Painting Technique: Dry Brushing

A while back I promised a quick tutorial on how I use the dry brushing technique.

I apologize for the delay. 

Dry brushing is so easy to do, I'm surprised it's not used more often.

I'm sure most of you know of, or have tried it yourself.  Basically all you do is brush a very small amount of a contrasting color on top of your project, working it into the corners and crevices to achieve a worn or aged look.

Supplies you'll need are . . .

a paint brush 

paint

paper plate for holding the paint

a paper towel, or rag.

For small projects I like to use my favorite small flat brush like the one below. . .

For larger projects I'll use a brush like this one. . .

To start pour a tiny amount of paint onto your paper plate.

Dip your paint brush in, making sure to pick up only a little paint at a time.

Next, using your paper towel, rag or in this case a scrap piece of paper,

swipe your paintbrush back and forth in a windshield wiper motion until the paint begins to thin.

Below you can see how dark the color is at the top, and how light it is on the bottom.

Once your happy with the paint amount, you'll start brushing the paint unto your project.

Using the same type of windshield wiper motion, trying to keep the strokes very light.

For the edges and crevices,

I run the brush right along the surface, making it very dark since that is the way I like it.

Here's a look at my finished project.

Here's an example of using dry brushing to give a project a small amount of texture. . .

I sure hope this has been helpful

Have a great day,

Robin