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Hi Guys,

I`m working on some primaris marines paint those as Dark Angels...

I plan to use the transfer for the shoulder pads.. issue is: they look too shinny!

While the armor have some wear and tear due to battles we we apply the transfers they look out of place.. in terms of color.. a very sharp clear vivid red...

Do you know of any way or tutorial to teach how to make those more realistic?

Thanks in advance...



And YES, I have a cool Ork army!!!

http://www.winterdyne.co.uk/maz/winterdyne_tutorial3.pdf

Literally the only tut you'll ever need.

In short, gloss first, use softener and setter, seal over the top.

Thanks Azreal!

But that would still make it too shiny and perfect...

any ideas on how to make it look more used/old so it matches the armor painting?

It is like having a 15 year old car with painting a bit old and tear and then you add 2 red sticker stripes brand new over the hood. kinda.. strange...

Are you saying you want the decals to look worn and chipped?

If that's the case, I'd follow Azreal's advice and then just paint chips over the finished decal using your preferred weathering technique(s) and the colours of the model underneath the transfer.

Yep, if you're weathering your project simply apply the decals before your weathering (being sure to seal them so they don't get actually damaged rather than treated to look damaged) then do whatever you were going to do. Simply sponging some basecoat colour around the edges is a very quick and effective way of making them look worn and faded.

I will try that... and now thinking of it I could use some shading over it to make it dirty..

Thanks guys!

You're probably better off exploring weathering pigments for that, washes won't look like dust, and to any hobbyist they'll just look like you've washed the area and not cleaned it up properly.

Have attached a (rather poor) pic of some of my own weathering, this is a combo of decals, oil washes, sponge chipping and weathering powder.

That looks like a really comprehensive tutorial. It is rather like a food recipe though were it assumes you have loads of fancy gear and aren't going to skip most the steps haha!

I've been having issues with shiny transfers on my Orks, but repainting the base coat close up to the pattern and going over with a wash makes the smaller ones look fine.
This might not work so well on the bigger ones though.

Cheers
Kroem

It all depends on whether you want to do it properly and get a good result or not.

https://www.shapeways.com/shops/popbits?section=--+Shoulder&sort=

You can thank me later my dude, they fit to standard space marine shoulder pads which also include peimaris have fun

Agreed went this route for my bloodangel primaries don't mind decals on vehicles but infantry always thought it too fiddly

Apply the weathering after the decals. If the decals are too vibrant one technique is to paint the entire model too vibrant and use a grey or brown filter over the model to dull things out, decals and all.

Easy and cheap is to use Elmers white glue. Apply a thin layer and itll dry clear but with a matte finish

 Kroem wrote:
That looks like a really comprehensive tutorial. It is rather like a food recipe though were it assumes you have loads of fancy gear and aren't going to skip most the steps haha!

The most important part is the gloss base for the decal (and you don't need a separate gloss varnish if your underlying colour is already gloss, either from using gloss paint or polishing) and the microsol after applying it. If you're actually cutting through decals, an absurdly sharp knife is important to get a perfect cut and avoid a raised edge.

The microset makes positioning a bit easier but frankly if I skip it and use regular water instead I can't tell the difference on the finished decals.

But honestly I hate decals. They always look like decals regardless of which tutorial I follow. You can take pictures from certain angels to hide the decal, but at the end of the day when you see the model in the flesh they still look like decals instead of painted on.

People apply gloss varnish? I just use microset/microsol and then do a matt varnish. It looks pretty ace.

Here's a Hetzer I did awhile ago. I applied the decal using liberal amounts of Microset (You need to apply it a few times to get it set right) and then some Microsol. Then I did some chipping before a watered down sepia wash. Makes it blend in nicely.



Maybe that helps illustrate how you can weather decals!

 TheCustomLime wrote:
People apply gloss varnish? I just use microset/microsol and then do a matt varnish. It looks pretty ace.

If the underlying model is gloss (or even satin but very smooth) you don't need the gloss varnish. In fact it's better if you don't because the varnish just adds another layer of thickness.

Applying them over a non-gloss or non-polished surface I've had mixed results. Sometimes it turns out great, with the edge of the decal being well hidden in the roughness of the paint... but other times it silvers which is the absolute worst thing that can happen. Silvering is probably less likely to be noticeable over a light coloured paint though.

A great many decals on this (Ajax mech suit from Anvil Industry). Totally flush. Weathering is by painting over the decal. Normal paintwork, gloss, decal(microsol / microset), gloss process before a satin coat, the weathering chipping pass and then a final matt topcoat.

AllSeeingSkink wrote:

 TheCustomLime wrote:
People apply gloss varnish? I just use microset/microsol and then do a matt varnish. It looks pretty ace.

If the underlying model is gloss (or even satin but very smooth) you don't need the gloss varnish. In fact it's better if you don't because the varnish just adds another layer of thickness.

Applying them over a non-gloss or non-polished surface I've had mixed results. Sometimes it turns out great, with the edge of the decal being well hidden in the roughness of the paint... but other times it silvers which is the absolute worst thing that can happen. Silvering is probably less likely to be noticeable over a light coloured paint though.

Going back over some of my more recent finished models I noticed some mild silvering on a couple of the decals. Easily fixed, thank god, but I can imagine on more complex decals it could've been a lot worse.That's a lesson learned. Listen to Winterdyne.

Question: Could I just brush on some gloss varnish on the areas I want to apply decals or should I do an overall spray?

I airbrush it on as it dries a LOT faster than a hand brushed layer. But yes, you can hand brush it on. 'Ard coat used to be just fine for the purpose.

Thin the varnish a little if it's thick - you don't want brush strokes in it, and a couple of thin layers (allow each to dry) will be better than a thick goopy mess.

Let the varnish dry fully before exposing it to setting solutions. Especially true for 'Klear' - this fogs up horribly if you don't. 12 - 24 hours cure for that, no skimping. I stopped using it when decalling in a hurry (and I'm usually in a hurry). I use W&N Galleria Gloss now. Works fine, dry in about an hour, less with a hairdryer.

The key aim is that the area you put the decal on looks smooth and shiny - this helps adhesion and massively reduces the risk of silvering.

A secondary objective is that the varnish protects your paint from the solvent you use to erode the decal film (usually acetic acid).

Do NOT trust a satin or matt finish not to silver. Non-gloss surfaces look non-glossy because they're rough, and thus reflect light in lots of directions (diffusing it). Trying to apply a decal over that means your decal has to conform at a microscopic level or it'll have air trapped under it, which is what causes the silvering effect.

After many, many years of trying many, many different things (usually in an effort to save time), the method in my tutorial is what I stick with. Yes, it's very 'by the numbers' but that's 'cos that's the most efficient way to do it. Better to do something right, once, than wrong a couple of times, then right.