How to Paint OSL (Object Source Lighting) on a Budget: No Airbrush Needed!

Meta Description: Think Object Source Lighting is only for pros with airbrushes? Think again! Learn how to create stunning glowing light effects using only drybrushing and simple glazes.

https://i.imgur.com/placeholder.png *You don't need a $300 airbrush to make your miniatures glow. This beginner-friendly technique uses the brushes you already own to sell the illusion of light.*

Object Source Lighting (OSL) is the pinnacle of miniature painting. It’s the technique of painting a model as if it’s being lit by a light source on the model itself—a glowing sword, a lantern, a spell effect. It looks like magic, and most tutorials make it seem like you need an airbrush to even attempt it.

I’m here to tell you that’s a myth. While an airbrush makes it easier, the core principles of OSL are about understanding light, not owning expensive tools.

You can create convincing, tabletop-ready OSL effects using simple drybrushing and glazing techniques. Let’s unlock the secret.

The One Rule of OSL: Light Follows Physics

Before you touch a brush, remember this: The closer a surface is to the light source, the brighter it will be. This means:

• Brightest: The light source itself (e.g., the lantern globe).

• Very Bright: Surfaces immediately next to the light.

• Faint: Surfaces farther away.

Your job is to paint this gradient of light.

The Budget OSL Method: Drybrush & Glaze

For this tutorial, let’s imagine we’re painting a model holding a lantern.

What You’ll Need:

• Your Paints: A bright color for the light (e.g., yellow) and the model’s original colors.

• A Drybrush: A cheap makeup brush or dedicated drybrush.

• A Detail Brush: For the light source itself.

The Step-by-Step Process

Step 1: Paint Normally (But Plan Ahead)

• Paint your entire model to a finished standard as if the light source didn’t exist. Use your normal techniques. This is your "base state" without any light effects.

Step 2: Identify the "Light Zones"

• Identify every surface that the light would hit. Imagine holding a real lantern in the model’s hand. Which parts of the arm, leg, and face would be lit? Which parts would be in shadow?

• Pro Tip: Take a photo of your model with your phone and use a photo editor to draw rough orange lines where the light should fall. This is your roadmap.

Step 3: The "Drybrush Glow" (The Secret Weapon)

• This is where we create the soft, diffuse glow. Choose a color that matches your light source (e.g., a pale yellow for a lantern).

• Get your drybrush very dry. Load it with paint, then wipe off almost all of it on a paper towel.

• Gently, gently drybrush over all the areas you identified in Step 2. The goal is to dust the raised surfaces that are facing the light. The effect should be very subtle at first.

• Layer it: Repeat the process, getting slightly less careful each time, focusing the brightest drybrush passes closer to the light source.

Step 4: Paint the Light Source (The Star of the Show)

• Now, make the light source itself incredibly bright.

• Paint the lantern globe or crystal:

  1. Basecoat with a white or very light grey.

  2. Apply a highly translucent glaze of your bright color (e.g., yellow ink or thinned-down yellow paint) over the white.

  3. Keep the center of the light source pure, bright white. This sells the illusion that it’s too bright to look at.

Step 5: Tie It Together with Glazes (Optional but Recommended)

• To make the drybrushed areas look more like light and less like paint, you can use a highly thinned glaze (5 parts water to 1 part paint) of your light color over those areas. This will tint the underlying colors and unify the effect.

Why This Budget Method Works

• Drybrushing naturally catches edges and raised surfaces, which is exactly where light would fall most intensely.

• By building the effect subtly, you avoid the common beginner mistake of creating a obvious "blob" of light that looks like spilled paint.

• It uses the techniques you already know, removing the intimidation factor of learning airbrush control.

The Thrifty Painter's Final Verdict

OSL isn't about a single technique; it's about observation. You must first understand how light behaves before you can paint it.

This drybrush and glaze method is the perfect, low-risk way to practice. It’s easy to fix—if you overdo it, you can just paint over the area with the original color and try again.

Start small. Try a tiny glowing gem on a model’s chest before attempting a full lantern. Once you see how effective even a subtle glow can be, you’ll be hooked.

What will you make glow first? A sword? A spell? Share your OSL attempts in the comments below!

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