The Artis Opus Drybrushing Revolution — Why This Brush Changes Everything

Ask a veteran painter what the most underrated technique in the hobby is and drybrushing will come up repeatedly. It's fast, forgiving, and can produce stunning texture on everything from stone ruins to fur cloaks to corroded metal. The problem is that traditional drybrushing tends to leave a chalky, slightly crude result that never quite looks as good as it could.

Artis Opus — a UK-based brush maker — set out to fix that. Their approach to drybrushing has genuinely changed how much of the community thinks about the technique, and their Series D brushes have become one of the most talked-about products in the hobby.

What Makes Series D Different

Traditional drybrushes are flat-headed, coarse, and disposable — cheap tools designed for a technique considered too rough to warrant quality equipment. Artis Opus disagreed completely.

• Domed head — unlike flat drybrushes, Series D has a rounded, domed tip. Paint can be applied from any direction, not just linear strokes.

• Premium hair — densely packed, fine-quality hair rather than the coarse bristles usually associated with drybrushing. Better paint transfer and far more control.

• Ages gracefully — these brushes break in rather than breaking out. They wear down, not out, and actually improve with use as they conform to your technique.

• Five sizes — XS through XL. The right size for fine details on a face, up to drybrushing an entire castle wall. The XL is a particular fan favourite.

The Dampening Pad — The Real Game Changer

Every Series D set comes with a dampening pad — a small frosted glass pot with a damp sponge inside. This is the piece of kit that separates the Artis Opus technique from standard drybrushing, and it takes a moment to understand why it works.

The logic seems counterintuitive: we're drybrushing, so why introduce moisture? The answer is that a very slight amount of moisture in the brush changes how the paint releases onto the model. Instead of depositing paint in a single heavy moment of contact, a slightly dampened brush releases paint gradually and smoothly — almost like glazing. The result is a softer, more blended highlight with no chalky deposits.

The dampening pad enables silky smooth paint release while dry-brushing, reducing brush clogging and putting an end to chalky results. — Artis Opus

1. Load your brush with paint as normal, then wipe most of it off on a paper towel

2. Lightly press the tip of the brush onto the dampening pad once or twice before applying to the model

3. Apply to the model with light, sweeping strokes — the paint releases smoothly rather than all at once

4. Return to the pad periodically during longer drybrush sessions to maintain consistency

The Series D Brush Lineup

• XS — fine detail drybrushing, highlights on faces, individual armour panels, small gems

• S — medium infantry models, fur, hair, feathers

• M — the workhorse, most infantry-sized jobs, armour plates, larger texture work

• L — larger models, vehicles, terrain pieces

• XL — the beast of industry, terrain boards, large monsters, batch painting

How It Upgrades Slap Chop

Remember the grey and white drybrush steps in Slap Chop (Blog 3)? That's exactly where the Series D and dampening pad make the biggest difference. Instead of chalky, obvious drybrush marks, you get a smooth gradual transition from dark grey through to bright white — a result that looks much closer to zenithal priming with an airbrush than to traditional drybrushing.

Mediocre Hobbies have used this combination extensively in their army tutorials, and the results speak for themselves: fast, approachable, and genuinely impressive at tabletop distance.

Where to Get Them

Artis Opus brushes are available directly from artis-opus.com and through a number of UK hobby retailers. The packaging is genuinely lovely and they will outlast three or four sets of disposable drybrushes. The results justify the investment once you've tried the dampening pad technique.

Next up: Blog 5 covers the magic of washes — the single technique that delivers the biggest wow moment for a beginner. Publishing Tuesday 19 May 2026.