In this blog, I will guide you through the main things you need to know about dry brush painting including what tools you will need and how to acomplish the technique step by step.
The dry brush painting technique is a very sophisticated technique which unlike traditional painting requires less material yet closer attention and deeper concentration as the oil paint has to be applied gently in very thin layers onto the surface. When applying onto the brush you have to use a very small amount of oil paint, acrylic paint, coal dust or graphite.
The dry brush painting technique is highly recommended for those with previous experience in drawing and painting especially in photorealistic portrait drawing with graphite and charcoal. Even if portrait drawing isn’t you aim it is advised to have an experience in realistic toning.
Keep in mind that it takes a lot of practice and patience to learn how to use the brush appropiately and what amount of the oil paint and solvent combination to apply onto the brush. Linseed oil, sewing machine oil, machine oil or diesel oil can all be used as solvent.
So the secret of dry brush painting technique lies in the smooth, flowless hand movements of brush usage. Once you get into the habit of using the brush confidently you will be able to apply the layers much easier and faster. However, you should start off slow and make sure to give yourself enough time to endulge in the learning process and to pay attention to detail.
Dry brush painting – Things you will need
The following tools you will need for dry brush painting.
As for the choice of the most appropiate brushes for dry brush painting there are no common rules. Though, it’s best to test different brushes before investing into more expensive ones.
When working on a dry brush portrait I always use different types of brushes. However, during the years I’ve learnt that bristle brushes are probably the most suitable tools for dry brush painting. Although they might seem to be rough because of the natural split ends they have, it is the perfect choice for oil painting as they can withstand both heavy oil paint for texturing a well as fine layering. Therefore, I recommend to select different textured brushes from soft natural to hard (hog) bristle ones. They will not only last longer but will give precise results every time. Of course you need to experience what works best for you.
As for a start you do not have to purchase a whole set of brushes, instead try 3-4 different (small-medium-large) sized ones. The more sized brushes you have the better. The shape of the actual brush is also important, I advise to use cut end and round edge brushes.
We usually use black oil paint but of course other colours can also be applied. I personally prefer to paint with oil paint but it works perfectly with other substances such as graphite, pastels, charcoal or coloured pencils too. The most important thing is that whatever substance we choose to use it should be a soft, creamy and easily spreadable consistency.
There are so many oil painting brands available on the market. You may try out various brands however, the quality of your artwork will not depend on the label of the paint. There are good quality oil paints are abailable for decent prices.
There might be minor differences in the shades within brands but unless your aim is not a high quality photorealistic painting it doesn’t really matter which one you opt for. Remember, good paint is a paint that suit your style and you perfectly.
All in all, if you are a begginer it is perfectly fine to use any brand of black oil paint.
Oil paint need to be diluted with a few drops of solvent otherwise the paint might get ”crumbly”. Without thinning the oil paint it might be too thick of a consistency so as the layers would be when applying onto the surface so as a result it won’t have a nice, smooth and even finish.
It took me a long time and a lot of practice to realize how important it is to thin the oil paint and to figure out the right consistency to paint with. For diluting it’s probably best to use ”fine” ,”thin” consistency oils like lenseed oil and sewing machine oil, but petroleum and diesel oils are also often used as thinning agents.
Should you be using traditional lenseed oil make sure to avoid the painting to be exposed to direct sunlight as they have a yellowing effect. This will not happen with other solvents.
I would recommend to start painting on artistic paper preferably on a 200-300g/2m textured aquarell paper. If you are a beginner then a 120g/2m textured oil painting paper will make do until you get confident using different brushes and thinning oil paint in the right proportion.
Artistic papers come in many different shapes, sizes and surface textures. The right choice depends on the type of painting technique you intend to use when applying the paint on. Some paper surface textures have a really smooth finish while others a more rough or ridged one. I personally prefer to use the one in between.
Once you have learnt to use this technique confidently you will be able to paint or draw realistic pictures on any type of paper. But until then don’t be afraid to give it a try and get experience in painting or drawing on different types of paper you never know what will work for you so don’t take anything you have read for granted.
You can try painting on different surfaces other than paper f.e. walls, wood panels or any alternative surface really as you go along you will experience how permanent the paint on the given area will be.
When watching dry brush painting videos you have probably seen artist touching the painting surface with a coloured (usually blue) gummy, rubbery tool.
It is the so called soft kneadable eraser also known as a pliable or monopol eraser.
