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Other Stuff => Workbench => Topic started by: FramFramson on March 17, 2011, 04:05:26 AM

Title: Zenithal Lighting priming question
Post by: FramFramson on March 17, 2011, 04:05:26 AM

Question.

I do not own an airbrush (a properly decent one is definitely out of the budget for now, and a cheap $50 one will probably do more than $50 in damage, so never mind that) and my workspace is not very spraypaint friendly in various ways (nor am I that good with spraycans anyway).

For those who don't know what I'm talking about, zenithal highlighting is when you do a two-tone priming job. A black undercoat is applied to start, and then you lightly spray from the top down, giving you a rough and ready undercoat that simulates light from above.

Black gesso was something of a godsend for me, since it works wonders for sprayless priming. Now, I've seen folks get good results and save time by using zenithal priming using airbrushes and I'd really like to try it myself, but is there a way to do apply zenithal priming without compressed air of any kind? Can you drybrush it, or is that just a lost cause?

Anyone have anything that worked for them?

Title: Re: Zenithal Lighting priming question
Post by: zizi666 on March 17, 2011, 04:12:42 AM

Black prinmer and the drybrushing with white/from top to bottom would create such an effect.
I have done this before, although I wouldn't use myself as a reference with soo much greater painters on this forum  ::)

Title: Re: Zenithal Lighting priming question
Post by: Aaron on March 17, 2011, 11:32:26 AM

I've been doing just that for years. I spray prime black and then liberaly drybrush with white. I found it helped me see the detail on the figures much better, but I do think it helps with highlighting also.

Title: Re: Zenithal Lighting priming question
Post by: Mister Rab on March 17, 2011, 12:00:45 PM

Not exactly what you were asking about but to get a pre-shading I've experimented with grey primer with a black wash as painting prep. I quite like the effect and will be sticking with it for a while. It has given me better recess shading with little effort.

Title: Re: Zenithal Lighting priming question
Post by: FramFramson on March 17, 2011, 12:08:48 PM

Hmmm, sounds like it would be alright then.

What sort of brush would you folks recommend for the drybrushing? A larger one, or something closer to the sizes used for the actual painting. Any particular brush type?

Title: Re: Zenithal Lighting priming question
Post by: Aaron on March 17, 2011, 01:48:31 PM

I started with a GW tank brush, but I now use a cheap large flat brush from the craft store. Something like the one on the far right here:

(http://tbase.http.internapcdn.net/tbase/dw/www/michaels-catalog/large/fa0624.jpg)

I have also tried grey primer followed by a black wash. I find it works well for my Austrian Napoleonics (predominantly white uniforms and kit), but it doesn't really work for me otherwise. Naturally YMMV.

Title: Re: Zenithal Lighting priming question
Post by: zizi666 on March 17, 2011, 06:10:41 PM

ditto.
a flat brush for drybrushing.