jugjunkie
Active member
I would like to show a very simple technique I use for paint fading/weathering. There are a lot of different ways of doing this and as with all techniques, it is the modeler who must decide what works for him. The "PRE-SHADE"technique is currently favoured by most modellers however for me this technique is too uniform and does not lend itself to realism - this is a personal opinion. I prefer post shading as would happen in real life. I would like to perhaps outline my method and you are free to use it or loose it or modify it - it's your model! I feel I need to start with my general painting method because it is this initial step that forms the basis of my entire weathering process.
STEP 1 for me is always a heavily thinned Enamel or Lacquer based primer. I do this because too often I have masked up previously painted surfaces only to have all the hard work "lift" off because it did not adhere to the plastic. All Acrylics and even some Lacquer based products "sit on"the plastic much like tape. Solvent based paints actually etch the plastic and blend with the substrate making for a very tight bond.
STEP 2 is a gloss Black base and the reason for this is that all my aircraft ALWAYS HAVE AN ALUMINIUM SKIN, like the real deal, as the basic starting surface. I sometimes use Tamiya Acrylic Black from the rattle can but most often I use the Alclad Lacquer Gloss Black. I will then polish out all imperfections with "Diamond Glaze"car polish and when I am happy with my glossy Black surface, then i go on to the next step.
STEP 3 is an Alclad Aluminium or Dull Aluminium coat. I use the former for Jets and modern subjects and the latter for WWII subjects. Please note that bear metal subjects are treated differently at this stage. So once the aircraft has a full coat of metal I let it settle for at least 3 days just to let everything harden up and cure.
STEP 4 Next i put on the colours and I always add a very small amount of Black to my colours by just dipping the very tip of the back of a paint brush in the pot of Black. I'm just guessing here but if i had to say what the black to colour ratio is, it is probably 1 to 20 or there abouts. My personal choice of paint is Warbird acrylics, they are in my opinion the finest paints ever made - such a huge pity they are no longer made so when my current stocks run out i hope there is something as good out there. I have tried plenty but none match up to the quality of finish that these paints have.
STEP 5 now I do a gloss clear coat for decals and washes. I always use an Acrylic base gloss clear and the reasons will be explained later.
STEP 6 once the decals are done i now use artists oils thinned with oil paint thinners (Windsor and Newton) and using a very fine brush, I run this oil wash into all panel lines and around the base of raised details trying not to have too much excess. This must dry for no longer than 10 minutes and usually I find that if I start at one point on a model, by the time I finish at another point, I can go onto step 7 starting at the initial point.
STEP 7 using the same oil paint thinners, I use the corner of some tissue paper and just wet it (not soak), i then start wiping off the excess oil wash working in lines following the flow of air (from front to back in straight lines) Now the reason for using an Acrylic gloss varnish is because during this process, the oil thinners tends to loosen up the varnish causing it to mix with the oil wash and produce some vague streaking. You can control this streaking by wiping again and again. You can loose all streaking in some areas this way, it's all in your control! At this point your model is starting to look very motley with matt and gloss streaks all over the place - that is perfect!
STEP 8 Now it's time for the Matt clear finish. For aircraft in particular i like a matt varnish that has that white look off it. Most modellers are the opposite and try and find products that don't have this tenency, i look for it. Again my choice of product here is Warbirds Acrylics. They lend themselves perfectly to the faded, dead look of old worn and faded paint seen on WWII aircraft. So I coat the entire aircraft and then I add a spot of white into the cup at again the ratio of about 1-20 and thin it out some more and then I simply give a burst to the middle of each panel. Some panels I give a second burst covering the whole panel this tends to give that checkered look so common on weather beaten aircraft. With the last little bit of paint then in the cup I add another generous amount of distilled water and give an over all blast just to tie everything together.
STEP 9 Finally I use ground up artists oil pastels to accentuate grimy panel lines (in the areas of exhausts, guns, oil fairings, radiators etc). Some more accentuated streaks can also be done with the pastels but care must be taken not to over do it. Change colours add some variation - where ever your imagination takes you. A final bust of thinned Matt varnish and you're done.
Hope it helps some of you.
STEP 1 for me is always a heavily thinned Enamel or Lacquer based primer. I do this because too often I have masked up previously painted surfaces only to have all the hard work "lift" off because it did not adhere to the plastic. All Acrylics and even some Lacquer based products "sit on"the plastic much like tape. Solvent based paints actually etch the plastic and blend with the substrate making for a very tight bond.
STEP 2 is a gloss Black base and the reason for this is that all my aircraft ALWAYS HAVE AN ALUMINIUM SKIN, like the real deal, as the basic starting surface. I sometimes use Tamiya Acrylic Black from the rattle can but most often I use the Alclad Lacquer Gloss Black. I will then polish out all imperfections with "Diamond Glaze"car polish and when I am happy with my glossy Black surface, then i go on to the next step.
STEP 3 is an Alclad Aluminium or Dull Aluminium coat. I use the former for Jets and modern subjects and the latter for WWII subjects. Please note that bear metal subjects are treated differently at this stage. So once the aircraft has a full coat of metal I let it settle for at least 3 days just to let everything harden up and cure.
STEP 4 Next i put on the colours and I always add a very small amount of Black to my colours by just dipping the very tip of the back of a paint brush in the pot of Black. I'm just guessing here but if i had to say what the black to colour ratio is, it is probably 1 to 20 or there abouts. My personal choice of paint is Warbird acrylics, they are in my opinion the finest paints ever made - such a huge pity they are no longer made so when my current stocks run out i hope there is something as good out there. I have tried plenty but none match up to the quality of finish that these paints have.
STEP 5 now I do a gloss clear coat for decals and washes. I always use an Acrylic base gloss clear and the reasons will be explained later.
STEP 6 once the decals are done i now use artists oils thinned with oil paint thinners (Windsor and Newton) and using a very fine brush, I run this oil wash into all panel lines and around the base of raised details trying not to have too much excess. This must dry for no longer than 10 minutes and usually I find that if I start at one point on a model, by the time I finish at another point, I can go onto step 7 starting at the initial point.
STEP 7 using the same oil paint thinners, I use the corner of some tissue paper and just wet it (not soak), i then start wiping off the excess oil wash working in lines following the flow of air (from front to back in straight lines) Now the reason for using an Acrylic gloss varnish is because during this process, the oil thinners tends to loosen up the varnish causing it to mix with the oil wash and produce some vague streaking. You can control this streaking by wiping again and again. You can loose all streaking in some areas this way, it's all in your control! At this point your model is starting to look very motley with matt and gloss streaks all over the place - that is perfect!
STEP 8 Now it's time for the Matt clear finish. For aircraft in particular i like a matt varnish that has that white look off it. Most modellers are the opposite and try and find products that don't have this tenency, i look for it. Again my choice of product here is Warbirds Acrylics. They lend themselves perfectly to the faded, dead look of old worn and faded paint seen on WWII aircraft. So I coat the entire aircraft and then I add a spot of white into the cup at again the ratio of about 1-20 and thin it out some more and then I simply give a burst to the middle of each panel. Some panels I give a second burst covering the whole panel this tends to give that checkered look so common on weather beaten aircraft. With the last little bit of paint then in the cup I add another generous amount of distilled water and give an over all blast just to tie everything together.
STEP 9 Finally I use ground up artists oil pastels to accentuate grimy panel lines (in the areas of exhausts, guns, oil fairings, radiators etc). Some more accentuated streaks can also be done with the pastels but care must be taken not to over do it. Change colours add some variation - where ever your imagination takes you. A final bust of thinned Matt varnish and you're done.
Hope it helps some of you.
