Painting Models - Weathering Effects
Buildings and vehicles can be made more believable by aging them, and by varing their colourings to represent real ones. Models are painted all at once, but in real life things are added and repaired over the years using different materials. House extentions rarely use the same colour bricks. Nature can cause damage and wear to objects, water trails cause rusting etc.
Effects can be applied with paint but a lot of military modelers are now using various coloured chalk pastels which can be obtained from most model shops. They are applied by making chalk dust by rubbing on fine sandpaper then adding the dust with a stiffish brush or cotton bud. A spray matt varnish is required to fix in place.
Dust - a light sandy colour or just white will give a well worn look to most things.
Mud - Mud is thick so paint alone is not sufficient. Mix up pollyfilla powder with PVA glue and plenty of paint of the required shade and apply with a brush. It should be of a consistency to stick to cart wheels and boots with a lumpy effect and without running. The ground should also show deep ruts and puddles that can be built up with layers of gloss varnish or clear cast resin.
Wood - If using real wood, stain it rather than paint using a paint wash or inks. This will also raise the grain which will benefit from a dry brush of a lighter shade. Obtain picture of wood or even better a wood stain chart from the DIY shop where you actually have to paint a wood effect. If the woods grain has been sculpted you can use normal painting methods but if the surface is flat you will have to paint the grain pattern on once the base coat is dry. Old timbers should be dry-brushed with grey to show age.
Metal - painted metal should show signs of wear. The edges of steps and handles could have silver spots where boots, etc. had knocked off paint. General aging can be done with black or dark brown washes then add streaks of rust depicted with a brown/orange mix and lichen patches with shades of green. Show repairs by having a panel either as unpainted bare metal or in red oxide primer. Finish by dry brushing with white or silver to pick out the raised details.
Welding joints and cuts can be shown by using a hot pin or pyrogravure on plastic card sheeting. This method can also be used to create weapon and other various battle damages. Gunfire damage can also be represented by gouging a small depression with a sharp knife with shrapnel marks radiating from the hit, painted silver with a wash of black and black stippled around for smoke marks. If old damage stipple with dark brown as well and add rusting.
Smoke - an effective but dangerous way to show the effects of fire is to set alight the tip of a piece of plastic sprue and hold it under the area where you want soot to form. When the desired effect is reached allow to cool and then fix with a spray varnish. Its dangerous because the fumes from burning plastic are highly toxic, so only do this outdoors, and also th
