How about using a pen to draw inside panel lines, on top of a layer of primer?

[Housesparrow]

Having seen people airbrush a dark color into and around panel lines, to make that area more insteresting, I can't but help if anyone tried out darkening the panel lines using an ink pen of sorts.

Have anyone here tried using a marker pen to darken panel lines and had success with that (or failure)?

I can imagine that it would be so easy drawing along the panel lines on a model, and dotting each rivet hole.

[bootneck]

IIRC the ink, both in pens and marker pens, affect the surrounding paint over time. I tried it a long time ago and the ink bled into the paintwork

Mike

[Nearlymen]

Anything with a dye based ink I would suggest is a non starter as any paint would tend to cause the ink to bleed through. Things like Bic pens and markers tend to bleed through in a blueish mess (tried it it doesn't work !) but I haven't tried using a pigment based ink. A pigment ink holds the pigment (finely ground charcoal was used once) suspended in liquid which evaporates away thus making the ink more waterproof, not a hundred percent though. This is the stuff used in Technical drawing pens, for brand names look up rotoring etc. Maybe someone here has used this before and can make a comment.

Cheers

Clive

Edited May 1, 2016 by Nearlymen

[Brad]

Someone really needs to put this question in the FAQ's.

[dreadeddrew]

I've bought Gundam fine tip pens for this (but haven't tried it yet) as my airbrush skills aren't up to panel pre-shading yet,can't seem to get it fine enough & my hands are too shakey.......think I best lay off the coffee!!

Andrew

[Housesparrow]

I suppose I could go buy one of those technical pens (for drawing construction drawings on those half transparent sheets of paper), and find out.

Yes, I will try this.

[Nearlymen]

This is the type of thing I was on about :

http://www.cultpens.com/i/q/RT04273/rotring-isograph-technical-drawing-pen

Yep they are expensive and remember you'll also need a bottle of the technical pigment ink as well. If you've never used one before then I wouldn'go smaller than a .35 (yellow cap) as they are prone to clogging if you leave the cap off ! So go for a .35 (yellow cap) or a .5 (brown Cap).

I'm a draffy by trade, now its all CAD but I spent years using these things ! Never thought too much about using them in modelling though.

Worth a try.

Cheers

Clive

[Tripehound]

Many years ago I tried this with a rotating pen, only for the ink to re- liquefy when over sprayed with acrylic paint. Always meant to retry with enamels but the pen (used for geological map work when I was a student) dried up before I got around to it.

[Nearlymen]

A Ha ! Knew someone would have tried to do it ! I assume thats because the carrier is water and the pigment went back into solution with the water based paint. Wonder what would happen with enamels as they are oil based its a thought ? Reading this topic though it does sound like an elegant solution to a problem, its I guess though not so elegant in Practice then !

Cheers

Clive

[azureglo]

This might be of use. |f you ask Mish nicely, she may tell you about the acrylic markers with a brush tip she uses that, in theory, should be fine under acrylics...YMMV as our American cousins are wont to say.

A

[Housesparrow]

Hm, maybe sealing the ink could work, before adding paint, assuming ofc there is something that would work for that.

[Deadman Disciple]

When I did my Mk.VII Colonial Viper, I used a normal pencil to color in the panel lines & used my finger to smudge them out.

Then on a later Mk.I Viper I used some charcoal the same way.

Hope this helps.

Wayne.