Post by dtinut on Feb 9, 2009 16:01:39 GMT -5
Several folks have asked me about how I weathered some of the models I have posted pictures of, so I am going to try and show the various methods used to achive the results I get.
I use many different tools and media to get defferent results.
Most of them are simple, and anyone can do these, just takes a little patience and practice.
tools for painting:
Painting can be done using many tools, airbrush, paintbrush, toothpicks, wire, foam sponges, rags, towels, and fingers! These all provide different and various results when used. How you apply them depends on the desired effect you want to create.
To apply an even coat, and airbrush is the best tool, and works well for color, and finish coats. It is also good for adding basic color changes for grime and dust. It isn't a good tool for rust though, because rust doesn't form evenly, and that is the typical result when using an airbrush.
Paint brushes are good for touch up painting, spot painting, and applying a color washes (highly thinned paint) to a model. I use a brush to paint couplers, wheel faces, and trucks with rust/grime colors, and to get a coat of grime onto the trucks. I work with acrylic paint 90% of the time, and it is handy to keep a rag for cleaning the tools, and a jar of clean water nearby, so you can dilute the paint easily, and wipe off excess.
Toothpicks and wire are great for applying streaks of color such as roof run off, and rust scrapes and streaks. They are easy to control, and apply the thin line of color easily. Colored Pencils are also very good for this, as it is completely controllable medium, especially for very fine lines. A good set of regular drawing pencils (various hardnesses) is nice, but a HB2 or HB3 will work well, since it isn't quite so hard. Colors are nice too, as they are good for creating streaks.
Foam sponges (like what Athearn uses to keep a loco from shifting in the blue box kits) are handy for applying color as well, because the can provide a varied effect. I use them on flat surfaces, like boxcar roofs, and the sides of open hoppers to smear the color down the side. continued wiping creates interesting effects.
Using your finger on a small spot of rust, a few seconds after it is applied is a great way to get the streaking of rust that occurs as the rust spot ages.
Acrylic Paint:
I use a lot of acrylic paint, most of the special RR colors I have are Polly Scale, as that is what most places around me sell, and I really haven't any fondness for the Badger line, but I know many like it just fine. I also buy a lot of paint at JoAnnes and Michaels, because there are a huge variety of colors, and it's a lot cheaper.
For mixing the stuff - with the Polly Scale (PS), and shooting with an airbrush, I cut/thin with 70% Isopropal Alcohol. I pretty much always use the small paint cup, because it's easier to clean, and holds plenty of paint for what I do. I like to add the thinner in using a big eye dropper I have which screws onto the bottle. I use a straw, paintbrush or pipette to transfer paint from the bottle to the cup.
*** key items here to note ***
1) NEVER, EVER shake a bottle of acrylic paint, as it's a sure way to end up with CLOGS in your AB. I use the homemade paint mixer which is constructed from a cheap mixer I got at the dollar store.
I drilled out a piece of sprue, and took a electrical eye, which I sniped the end open, and twisted, then soldered it to a finish nail.
This I glued into the end of the sprue, and the sprue slides onto the end of the motor shaft. You could build one from an old loco motor, and a 9V battery, or similar.
2) Never mix anything but paint in the original bottle. I mix/thin the paint in the cup, as adding IPA to the paint will cause it to go bad.
I have several bottles which are 10+ yrs old, and there's nothing wrong with them at all, and paint like they were new.
3) With bottles of paint, I hate when the lid wont open, so I cut plastic from parts bags, and place over the top of the bottle before I screw the lid back on (tightly). This keeps the threads from getting gooky, and the lid stays clean. It may even help to seal the bottle better, but I can't verify that...
Oil Paint:
I learned this technique from Mike Rose, and others like Mike Budde, who have done outstanding weathering with oils. It takes more time, and the results can be truly amazing, but I don't use it all that often. I get inot moods to do oil weathering, and I'll work on a handful of cars all at once, doing a little here, little there, because it takes days to dry. It does offer great variations though, and has it's place for sure.
Weathering Powders:
I bought this set of Bragdon weathering powders when I went to the NMRA Trainshow in Cincy back in 05, and I have really liked what can be done with these. They offer the final frontier in weathering for me, and can be used in a lot of ways, which I will show you later, and you'll be fascinated at the results. The one downfall to them, is if you overspray them to protect the finish, a lot of times they become very muted or disappear. They do hold up well of a flat coat, and I will typically apply the powders of the final flat finish, because I like the look without overspraying the powder better. The Bragdon stuff has some adhesives in it, so it usually stays put, but I occasionally end up with a finger print showing, which can be resolved with a little brushing with some more powder at some time when you have them out. I always try to have clean hands when I handle my models, to help avoid this, but sometimes sh#t happens, and needs a little fixing to resolve.
Here is the model I which I will use.
This model still has a satin finish on it, but I did give the trucks a wash of PS TieBrown at some point. But that is the typical foundation for me when I weather a model.
