Supplies What do you use to get fine lines for brows/lashes?

I've wondered how to get those lovely fine lines, also! I have cut my paint brushes down to just a few strands, and that helps. I think a stiffer paint brush with just a few strands, AND a very steady hand is the secret! I hope some experts will share some tips with us!

 

While I haven't actually done a face-up I can share since they've all be on off-topic vinyl dolls, I use a nail art brush from those general sets, specifically the shorter one on the left.



Leave it dry and get the tiniest amount of paint on the end, and it's the best thing I've ever tried for fine lines. The thicker base helps hold the tip steady, unlike how hard to control some liner brushes are, but the tip is incredibly fine.

 

I use a nail art brush, but a large part of getting really fine lines is skill and practice (or so I have seen multiple very talented face up artists say! They say the material is not the main thing)

 

Size 0 and smaller brushes. I have used different ones, sometimes "liners" sometimes not. Liners will give you a looser hand. (Liner brushes have longer bristles and it affects movement) Currently I'm using a 20/0 you can get for a couple bucks on Amazon.

 

I started attempting faceups for the first time a few months ago, experimenting with different methods, and I've found that painting lines just does not work for me for the head size I'm working with (13.5cm or roughly 5.5"). I finally tried watercolour pencils (dry) and it's the most reliable for me to achieve the razor thin result I want. Some downsides to this is the tip is too big for really tiny crevices, and that the lines are very hard to erase doing it this way, so you need a steady hand and to be 100% sure the line you're about to draw is one you want. I've had to start over many times because of this, but eventually I got a result I'm extremely happy with. I believe it would be even easier to use watercolour pencils for larger heads.



The little brow hairs, eye lines, and lip crease line were done with pencils.

The pencil tip is deceivingly large, but if you make the stroke by a gentle flick of the wrist, tiny thin lines are possible. You do have to make sure your pencil is as sharp as you can get it though.

 

I have used acrylic and watercolor paint both (weirdly not gouache just by coincidence) and I find that even acrylic erases easily with wet magic eraser... Just don't waste time deciding you hate what you've painted because it's harder to remove as it is drying.
A mix of wet and dry erasing with magic eraser are pretty fundamental to my techniques in general.

 

I use soft body acrylics, but I thin them out with Volks thinner until they’re very watery. You get a few seconds to erase a line with a wet q-tip with the thinner keeping it from drying, so that’s a nice perk, but mostly it’s to allow the paint to make fine lines. This is my fave liner: Princeton Best Synthetic Sable Miniature Watercolor and Acrylic Mini Brush Liner 20/0

There’s no magic to it, just practice. And luck. Sometimes it takes me one try to do lashes and brow hairs I’m happy with, and sometimes I erase them over and over because they look wrong. The important thing is to stick with it.

 

Superfine detail brushes, like the nail art brush up there, and the sharp facet edge of a watercolor pencil. And Practice. Try being sure a layer of pastel is down on the skin where you're trying to paint, i hear that can help stop the paint beading up.

 

Here's a really great tutorial that I always point people towards: Diluting Paint for Eyelashes & Eyebrows by Xhanthi.

So there's three factors that go into making nice tiny lines: The paint, the brush, and the technique. For the paint, it has to be the right consistency, which is thinner than you might think. DO NOT dilute your paint with just water, it will dry way too fast and probably bead up. For acrylics I highly recommend Volks' acrylic thinner, though in the video tutorial above she uses Liquitex Flow-Aid. As for the paint itself, soft body is nice to start with but tbh brand/quality does not matter much. For the brush, you want something thin, usually a liner. But you can still get thin lines with a bigger brush as long as it comes to a nice point. There are cheap liners and expensive liners, both work but the expensive ones will last longer. And for the technique, it mostly comes down to practice. But it's important that you blot the brush a little. So when you first dip your brush into the paint, it's too loaded. Wipe the brush a little bit on another surface (a scrap paper, clean spot on your palette, or even the top of your hand I guess) to get rid of the excess, and then you're good to paint nice dainty lines. You can have the perfect brush and your paint at the perfect consistency, but if you don't blot the brush first you'll still get blobby lines! Don't forget!

You can do it! Good luck

 

I'm crap with a brush so I resort ot a VERY sharp waterolour pencil

Teddy

 

I use a very thin nail art brush with a thicker body and thinner tip, dip it in my paint with some retarder that slows down the drying time (this is so needed for acrylic paint) + water to dilute. It should be a little bit thicker than milk. 2-3 strokes go on on my palette before using the very tip of my brush on my doll. I do one swift stroke, while resting my hand on something, usually i wear gloves and rest a finger on the dolls face while i do the lashes and eyebrow parts.

 

Lately I’ve been having a lot of success with a very small nail art liner brush and Golden high flow acrylics. Their shading gray is especially nice because it’s less pigmented but still the consistency I want, so the lines look nice and soft.