Tricks for painting small spots (trout pattern)

[Hillbilly voodoo]

I have been working on improving my airbrush skills for the last 6 months trying to make things nicer then just fish catching paint jobs

I am working on a rainbow trout pattern and looking for tricks to get the freckled spots nice and clean. I have used a paint pen in the past and it works ok but wondering what others methods guys are using 

How do you lure artists freckle a trout pattern?

[AZ Fisher]

I have used everything from the hard end of a walmart cheapy paintbrush, to different type of toothpicks. Best thing I have found was a eye dotter from LPO, makes very clean dots.  But for me they were a little large so I used the eye dotter for a few big dots on the back and head and a a pointed toothpick for the rest. Slow and steady wins this race.

[Hillbilly voodoo]

Will have to test a few this options on paper to see if my hands are steady enough 

[mark poulson]

I used a cut off round toothpick to make these trout specks.  

 

[Hillbilly voodoo]

I went with the poke with paint on a stick method as you guys suggested. My weapon of choice ended up being the handle of a small paint bush

It does the trick just need to steady my position doing it

[ravenlures]

I use the eraser from a wood pencil and make the size I want on the sander I have plenty of different sizes. Then dip and dot.

Wayne

[Hillbilly voodoo]

I will give the eraser Idea a try for sure. I like the idea of using something softer vs a handle or toothpick. It still turned out ok in my opinion 

Oh Wayne those stands worked out good. Cost effective, simple, and I can break them down to store them even 

[ravenlures]

Just don't cut them off the pencil. I sand them to a point of size I need, cheap to make I have all sizes when needed.

Wayne

[jrhopkins]

I just use a Sharpie fine point marker.

[Hillbilly voodoo]

26 minutes ago, jrhopkins said:

I just use a Sharpie fine point marker.

What top coat are you using? I have heard some experience ink bleeding from reaction with the top coat so have always avoided sharpie 

[mark poulson]

50 minutes ago, jrhopkins said:

I just use a Sharpie fine point marker.

Nice to see you post again.

[jrhopkins]

20 hours ago, Hillbilly voodoo said:

What top coat are you using? I have heard some experience ink bleeding from reaction with the top coat so have always avoided sharpie 

devcon 2t

[Cuttem Jack]

I use a sharpie too with ex-74. 

Edited March 31, 2020 by Cuttem Jack
Added photo

[Hillbilly voodoo]

I gave the sharpie a try a few days ago and it works well 

I have actually found all the advice in this thread beneficial and adapted to different patterns. 

Edited March 31, 2020 by Hillbilly voodoo

[mark poulson]

I've found that hitting my black sharpie with a hair dryer helps it to not run.

With red and chartreuse sharpies, they will still run, unless I shoot a coat of Createx gloss clear over them.

When I dip and hang a bait by the nose with red sharpie gills without the gloss, the red bleeds down a little, and makes a neat bleeding bait effect.

This old photo shows some bleeding on the right hand bait.  At the time I was using AC1315 concrete sealer, and evidently didn't heat set the red well enough, because it bled a little.  I did other baits at that time with more pronounced bleeding, but I evidently didn't take any pics.

http://www.tackleunderground.com/community/gallery/image/5484-5-inch-gliderwalkers/

[Hillbilly voodoo]

I will keep that in mind Mark might come in handy 

[DGagner]

I am just about ready to 'dot' my first trout. This thread has come at just the right time. Thnx.

[Hillbilly voodoo]

For the trout the sharpie was my favorite of the methods suggested 

[seakarp]

You can also make or buy a stencil with little holes, maybe in different sizes, to speed the

process along if you're doing a bunch of them. The trout patterns are definitely cool.

[JD_mudbug]

I use a sharpie a lot just because of the convenience. In addition to trout dots, they make nice crappie marks. 

As Seakarp suggested, I have also taken a sheet of plastic and punched holes in it to make quick stencils. Punch holes with just about anything (or lay on scrap wood and drill) and use a razor knife to flush cut the underside if the stencil gets slightly dented in around a hole.

I also sometimes use those round dot stickers from walmart found the office/school department to make dots. They are like masking tape. You get 500 stickers for a couple of bucks. I paint one color, let dry/heat set, then put the dot stickers down, paint a second color, peel the stickers off with an Xacto knife and you get a dot of the underneath first color.  It's useful for making those dot-within-a-dot brown trout spots. Paint silver, put down dot stickers, paint dark metallic bronze or whatever trout back color you prefer, peel stickers to reveal a silver dot, then use a black sharpie to make a smaller black dot inside the silver dot.

I have a hole punch that makes a small star. I can use it to punch small stars out of masking take. I have used the little tape stars to make stars on a lure like the dot method above. I could have done the same by buying star stickers.

 

[Big Epp]

Anyone try this? https://www.lurepartsonline.com/Gravity-Feed-Paasche-Flow-Pen

[www.lurebuild.com]

Permanent markers come in handy

[www.lurebuild.com]

Another