Wet/ dry paint consistency?

So, I have been painting every chance I get, but it seems like I can't figure out wether is is better to have paint more dry or wet? I have a paradise pallet and one basic snaz pallet. I think I must be using too much water, especially with the snaz- it's really "goppy"... Paradise is a little better. So, is less water better? But it seems like I need it to be more wet for lines and dots? Any suggestions would be much appreciated

Also, what about brushes? I bought some craft brushes and I thought they'd be fine, I am finding that maybe they are to soft? I am making them work, but feel like they are slowing me down a bit.

Thanks eveyone! Hope everyone is having a good weekend!
Tia

You actually need more water for snaz than paradise.
For snaz I either squirt it a few times with my bottle or have a generously moist sponge to attack it with. You work it into that goopy consistency and you'll have paint for bases.

For paradise it does not take as much water to get it going. Some people go at it with a wet brush and wiggle it till it looks right. I prefer to give it a heafty squirt with my water bottle and then mix in the water till i have that perfect consistency of paint. That way I am not having to constantly go back and forth with water and a paint brush, I can reload instantly.

As for dots and lines you will need a wetter brush to get optimal strokes.
For dots you need your brush completely saturated. If it is dry the bristles will be all funky and it will look like anything but a dot. Get a good puddle of paint going in the middle of your cake and load it well.
For lines you need it very wet but not almost dripping like for dots (you'll see what i mean, practice on your leg or face). That way you can paint more lines and you will get that tappered point at the end. When that tappered point is not there put more paint on the brush. It is tricky though because if you put too much paint your lines will "bleed". It is a balance.

All in all though, wetter is better than drier. It will save you time to have a small puddle (especially with white and black) and wettest for dots.

I do most my bases with a sponge. It gives a good even coverage. I find having a small spray bottle of water & spraying your sponge rather than you paints helps keep them from getting to gloppy. Snaz can get pretty mushy in high temps & often needs to be kept on ice packs.

For brushes, go to Michael's w/ coupons & just buy good brushes. The soft grips are a great start. Get a few round brushes in various sizes(small for details & medium for thicker lines). Filberts are great for some techniques & flat brushes for artycake designs. Often your artwork will only be as good as your brushes.