I was just curious as to how some of you guys manage to paint all those little nooks and crannies on so cleanly. (Here's a great example: http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/radicons-customs/296195-classics-jetfire-updated.html)
There are a few different techniques or ways that I personally have used on different customs at some point. I'll do a quick list of them and what they involve. Gundam Markers/Pigma Picron Pens - some of my earliest "panel lining" started with Gundam model kits I used to build and detail back in the mid to late 90's. The Gundam pens are very small tipped and can get into small areas and allow you to basically draw or color in the needed panel lining effect. I used Pigma Micron pens (chose the very small tips/sizes) and did some panel lining work on my Classics Jetfire also. I'll toss an attached image at the bottom of my beautiful bullet-point presentation here. lol These do basically the same, though they do seem to rub off some if you apply real pressure, so they're really good for the recessed areas that won't be handled or touched. Wash - this can be achieved by taking a bit of paint and thinning it down a bit so that it is loose and runny (for lack of a better term, you guttermouths! haha). You can then take your brush, dip into it, then touch it to the recessed areas you want panel lined. Capillary action takes over and it pulls the paint along the recessed areas (basically lining it for you with little effort). If you have any excess, dab with a small q-tip, paper towel, or even your finger. Dry Wash - this is almost like a combination of the above two points. I always tend to gravitate toward this method (and I'm sure it has some grand technical name, but we'll go with this). Basically, you take your brush, dip into your paint (regular thinned, NOT uber thinned like point 2), "draw" along the recessed areas, then quickly wipe away excess with your finger, q-tip, or tissue/paper towel. Do small areas at a time because the paint will want to dry and if you have a lot of excess runover, it's pretty much there and you'd need to paint over it again to clean it up without removing the main paint below. I usually draw the panel lines, then wipe quickly with my finger. You'll have messy fingers, but it's easier to clean your hands/fingers than to possibly remove too much paint and have to re-do anything. I'll also attach an image of my Classics Starscream and my WFC Galvatron (now on ebay! gotta pimp it) that I did with this method, so you can see what I'm talking about. Also, when wiping it with a finger, it helps to spread the paint around just a bit, helps it get into other areas, and gives a nice worn effect on top of it all.
WOW, that's an old custom! I just did a wash on that one. I thinned out some flat black paint and then brushed on on all the areas where I wanted the wash to seep into. The excess I just wiped a way with a soft (lightly damp) rag.
One of the things I like about the wash method is that it presents the option for weathering at the same time. It's like killing two birds with one stone almost. Keep those tips and suggestions coming! This can be a great resource
i water down black acryillic paint then spread my brush all over the figure and just as fast wipe it down with a paper towel so the lines/crevices is all that's painted
Z, looking forward to that video man. I'd love to see your method on panel-lining parts with a white or gray base coat.
