I want to use this model as a platform to try some new weathering techniques. I used various paints and my airbrush to create some basic shading. I sprayed a layer of Tamiya Clear Gloss, which I let dry for 24 hours, then added the few decals on this model. I let the decals dry for 24 hours, then sealed everything with a layer of Tamiya Clear Flat. I let the clear flat dry for another 24 hours. This may seem like a lot of hurry up and wait, but I learned the hard way what happens when you start weathering before the clear layers are rock solid.
I want to try at least two weathering techniques to see how far I can take things. First, I wanted to use artist's oils to try some new things. I have used oils to add stains and fluid leaks, but I wanted to try using them to actually adjust the colors and shading of the paint. I also wanted to try using some watercolor pencils to get some cool effects.
Today is artist oil day. If you want to give this a try, here are some basic rules:
- A dry brush blends, a wet brush shapes.
- Use them smallest amount of paint that you can on the model.
- On the wings, blend front to back. On the fuselage, blend top to bottom.
To get ready, I dug out three old brushes. A small one to place the paint on the model, and two larger, stiff brushes for blending. You don't want soft brushes to blend, but you don't want too stiff which might damage the finish of your model. Don't use your good brushes for this. This process is hard on brushes. You will need some thinner. I use Odorless Turpenoid, which is a thinner for artists, because it doesn't seem to react with the clear coat and it dries to a flat finish.
I squeeze a little of each of the oil colors that I plan to use onto a piece of paper. Artist's oils are a little too wet for our use, so the paper tends to soak up a little of the oil in the paint before we use it. I use inexpensive oils that you can get at Hobby Lobby or Michaels. The colors depend on your model, but I used these for this model: Unbleached Titanium White, Naples Yellow Light, Manganese Blue, Prussian Blue, and Starship Filth (from 502 Abteilung). I also used a set of paints called 12 Shades of Grey (catchy, right?) These are sets of gray paints that are mixed with other colors: such as gray-blue, gray-brown, gray-green, and so on. I really like these because they are useful and subtle. I apply the paints in very small dots, or sometimes very thin lines along panels, etc. I let them dry for a few minutes before I start blending it. Using a dry brush, I start blending the paint. First, just a swipe along the area where I want the paint. Then I start blending the paint using a dry brush, in long fore and aft scrubs on the horizontal surfaces, and in round scrubs on vertical surfaces. Oil paints take forever to dry, so you can scrub and blend forever until you like what you have. Be careful, however, that you don't scrub so much that you damage the underlying surface. If you get your oil colors in places where you don't want them, use a soft brush, dipped in Turpenoid. to shape the paint on the model. Don't do this until you are through blending because scrubbing won't work once wet with Turpenoid. If you want to do more blending, you will need to let it dry completely before you attack it again. You can also mix the oil colors to obtain colors you need. For this model, I mixed my gray-blue with Starship Filth to get a nice, dark color for the cowling area.
When I was done with everything, I used a soft brush damp with Turpenoid to blend the oils on my wings and horizontal tail. I moved front to back with the airflow, and softened the oil effect a little.
That's about it. This is really fun and easy to do as long as you start with solid clear coat on your model. If you don't like the effect you get from the oils, you can use Turpenoid to either adjust the effect or remove the oils. Sometimes you can't completely remove all of the oils, but you can get rid of 98.5% of them.
Tomorrow I want to try some effects using watercolor pencils. The oils need to be basically dry before using the watercolors. You know what they say about oil and water. We'll see if things are dry enough tomorrow. Cheers everyone.
21 attached images. Click to enlarge.
