Paint lettering

[lomfs24]

Full disclosure. This radio strap is not my work. But rather a picture that I pulled off facebook.  My question is, how do you do the fine painting. Like the white outlining on the letters. Or the flag for that matter. Or the superfine maltese cross and lettering at the bottom.  When I try to do white outlines on my letters my brush is too wide and even the paint drop on the end of my brush is too wide. And I get it splashed over the edge. I even tried to thin the paint and flow it into the channel created by the stamp. But even then it doesn't flow evenly. What's the trick? 

 

[garypl]

Buy some small 1 oz squeeze bottles with needle tips.  Put the paint in and apply through the needle tip - pretty easy to do precise painting this way.  I bought some at Amazon: 6pcs 1 Oz. Multi Purpose Precision Applicator Squeeze Bottles+ 16 pcs Needle Tips+ 6pcs Needle Tip Caps but they no longer sell this type.  But you should be able to find similar bottles.

Gary

[fredk]

Try gel-ink pens for the fine work

[JerseyFirefighter]

15 hours ago, garypl said:

Buy some small 1 oz squeeze bottles with needle tips.  Put the paint in and apply through the needle tip - pretty easy to do precise painting this way.  I bought some at Amazon: 6pcs 1 Oz. Multi Purpose Precision Applicator Squeeze Bottles+ 16 pcs Needle Tips+ 6pcs Needle Tip Caps but they no longer sell this type.  But you should be able to find similar bottles.

Gary

I second the needle tip bottles. I'm pretty sure I am closing in on 2k radio straps painted with them. Bonus points for not ever having to dip a brush into paint... just squeeze. 

[Bob Blea]

On 3/27/2018 at 5:40 AM, JerseyFirefighter said:

I second the needle tip bottles. I'm pretty sure I am closing in on 2k radio straps painted with them. Bonus points for not ever having to dip a brush into paint... just squeeze. 

I occasionally have had to do fine detail painting like this with a brush, but I'm intrigued by the idea of the needle bottles.  I'm assuming your using acrylics?  If so, what kind?

Thanks in advance,

Bob

[garypl]

30 minutes ago, Bob Blea said:

I occasionally have had to do fine detail painting like this with a brush, but I'm intrigued by the idea of the needle bottles.  I'm assuming your using acrylics?  If so, what kind?

Thanks in advance,

Bob

Bob, I use Angelus and Giardini as well as some cheap acrylic paints I bought at Walmart - I dilute all of them with about 20% distilled water so they flow out the small tips.

Gary

[garypl]

Easy to outline the letters and the scrolls underneath using the squeeze bottles

[Bob Blea]

That looks really nice!  I'm going to have to give this a try.

[JerseyFirefighter]

4 hours ago, Bob Blea said:

I occasionally have had to do fine detail painting like this with a brush, but I'm intrigued by the idea of the needle bottles.  I'm assuming your using acrylics?  If so, what kind?

Thanks in advance,

Bob

Angelus almost exclusively. I have needle tips ranging from 18 gauge to 25 for the type of detail i'd like to do. 

[Bob Blea]

15 hours ago, JerseyFirefighter said:

Angelus almost exclusively. I have needle tips ranging from 18 gauge to 25 for the type of detail i'd like to do. 

Thanks for the into, your techniques are clearly working very well for you!  Your work is very impressive.

[lomfs24]

Sorry for not checking in. There are some great ideas here. I really like the needle bottle idea. I thought about going to the farm/ranch store and picking up some syringes and needles. I think that would do kinda the same thing. Plus they are dirt cheap and if one gets clogged up, oh well. 

 

[garypl]

1 hour ago, lomfs24 said:

Sorry for not checking in. There are some great ideas here. I really like the needle bottle idea. I thought about going to the farm/ranch store and picking up some syringes and needles. I think that would do kinda the same thing. Plus they are dirt cheap and if one gets clogged up, oh well. 

 

The squeeze bottles are very easy to control - syringes might not be so easy because pushing the plunger is probably harder than a very slight squeeze of a bottle.  

Gary

[Grumpymann]

I use a "color wash" after I seal the item I thin some acrylic paint and Paige the letter and let it dry a bit and wipe off the excess.