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Here is a small tutorial I have put together for everyone. This will be the first of 4 tutorials I will do. This one covers paint chipping and weathering. The second third and fourth will cover how to use oil paints in specific ways for weathering.

So, heavy paint chipping. Many of you have seen the Fort Falke Stormwall that I did http://privateerpressforums.com/showthread.php?116132-Fort-Falk-Stormwall-COMPLETE!!!. To achieve the various paint chipping effects I used a process similar to the hairspray method, but using in my opinion a superior product. The problem that I have found with the hairspray method is that you do not have much control over where and how the paint chips, and that it tends to be a "all or nothing" type removal instead of a gradual removal of paint. In addition, when using this method I also use Tamyia paint instead of Vallejo or p3. The reason why is that Vallejo, p3 and similar paints seem to use a latex based recipe, which, when used with hairspray and other chipping solutions, the paint tends to gum up and the result in my opinion does not look right. The Tamyia paint is acrylic based, but it has no latex in it, so you get a nice realistic chipping and worn effect when using Tamyia paints.

So the process is relatively simple, it just takes a little patience. The items I am showing here are the random junk pieces that I put on my Stormwall base.

Step 1 - The obvious first step is to prime your models. I prefer using white primer, but I suppose any color will work. In regards to applying the primer, I would suggest applying a thin almost transparent coat. The primers job is to provide a surface for the paint to bit into. When you apply your primer in a completely smooth fashion, there is no tooth to the primer, and the paint will not stick as well. It is very important that your first layer of paint be very durable, so make sure your prime coat has plenty of tooth.



Step 2 - The first coat of paint is your "rust" layer. There is no real "right" way to apply this coat, I airbrushed mine and I used Vallejo Model Air Burnt Umber. The first layer can be what ever type of paint you would like, it does not matter at this point. If you are going to be chipping a large area you can add some variation to your rust color, throw some orange, purple, black, ect... to add some surface difference. Or if you feel ambitious you can apply this chipping technique to the rust layer as well!.



Step 3 - Once you have your rust color applied, you need to seal the layer of paint. This is a CRUCIAL step that will allow you to apply your chipping fluid on top and remove it with out damaging the paint layer underneath. Here is what the chipping solution looks like;



It is made by a company called AK Interactive. Their top product developer is a guy by the name of Mig Jimenez...he pretty much invented the hairspray weathering technique and has been leading the way in the military scale modeling world of using techniques with chipping, weathering powders and airbrushing. Once you clear coat has dried over your rust color you are ready to apply the chipping fluid. You can accomplish this method with an airbrush, or by paint brush, both methods work well. A single coat of the fluid is sufficient, and once it is dry it is best to apply your top coat of paint immediately. I should also mention at this point that it is NOT a good idea for your clear coat layer to be a gloss coat, it should be satin or flat. I use a mix of Tamyia Flat Base and Future Floor Polish, this creates a nice flat/satin finish.

Step 4 - Apply your coat of paint! In this image I have applied the colors I was looking for. Keep these coat thin, the thicker the paint the harder it will be to remove. Again I am using Tamyia colors.



Step - 5 This is when you are going to start removing the paint. Using a stiff brush and some luke-warm water, simply hydrate the area you want to remove the paint and gently start scrubbing in the direction you want the paint chips to occur. Starting movement up and down, or left to right will create streaking in those directions. Small circular movements will remove the paint in a single area.





Here are what all the items look like after a few minutes of gentle scrubbing;



As you can see the solution creates a really nice random, worn effect. Once you have achieved the effect you are looking for simply seal the layer, weather and proceed with the rest of your model.

At this point I was worried about 2 things; first I felt like the red tank was too red and that it would be a distraction, so I sealed the layer, reapplied the chipping fluid, and airbrushed some grey, then chipped some away. I was also concerned about the blue on the ammo boxes, it was too dark, so again I sealed the layer, applied more fluid, then airbrushed a lighter blue that I then chipped off.

After I has sealed all these parts I weathered them with some oil paints and this is the final product;



As you can see, with a little weathering the final effect is quite convincing and very realistic.


I kind of skipped the part where I weathered the parts with oil paints in my next post I will talk about how to use the oils to create the weathering.

I hope this short tutorial is helpful to those who are looking to replicate these effects. If you have any questions don't hesitate to ask them.

Ashton

This is my post on using oils to weather with. This will be the first of a few posts on the topic

This is my 3rd post regarding this build, and I am getting into what I would like to be the focus of this WIP series, weathering with oils. My previous post that looked at just the building of the model can be found here;

http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/571801.page

Since I am focusing on more of a tutorial aspect here I felt this post needed its own thread. I like my weathering to look as realistic as possible, so I go to great lenghts to try and replicate as close as I can what I see happening in the real world, so here are a few thoughts that I have on how I approach weathering, though this is not a 40k model, the techniques are applicable to any model and just about any surface.

1. To mimic the weathering that takes place in real life I feel like you need to work in layers. The much that you find on a tank, or the sleight discoloration that you see on equipment that is left out side did not occur over night, it happened over time, layer upon layer. I think representing realistic weathering in modeling is best done the same way, layers.

