in the past, and I know about its advantages. However, I just don't use them anymore, because they are not fun to use even when they work as they should. I guess I am focused on process at least as much as on results. But almost all the painting advice I have ever heard is for airbrushing only. Advice on how to handbrush is usually limited to handbrushing figures or details. Does anyone know of a thorough source of info on handbrushing? I particularly need to know how to apply a clear matt coat in acrylics that does not looked like a hockey rink at the end of a game.

I think I came across mention of a very well known modeller in Finescale Modeller or Military Modeller International who said he used handbrushes only, but I can't remember his name or the issue.

Any advice?

 

[Quaralane]

Thin the paint carefully, and use several light coats.
This should keep brush strokes from showing in your work.

Try to use as large a brush as practical for the piece. Smaller brushes will almost always show brush strokes in larger pieces

 

[Unreality]

I've heard of a guy (can't remember his name) who does hand-painting only. He ironically won an airbrush at the last IPMS.

If I could give you any advice (and by no means am I great at this):
-Know your paint, know what thinners to use, know what works well for hand-brushing (Vallejo for example)...and what doesn't (Tamiya)
-Wash and prime the model (oils from your hands mess up hand-brushing more than airbrushing in my opinion)
-Use a fluid retarder or slo-dry medium to slow the drying time
-And like Q said, LAYERS. It took me a long time to realize this, but layering light translucent coats really helps.

I often add a drop or so of Future to most acrylics I use for hand-brushing since it thins it down and slows the dry time a bit. This would make a matte coat a little less matte...but that might not be so bad.

 

[the Baron]

If I may add my recent experience to this, I've recently started using good quality acrylics more and more--Vallejo and Andrea. And I've learned through airbrushing Tamiya acrylics, that they really need to be thinned for use. I found that that goes for hand-brushing, as well as airbrushing. I've found that the acrylics go on very cleanly, very thin but covering well. They don't clog finely engraved details, and they dry to a nice smooth surface, that looks almost like it had been airbrushed. Even for painting toy soldiers, where I used enamels more than acrylics--I used acrylics for specific colors, rather than for any advantage in the medium--I'm experimenting with using all acrylics, and then just sealing with a gloss varnish at the end. I'm happy with my results so far, and it makes me think that I can hand-brush acrylics on a larger subject, like an airplane or a tank. I also want to try hand-brushing a Maschinen Krieger piece, after seeing so many modelers in Japan who paint their models exclusively by hand and who get such excellent results.

So, it can be done, and it seems that proper thinning is key to getting good results.