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Weathering is fast becoming my favourite thing to do with models, I favour the realistic, gritty style over the higher contrast, brighter colours of a typical GW studio paint job, and I'm slowly starting to expand my range of techniques and collection of products.

My current project requires weathering purple (Emperor's Children) and I've nailed down what I need and want to do with one exception, which is what I'm looking for suggestions with.

I want to use some streaking effects, and I had resolved to order some "rain effect" product from one of the Mig Jimenez ranges, as I'm basing on a summer/desert dust scheme for infantry and obviously want to match on the armour. This made sense to me, as it was a lighter colour to actually show up against a relatively dark base colour, and, in my head at least, would have looked like the dust was being washed into streaks as the dusty tanks were caught in the occasional rain storm.

Trouble is, on reading around, the word that keeps coming up is "subtle" and while I have no issue with subtle for centrepieces and display, I don't really fancy needing to apply 7 or 8 coats to every Rhino etc to get the desired effect.

So, can anyone either recommend a suitable product, or how to make one? I've got most of the common materials on my desk or in the post already (pigments, thinners etc) which will allow me to place dusty streaks that show over a purple colour?

Well im pretty sure one of the easiest iv seen is the FW style. where they take thinned Oil paint or mix up pigments, take a large bristled brush then get dots all over the damn thing by flicking it and let it dry a little. then they take a brush with the thinner they used on the dots and drag it down creating streaks. no clue about purple though.

edit you should probably be subtle about how much its flicked on first and thin it enough so the dots arent too big.

edit i believe they did it over a varnish.

note I haven't done this, but I like secretweapons tutorials and it looks good imo:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THEpuOVNu04

The other option Desubot suggested;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBe8siSbK-0

That is the way I do it

Depends how weathered and streaky you want it I guess.

One way I sometimes use is to apply an oil wash and when I come back to clean it up, instead of just rubbing it off with a cotton tip I use a round #2 brush moistened with thinner to make streaks in it.

I've always struggled with weathering powders because I can get a result I like when they're fresh and then it's ruined when I try and set them.

I've actually gone off powders for a lot of work, I now do a lot more stipple and glazes with acrylic - I find it cleaner (on my clothing) and a lot more controllable.

Thanks guys, that Secret Weapon tut was very close to what I was after, the Buypainted one was more something I already do with an oil wash, what I'm trying to achieve here is more streaks on flat panels rather than the flushing out of collected dirt from point of accumulation.

After doing a little digging, I think the NATO Streaking Effects from AK Interactive are a much yellower colour than the others in the range, so I'm going to give that a go.



I suspect it's simply a modified oil wash or pigment in a carrier, but as I'm branching out I prefer to buy a specialised product (so I know how it's done) and can do some DIY at a later date when I'm more familiar.

I hear the comments about weathering powders, I still like some of the effects you can get with them, but, unless I'm using them as a wash (on tracks for instance) I've pretty much given up using a fixative. I've taken the attitude that if handling dislodges the powder, it's probably somewhere the powder shouldn't accumulate anyway! Besides, if it starts to really wear away, one can easily give it a quick freshen up.

 Azreal13 wrote:
I suspect it's simply a modified oil wash or pigment in a carrier, but as I'm branching out I prefer to buy a specialised product (so I know how it's done) and can do some DIY at a later date when I'm more familiar.

My understanding (not having used that product specifically but having used other similar products) is that it's a matte enamel somewhere between the consistency of regular paint and wash. So it'll dry a lot faster and tougher than an oil wash, but can still be easily manipulated with white spirit anywhere from a few minutes to several hours after applying it.

It should give an effect not dissimilar to what I was describing earlier (applying an oil wash and then streaking it with a round brush, , though the image you showed was doing it the other way around, applying streaks with a round brush and then blending it with a flat brush).

But enamels aren't a bad way to go rather than oils.

If doing streaking like shown in the picture sometimes it's good to use a couple of subtly different colours to add more depth to it.