Pastel Brush Set

Pastel Brush Set (Da Vinci)

This is a modeling aid, a set of brushes adapted for applying dry pastels and pigments, that is for dry work. Tools like these differ from ordinary painting brushes in the shape and the setting of the hair: they are meant to spread powder over an area, rub it gently into the texture of a surface and cope with work in corners and recesses. The Da Vinci brand is among the established makers of brushes.

Use

• Applying dry pastels and pigments to a finished model: dust, mud, soot, a weathered surface
• Spreading and shading pigment into the texture of a casting, into engraved lines and under overhangs
• Work on figures and dioramas, where fine transitions of shade matter
• Fine-tuning a surface after spraying, without having to reach for an airbrush again

How it differs from an ordinary brush

A painting brush is built to carry liquid and release it in a thin coat. A pigment brush, by contrast, picks up dry powder and has to be able to spread it evenly without sweeping it off the surface again. That is why it pays to keep the tools separate for this work: once pigment gets into the hair, it releases itself during subsequent painting and dirties the shade. The set solves that problem by being intended for dry work from the start.

Who the set is for

It suits modelers who finish a surface dry and do not want to ruin the brushes they use for paint with pigments. It will be appreciated by builders of military vehicles, dioramas and figures. Work on a thoroughly dry surface, ideally varnished matte: pigment holds far better on matte than on gloss. Seal the result only at the very end, as a fixative usually changes the intensity of the shade, so try it on a spare part first.

Clean the brushes dry after working with pigment, or with lukewarm water and soap, and let them dry hair downward. Pigments are a fine powder: do not breathe them in and work in a well-ventilated room.