2. Oil paints. I really like using oil paints for realistic weather effects. I have a bin that is full of enamel paints, oils paints in tubes, brushes and orderless mineral spirits, this is the core of what I use for weathering. When oil paints are applied over an acrylic surface, you can easily erase, mix, move around and blend the oil colors while safely leaving the bottom acrylic layer safe.

3. Patience. Oils take time to dry, and steps need to be taken between applications to ensure that previous work is not disturbed. Some modelers do not like "steps", this process takes time, and patience, if you are not willing to learn them, experiment with them and use them, maybe oils for weathering are not for you.

So what are my "layers" that I use to create realistic weathering effects.

1. Primer - a good primer goes a ling way to any project. Often times with the type of weathering I like to do I am masking, scrubbing, rubbing and scraping the surface. A good primer will keep paint from peeling.

2. Quality paint - I use p3, Tamyia, and Vallejo paints. I find there colors to be very vivid and for the most part the coverage is great. For heavy paint chipping I do prefer to use Vallejo and Tamyia paints over p3. I find the p3 gets a little "gummy" when trying to do paint chipping. This layer will sometimes consist of multiple layers and includes the layers of the paint chipping, and the top layer, along with any other colors that may be used to create the effects that I am after.

3. Surface discoloration - This is typically my first layer of oil paint weathering. I will go into more detail later about how to this layer works and the purpose it serves. This layer also helps to tie together all the paint chipping you have done, and kind of helps to unify everything.

4. Panel discoloration - This is the second layer I do where I will pick random panels or areas of a model and alter the base color of the model slightly, either making it darker, lighter or change the tone slightly.

5. Specific Weathering - This final layer is where I will go back to some of the chips I made, create rust streaks, grime streaks, or emphasize some chipping.

These are just some of the general thoughts that I have regarding how I approach weathering a model, onto talking about surface discoloration.

To start with here is an image of the model I am working with and the supplies I am using. You will need a paper towel, brushes, Odorless Mineral Spirits, mixing cups, a palette and of course your paints. I picked 3 specific colors for this part of the process, Yellow Ocher, Dark Rust, and Starship Filth. The first 2 colors are pretty warm colors, I did this because as you can see in the photo my original surface is pretty cool. The third color I picked, Starship Filth is a pretty cool dark grey, this is an attempt to just even things out a bit. The whole purpose of this initial layer is to create the general discoloration that comes from exposure to the elements. This weathering is applied all over the model and will change the final color, so when choosing your base color, keep in mind that it may be different than what you intend the final color to be.



This is an image of the area before applying the mineral spirits.



The process is started by dipping a wide flat brush into the mineral spirits and then "wicking" as much of the excess off on a paper towel. Then take this brush to the area you intend to weather and brush the mineral spirits on to the surface.



Here is the same area with a coat of the mineral spirits. This is probably a bit more than I should have put on, but I was juggling a camera in all this, I actually let this layer evaporate a little before moving on. You will notice that the surrounding areas are flat. I prefer using a flat surface when working with oils, I know there is a lot of back and forth on this topic, but the way I look at it is canvas is a flat material, so maybe keeping my surfaces flat will help me work with the oils better.

The next step is to randomly apply the chosen oil colors all over the area. There is no rhyme or reason to this, it is random and will all be blended together to create a nice, discolored surface. I keep as many brushes handy as colors I am using, that way you do not need to rinse between colors. As you can see from this photo as well, you do not need to be pretty about how the dots are applied. Also a word about color choice, there is no right choice. If I wanted to enhance the cool look of the original surface I would have gone with dark browns and blues and maybe some green, but I choose to go warm so I went with reds and yellows, the choice is yours, experiment and don't be afraid to mess up, you can fix it easily with oils.



The next step is pretty simple. Get yourself a second wide flat brush(remember your first one was used to prep the surface, a second one will be used to blend the surface), dip it in your mineral spirits and "wick" as much of the excess off onto a paper towel, you will need to experiment with how wet you want your brush to be, but the basic idea is to begin to work in a vertical motion working your brush up and down blending all the colors together. If your brush is to wet, the colors will come off in one or two passes. If your brush is to dry, you will smear the colors all around, it really is about finding a balance that reflects the look you are after. I like to work is small sections at a time, it helps create variety in the over all appearance and allows me to easily step away for a bit and come back again if I need too.



Here is an image at about the half way point. I have completed the center cockpit area and the surfaces to the left of that. You can see the clear difference between the left and right side of the model. Notice how the chips on the left appear now to look more natural and the surface color appears blotchy and weathered in a very subtle way. Even the decals now look less like decals and more like they were painted on.



Here is another image showing the top completely weathered. At this point the model will be allowed to dry for 24 to 48 hours, and then sealed with an acrylic coat of Vallejo Matte Varnish and Future Floor Polish. I will then move onto discoloring individual panels to really add some more depth and variety to the surface of the mode.



One last thing with these last two images, it kind of shows an unintended result of this process. You can see how the oils paint has collected as a "muck" in some of the cracks and crevices, as I move on this will only increase and help show off more of the detail, although it looks like I need to go and remove a stray hair that found it's way onto the radar dish!





Thanks for looking!!

Thanks for sharing! that was an easy to follow and helpful tute mate! I'd love to see some more works using the oil washes, even more step by steps if that;s at all possible? the end effect is very pleasing and does indeed give the models that real world look to them.