Weathering practice.

[Guest]

I'm trying to up my game on the weathering side of things since it seems to be such a major part of the final look. I reckon I can easily spend half the full build time on it, and that's just with the basic weathering I've been doing up to now.

Anyway, I bought a couple of the 1/72 Fist Of War models that John had on sale, just to try out new techniques. As an aside they're also great if you want to hone your filling and sanding skills, with endless mould lines, seams, poor fitting parts, and ejector pin marks. I didn't bother so much as it was all about the finish.

So after some black primer, pre-shading with white, careful application of the main colour, and some sponge chipping, I was left with this to start from:

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After discussion in one of my recent topics, and JR posting a video of the Rinaldi OPR method, I figured I'd start there. Didn't come out too great to be honest. The only colour you can really see is the oilbrusher rust. The cheap oils I had either wouldn't blend at all with a dry brush, or just washed straight off with even the merest hint of thinner on the blending brush.

[ATTACH]364044[/ATTACH]

But I guess it shows what could be done with better products.

Not to be defeated I got the kitchen sink out and hit it with AK weathering pencils, various dry pigments, an enamel wash, pigment fixer, and some MIG oil & grease effect that I also got in the sale.

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It took about 2 hours altogether (sped up with a hairdryer) and overall I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out. With practice I think I should be able to start getting some nice results. I'll certainly get plenty of that as there are 6 of these "legs" to do, the main hull which is about the same size as my 1/35 Whippet, and 3 turrets!

Let me know what you think, and whether I'm heading in the right direction. Yes there are spots that I've missed but that's the same with all my builds :smiling5:

By the way, the theme here is a battered temporary replacement to keep the "tank" in service while a damaged leg gets repaired. The rest of the model is mostly green.

[Steve Jones]

A cracking result Andy. Great to see you pushing the boundaries of your own skill set. Cheap oils are a waste of time with OPR. Its hard to advise as you will have a specific look that you are after. For me it's all about building up layers, using different colours and tones, maximising all the tools at your disposal. For example I am on my 7th layer of painting on the Panther and I haven't even started on the OPR yet LOL.

[tr1ckey66]

Very nice work Andy. Looks spot on.
Cheers
Paul

[Guest]

Thanks guys.

Steve, I don't really have the imagination to go for a specific look lol, I just see what happens most of the time :smiling5:

And crickey, 7 layers so far! I'd have no idea how / why / where to use that many.

[Guest]

Andy,
First stop knocking yourself, the end product looks ok in the pics.
Second when you think you have done enough - stop.
Stains, always go down, and puddles - pool in place and will go to the neares low point.
Try not to overdo the mud and dirt, take your time and try to pick on a similar vehicle to copy.
Decide what you want your vehicle to portray is it realism or one of the current art forms - modulation etc. I am what I would class as being in the realism 'school'. I have tried the others and it just did not work for me personally, although I do try to add a little here and there.
But the most important point is to be happy with what you have achieved in that session, then go take a break and come back and look at it with fresh eyes. And if possible place the model in front of a mirror, and then look at the model in the mirror, then you are looking at what other people will see. Sounds weird but it works through optical illusion.
Cheers,
Mike.

[Guest]

Thanks for that Mike, sage advice.

I don't think I'm yet settled on a particular look or style and I think it shows. At the minute I just seem to be trying everything (probably too much) to see what I like, what I can actually do, and how I'd go about achieving it. I'm hoping once I get over the giddiness of a relatively new hobby with so many different aspects I'll settle into more of a groove, have an idea from the start of how I'd like the end product to look, and do the necessary planning and research to get there.

Going off to look for a mirror now.... :smiling3:

[Steve Jones]

It took over two years for me to come up with a system that I was happy with. Your doing all the right things. Just stick with it and it will soon all fall into place for you

[Guest]

Everything at a million miles an hour, that's me lol

[Steve Jones]

And crickey, 7 layers so far! I'd have no idea how / why / where to use that many.

Its all about building up depth for the viewer. First is the red oxide primer, then hairspray, then Dunkelgelb, chipping, hairspray, two tone camo colours, chipping, mask for disc camo pattern, hairspray, mask for inner number, mask for outer number, chipping, fine mist of camo black at arms length, splashes of watered down wash of dark earth, Matt Varnish, hairspray, winter camo then final chipping. Once dry you can start on the oils.

As you can see this gives you depth to the model and interest to the viewer



.... and this is before you intensify the look with washes, streaks, oils, pigments etc etc.

Have a play around and come up with your own look. Its good fun :thumb2: :smiling2:

[Jim R]

Hi Andy
Definitely going the right way. It all comes with practice and study. Look carefully at what guys like Steve and Mike are up to. Not to necessarily copy their style but to see what's possible and see how they get certain effects. They are the experts and will always give all the help they can.
Jim

[Guest]

Holy sheet! That's epic Steve.

I wouldn't even know where to start with all that, nor would I have the imagination or forethought needed to plan something like that.. I'm definitely just a primer - paint - what now? kind of person. Throw it on and hope for the best :smiling5:

Cheers Jim. To be fair I think what these guys are doing is way beyond what I'm going for. With time I may learn the technicalities, but I will never have the vision needed.

I'm currently reading the Shep Paine diorama book and while it's great, he puts big emphasis on planning, story telling, knowing what you want the final result to look like, that kind of thing. I'm just not that kind of person, I don't have the creativity for it, I just follow my nose and end up with a mish mash. But I'm happy with that for now, which is all that really matters :smiling3:

[Steve Jones]

I'm just not that kind of person, I don't have the creativity for it, I just follow my nose and end up with a mish mash. But I'm happy with that for now, which is all that really matters :smiling3:

Being happy is all that matters mate. Your build your rules.Everyone luvs your work, so you must be doing something right :smiling2:

[Guest]

Cheers Steve.

Like I said earlier, maybe once I'm a bit less manic about the whole thing I may settle into a more thoughtful approach to the hobby, concentrating on doing the best I can with each kit rather than just rushing to get it finished so that I can get on with the next.

I'll still struggle with the whole imagination thing but I hear a lot of you talk about reference photos etc, so that may be a good move for me as it'll give me something to aim for, rather than having to magic something out of thin air.

[rtfoe]

Hi Andy, I took nearly 6 months to complete my F-18D and I'm glad I did or basically it was taking long breaks in between to re-cuperate, cool down and siking myself up for the next onslaught of punishment. References did help at everystage and even avoided certain disasters which weren't highlighted in the destruction sheet. I'm a novice when it comes to Jets.
I did my weathering infront of my computer and googled images of the actual plane even down to the ordnance, communication bulges and fins even the seat belts needed consulting with images. Friends were helpful in the dead of night if I wasn't sure of colors where the destruction sheet failed or was vague.
Like Steve said, just being happy is all that matters, you're one up on others who've not sprayed in their lives and probably envy you for it.

Cheers,
Richard

[Guest]

Thanks Richard. Looking at the amazing result you got on that bird it was certainly worth the perseverance!

It does sound like reference material is the way to go. I've dabbled a bit, looking for extra features the kit manufacturer omitted, but I think I may be more likely to get the kind of result I'm really happy with if I have a guide to work to. Figuring out how to get there from bare plastic will be a whole different matter of course, but I think I'll find that much easier than trying to imagine what a thing would be like.