As the name suggests kneadable eraser is a tool that can be formed, kneaded and streched into any kind of shape making it much easier to work with when taking off paint of the paper than with a common eraser. You can draw lines with it to take off more layers or use gentle tapping movements to highlight the paint whenever is needed. It only takes practice.
I personally prefer to use a traditional rubber on specific areas of the painting. For instance when you want to highlight an area it’s best to use a hard eraser.
Or for instance when painting hairlines and the hair itself, I would highly recommend to use an erraser stick so you can make very thin white lines on the oil paint surface. You can also use kneadable eraser for this purpose but I think an eraser stick is more suitable for creating fine lines while the kneadable eraser would do a better job for the thicker ones.
You may have wondered how to remove or erase oil paint. The answer is very simple and it lies in the fact as the name also suggests that because the oil paint is applied in such thin and dry layers it can easily be redone or reshaped to ones taste. However, you can only achieve this if the surface of the oil paint is applied appropiately.
You will need to use a smooth, flat surface to squeeze out the oil paint. I would personally recommend to use a good quality wooden surface like a palette an old drawing board or even an unused chopping board. You can also use glass or metal surfaces or any other smooth surface will do really, as long as it won’t absorb the oil paint.
So let’s get started…
First you need to squeeze out a small portion of oil paint onto the surface then add 2-4 drops of solvent and rub it all in until it is all blended evenly. To do this you can use a bigger size used brush or a piece of sponge adviseably covered in some fabric to avoid unnecesarry absorption from the paint mixture. Anything will make do what is good to rub with.
Then you get your brush and clean off the excess paint onto the paper saved for this purpose because this amount is more than what you will need to start painting with. Keep moving your brush back and forth in fast movements until there is just enough paint left on the bristles that will not smudge the paper. The dept of the shade depends on how well you clean your brush each time. For realistic paintings and drawings it is best to use a very small quantity of paint an ’almost dry’ brush.
So it is very important to use small quantity of paint on your brush especially when you want to paint light tones or emphasize slight tone differences in a specific area of the painting. It also works in the opposite way so you have to use more paint when you want to create darker tones and shades but anyhow it will take time and you need to figure it out as you go along. The more you practice the better you will get therefore, practice is the main key.
You have to pay very close attention when using this technique to avoid making any mistake but just let me warn you that you probably will. I know it can be quite frustrating when you are almost finished your painting and you smudge an area or make a mistake but this is part of the learning process. Unfortunately, there are no proper ways to correct the mistakes. In some cases you can correct the light shaded areas however if more paint had been used than what was needed then it might be difficult to cover up that area or to remove the paint to avoid the correction to be seen.
So my advice is to give it a time be patient and try not to focus on the results but enjoy the process of the painting itself. Once you have painted a few portrait in dry brush technique then you will be able to speed up your painting routine and work with your brush more effectively. When finishing a painting it isn’t necessary to varnish on the surface as the paint is only used in thin layers.
Brush usage requires very gentle movements with lots of patience and close attention. To get a realistic looking picture you will have to gently apply thin layers using very limited amount of paint on your brush especially when you want to create light shades. When using your brush use fast fanning movements. Check out my videos on dry brush technique for extra help and ideas.
Dry brush painting video
Please keep in mind that it takes time and a lot of practice to learn how to use the brush and the paint properly yet there are always some who might find it easier and learn it faster than others.
Do not forget that this is a very precise technique that enquires lots of practice so give yourself time and get into trying out new things and experimenting new ideas as you never know what you might end up with.
Here is another hint for creating light shades – when I want to use lighter tones I mix a bit more solvent in the paint so I will get a lighter effect when applying the paint. However, be careful not to use too much solvent in your mixture.
I like to experiment new things myself such as trying out new brushes or using different proportion of oil paint and thinner etc. If you want to give it a try feel free to get into painting. As for a start you will only need a very small amount of oil paint and just few brushes to create an artpiece then of course as you get more confident in using this technique it will be adviseable to use a selection of brushes. When finished painting do not forget to clean your brushes with warm soapy water otherwise the paint will dry on the bristles.
I would say it is beacuse the finish product is really spectacular and it looks bewilderingly realistic for the eye. There are so many different techniques known to be used to create realistic pictures however, you will find that once you’ve learnt how to properly dry brush paint you will be able to create realistic paintings and drawings much faster compared to the other artistic techniques.
Enjoy the learning journey!