How do you do paint all of those little details?

[JE123]

I was looking at Guiddy's S2000 and wondered how you paint the little emblems and the buttons. Especially the H on the steering wheel and the starter button. When I try to do that the paint goes all over. I find it kind of hard to mask around a small piece.

[Heep]

LOL, I was thinking the same thing. I had to paint the center section of my R5's wheels, excluding the lug nuts, but I just ended up painting over all the lug nuts and getting splotches of paint outside the center of the wheel

[Jay!]

The "H" on the steering wheel is a decal. The start button is raised, so that helps.

Basically, use the paint very sparingly. For the start button, just put a tiny dot on the raised part, and let it dry. It'll look like you have a huge bead of paint there, but it'll dry flat. Because the surface is raised, the paint shouldn't flow past the edges, especially with so little paint. Make sure the paint is not dilluted, just in case. This may actually be easier to do with a toothpick than a brush.

The S2000 makes the emblems easy. The "H"s on the hood and trunk are metal transfers. So are the "S2000" scripts on the sides. It gets harder if the emblem is molded onto the part. Look at pkw1's Fujimi Integra Type R for an example.

In any case, I do my best work with a toothpick. It just takes practice.

Of course, I can also write your name on a grain of rice.

[primera man]

You can get very fine brushes for doing all the fine work on your model.

Buy good ones...not some cheap brand that will lose it's shape after a while.

[pkw1]

Try Gundam-Marker.. they're these really fine markers used for building GUNDAM model kits... they work great on emblems

you can find out more about these markers on this site..

http://www.gundamshop.com/Merchant2/...egory_Code=SUP

[Jay!]

Wow! Those look nice!

I forgot: I also use fine-tipped pens for some things. They are Micron brand made by Sakura. The tips are like .020mm or something. I have black, red and blue.

[pkw1]

really?! wow.. that's even better then Gundam Markers... where can i get these?

[Jay!]

I got mine at a craft store.

Also, go to a college bookstore, go to the graphic arts section and ask for rapidiographs. Their tips are even smaller. That's what we used to use to write on grains of rice.

[pkw1]

SWEET I'm gonna get myself a set of those on monday

[Jay!]

Beware, though. The red color of the Sakura pen is a little washed out. Not as bright as I'd like. I mostly use it for touch ups.

[pkw1]

in cases like that, I usually put a light coat of silver/grey under it before applying the red.. works real good

[Guiddy]

Also, I use a magnifying glass on a stand, place the part under it, and add the detail with a fine brush.
For each dap of paint I also add a dab of thinners, as I find the paint flows better like that!

Like all art, practice and experience matter! Oh, and good eyesight!!!