How to keep a pointy brush and draw a small dot of paint ?

[gilded fable]

I always struggle to keep my brush pointy (whatever brand), especially after unloading paint onto my thumb or palette. More importantly, I find it hard to paint small dots like highlights in the eyes, for example. The paint never comes off the brush the way I want it to.

[river quiver]

Sable brushes are better for this, but in general rewet the brush in your rinse pot when the tip starts to come undone. Bigger brushes will hold the tip longer, so if you are using a very small brush, that can be part of the problem too. I usually paint with o 2-4 W&N Mini.

When doing eyes, etc, the dots can be so small you can't actually see a difference, so you'll have to poke the same spot again and again until it finally becomes visible by eye.

[primal moon]

What brushes and paint do you use?

[gilded fable]

Mostly ak, for brush I have Raphael, DaVinci, abteilung 502, w&n

[gilded fable]

I use only sable brush. See my reply for brands for eyes I don't paint mini like Warhammer but bigger models so eyes and not so tiny, anyway my question for the paint is still there

[primal moon]

Alright, nothing wrong there then.

Gotta hit that perfect combination of load and flow.

Make sure all of the brush is loaded, but not overloaded.

Make sure the paint is well thinned.

Fill the entire brush and wick off on paper or your hand. Make sure to twist the brush as you wick off to maintain the tip.

Don’t press too hard with the brush or the tip will come apart.

[gilded fable]

This is what I already do, but 1 I always finds ak is already too thinn from pot 2 when I unload is when a loose point 3 when I want to make a dot is like the paint is already dry and nothing come out from the point but if I brush on my hand is ok but is not what I wanted (hope I'm clear) 4 I have often a small paint dried on extremities of the brush

[gilded fable]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXMgsr3FBfE&t=360s&ab_channel=村上圭吾チャンネルKeigoMurakamipaintings

here is the way i want my paint to behave but i never find it out

[primal moon]

AK might be too thin for your liking, but if you don’t thin it you will not get a proper flow.

It might be worth it for you to experiment with some kind of retarder if you experience the paint is drying too fast.

I like Vallejo Glazing medium, but haven’t really tested others. From my understanding they all do pretty much the same thing.

Is it very dry and or warm in your painting environment? Anywhere above 25 C and I feel like my paints start acting weird and drying faster than I like.

[primal moon]

If you lose the tip when unloading you’re definitely doing it wrong.

Twist the brush as you drag it across a surface. A good brush shouldn’t come apart unless you’re applying a lot of pressure or moving it sideways or something.

[gilded fable]

it's summer so yeah 25c above here, but in general it's the same, i have Vallejo Glazing medium (i struggle for glazing btw) so it's also a retarder ? why use retarder for glazing ?

in the video the painter use scale color artist, verry thick paint i have try it but hard paint to use

[gilded fable]

maybe i put too much pressure, unload like that on my hander is hard than on palette

[river quiver]

You didn't address brush size. What size of brush? That matters more than brand

[gilded fable]

Last time I try the dot it was with the ab 0

[river quiver]

Yeah, use the 2. If you look real closely, Kego's brush is actually pretty fat, he's just putting paint on the very tip. And he is only getting about 3-6 taps before he has to reload. His video is constantly cutting for him to reload his brush. You'll see stray bristle, then 3 seconds later, no stray bristle. Like I said, sometimes the first tap isn't even visible, even with the microscope.

Usually, if the bristles aren't holding a tip, it's because they have dried out. Dunk them in water and then tap the brush to check, if it forms a perfect point it's because the bristles became too dry. Also, are you using a wet pallate? If you watch Keigo's other videos, you'll see he uses a wet pallete. If your paints are drying up on the pallete, they will dry out your brush and be harder to maintain a tip.

[gilded fable]

Yes I use humid pallet from green stuff world, it is good?

And so for thinning what should I aim ?

I see some painters twist their brush between lips to make a point and remove excess water so I do it, maybe it becomes too dry?

[river quiver]

How thin is based on whatever technique and effect you are using or going for. As long as the paint isn't separating or running on the model, you aren't too thin. Too thin usually means you need more strokes and painting takes longer. Keigo is very experienced so he knows what matters and where shortcuts are safe, or maybe even productive.

https://youtu.be/n5zVQ9ArE1s?t=396

You'll see Keigo here dunk his brush, form a tip, Dunk his brush again, and form a tip again. Because sometimes it doesn't work the first time.

If you watch his extended session, he isn't just dunking to rinse his brush to switch colors, he dunks periodically to get that sharp tip again even if going back to the same color.

Also, he's just using the water on his brush to thin his paints, so he doesn't thin them down a lot, at least not at first.

[gilded fable]

IIt reassures me, I do the same