Dry Brush - Large

Mirage Hobby Dry Brush - Large (a brush for the drybrushing technique)

Mirage Hobby Dry Brush - Large is a modeling brush from a range designed exclusively for the drybrushing technique. It is not a general-purpose brush for areas or for detail - it is an aid for picking out relief. Size L is intended for larger areas: tank hulls, fuselages, buildings and diorama groundwork. The bristles of drybrush brushes are shorter and stiffer than those of ordinary brushes, so that they spring as they pass over a surface and transfer paint only onto the highest points.

How the drybrushing technique works

You load the brush with only a minimum of paint - and then wipe almost all of it off on a paper towel, until the brush leaves no continuous mark. Only then, with the brush almost dry, do you pass lightly and quickly over the surface. The paint catches only on the raised edges, rivets, screws, folds of cloth and the texture of a casting, while the recesses stay dark. That creates the impression of a naturally worn surface and a three-dimensional contrast that visually deepens the model. Flat paints and a shade lighter than the base work better for drybrushing. Go over the surface in several light passes - excess paint is harder to remove than too little.

Use

• Picking out edges, rivets and welds on military vehicles and the larger areas of a hull.
• Drawing out the texture of a casting - wood, brick, stone and terrain on dioramas.
• Emphasizing the folds of uniforms and equipment on figures in the larger scales.
• Suggesting scuffs and wear at exposed places.

Who the brush is for

For modelers of military vehicles, dioramas and figures - from beginners who are only trying drybrushing out to advanced builders who want a separate brush reserved for this technique.

Care of the brush: drybrushing is demanding on the bristles, because the paint is rubbed into dry hair. Never let paint dry in the brush, do not dip it as far as the ferrule, and clean it right after work (acrylic paints with water, enamels with the appropriate thinner), wipe it and let it dry bristles up or lying flat. The paints and the model are not included in the package.