Here is what I'd like it to look like when I'm done... If I am lucky!
Regards
Brian
I use many different tools and media to get defferent results.
Most of them are simple, and anyone can do these, just takes a little patience and practice.
tools for painting:
Painting can be done using many tools, airbrush, paintbrush, toothpicks, wire, foam sponges, rags, towels, and fingers! These all provide different and various results when used. How you apply them depends on the desired effect you want to create.
To apply an even coat, and airbrush is the best tool, and works well for color, and finish coats. It is also good for adding basic color changes for grime and dust. It isn't a good tool for rust though, because rust doesn't form evenly, and that is the typical result when using an airbrush.
Paint brushes are good for touch up painting, spot painting, and applying a color washes (highly thinned paint) to a model. I use a brush to paint couplers, wheel faces, and trucks with rust/grime colors, and to get a coat of grime onto the trucks. I work with acrylic paint 90% of the time, and it is handy to keep a rag for cleaning the tools, and a jar of clean water nearby, so you can dilute the paint easily, and wipe off excess.
Toothpicks and wire are great for applying streaks of color such as roof run off, and rust scrapes and streaks. They are easy to control, and apply the thin line of color easily. Colored Pencils are also very good for this, as it is completely controllable medium, especially for very fine lines. A good set of regular drawing pencils (various hardnesses) is nice, but a HB2 or HB3 will work well, since it isn't quite so hard. Colors are nice too, as they are good for creating streaks.
Foam sponges (like what Athearn uses to keep a loco from shifting in the blue box kits) are handy for applying color as well, because the can provide a varied effect. I use them on flat surfaces, like boxcar roofs, and the sides of open hoppers to smear the color down the side. continued wiping creates interesting effects.
Using your finger on a small spot of rust, a few seconds after it is applied is a great way to get the streaking of rust that occurs as the rust spot ages.
Acrylic Paint:
I use a lot of acrylic paint, most of the special RR colors I have are Polly Scale, as that is what most places around me sell, and I really haven't any fondness for the Badger line, but I know many like it just fine. I also buy a lot of paint at JoAnnes and Michaels, because there are a huge variety of colors, and it's a lot cheaper.
For mixing the stuff - with the Polly Scale (PS), and shooting with an airbrush, I cut/thin with 70% Isopropal Alcohol. I pretty much always use the small paint cup, because it's easier to clean, and holds plenty of paint for what I do. I like to add the thinner in using a big eye dropper I have which screws onto the bottle. I use a straw, paintbrush or pipette to transfer paint from the bottle to the cup.
*** key items here to note ***
1) NEVER, EVER shake a bottle of acrylic paint, as it's a sure way to end up with CLOGS in your AB. I use the homemade paint mixer which is constructed from a cheap mixer I got at the dollar store.
I drilled out a piece of sprue, and took a electrical eye, which I sniped the end open, and twisted, then soldered it to a finish nail.
This I glued into the end of the sprue, and the sprue slides onto the end of the motor shaft. You could build one from an old loco motor, and a 9V battery, or similar.
2) Never mix anything but paint in the original bottle. I mix/thin the paint in the cup, as adding IPA to the paint will cause it to go bad.
I have several bottles which are 10+ yrs old, and there's nothing wrong with them at all, and paint like they were new.
3) With bottles of paint, I hate when the lid wont open, so I cut plastic from parts bags, and place over the top of the bottle before I screw the lid back on (tightly). This keeps the threads from getting gooky, and the lid stays clean. It may even help to seal the bottle better, but I can't verify that...
Oil Paint:
I learned this technique from Mike Rose, and others like Mike Budde, who have done outstanding weathering with oils. It takes more time, and the results can be truly amazing, but I don't use it all that often. I get inot moods to do oil weathering, and I'll work on a handful of cars all at once, doing a little here, little there, because it takes days to dry. It does offer great variations though, and has it's place for sure.
Weathering Powders:
I bought this set of Bragdon weathering powders when I went to the NMRA Trainshow in Cincy back in 05, and I have really liked what can be done with these. They offer the final frontier in weathering for me, and can be used in a lot of ways, which I will show you later, and you'll be fascinated at the results. The one downfall to them, is if you overspray them to protect the finish, a lot of times they become very muted or disappear. They do hold up well of a flat coat, and I will typically apply the powders of the final flat finish, because I like the look without overspraying the powder better. The Bragdon stuff has some adhesives in it, so it usually stays put, but I occasionally end up with a finger print showing, which can be resolved with a little brushing with some more powder at some time when you have them out. I always try to have clean hands when I handle my models, to help avoid this, but sometimes sh#t happens, and needs a little fixing to resolve.
Here is the model I which I will use.
This model still has a satin finish on it, but I did give the trucks a wash of PS TieBrown at some point. But that is the typical foundation for me when I weather a model.
Here is what I'd like it to look like when I'm done... If I am lucky!
Regards
Brian
