(ARMOR) Painting Primer?
Francis X. Kranick, Jr.
if I've asked this before (something rings in the back of my head that I
did) but I'm in need of some direction. My usual technique of painting
armor is color coat, darker wash followed by drybrushing and
highlighting. While it serves me okay, it still looks like color coat,
wash and highlighting. My models lack the realism and effects of use as
found on their 1:1 scale counterparts.
I've looked about and found Track-link, Missing-Lynx, Armorama, etc.,
but I've not gotten the direction for my needs. I'm capable with my
airbrushes but am not as well versed in oil washes and pastel chalks.
Last year, I finished a Tamiya PzKfw III/L (the old kit) and got it
painted; it ended up looking like it was just delivered in fresh camo.
Clean and well-constructed but "sterile"...
I'm about to shoot the ICM Lynx and would like to incorporate more
techniques to create more 'presence' and realistic wear-and-tear.
Anyone out there who can direct me as a student? Point me in the right
direction? Tell me where to find what I seek?
Perhaps a hill in Tibet...
Thanks for any assistance you folks can offer.
Frank Kranick
IPMS/USA 20352
Lafimprov
time and energy in a model, you are understandably reluctant to screw it all up
in the very last step, the weathering. So you end up being a bit timid. The
answer here is to weather with more forgiving materials, specifically artists'
water colors. Pick up a few tubes of the earth tones in an art supply store.
They can be used as washes or drybrushed, just like enamels, and you can be
really agressive with them--if you hate an effect, just rinse it off and start
again. Nothing is permanent until you overspray with clear flat. If you're
using them for washes, you might add a tiny amount of dishwashing liquid so
they don't bead up on the surface. If a bead does form and you get a ring when
it dries, it can be gently scrubbed out with a slightly damp paintbrush. Pastel
chalks are similarly forgiving, though they are often better left unsealed, as
an overspray can darken them or make them disappear altogether.
If you want additional information (and inspiration), Sheperd Paine's books
published by Kalmbach are still a great place to start. There are also useful
books by Tony Greenland and Francois Verlinden. Each has his own approach to
the problem. Osprey Publishing also has several books out now featuring the
works of some outstanding Spanish model builders.
GPO
Erik Wauters
by the actual base color but in light coats and leaving darker shadows were
normally the washes go.
Then add some white to your base color and spray light coats in the middle
of larger panels.
If you do this right you will see your model come to life, and it's a good
start for more complex painting techniques.
HTH,
Erik Wauters, Belgium
"Francis X. Kranick, Jr." <kran...@uofs.edu> schreef in bericht
news:400C4CEA...@uofs.edu...
Francis X. Kranick, Jr.
Lafimprov wrote:
> I suspect you are getting uninspiring results because, having invested a lot of
> time and energy in a model, you are understandably reluctant to screw it all up
> in the very last step, the weathering. So you end up being a bit timid.
Indeed - I have several AFV Club kits and am apprehensive to even begin
them lest I dork-up the weathering. I also have several old Tamiya kits
which could be good practice pieces.
> The
> answer here is to weather with more forgiving materials, specifically artists'
> water colors. Pick up a few tubes of the earth tones in an art supply store.
> They can be used as washes or drybrushed, just like enamels, and you can be
> really agressive with them--if you hate an effect, just rinse it off and start
> again. Nothing is permanent until you overspray with clear flat. If you're
> using them for washes, you might add a tiny amount of dishwashing liquid so
> they don't bead up on the surface. If a bead does form and you get a ring when
> it dries, it can be gently scrubbed out with a slightly damp paintbrush.
I've noticed quite a few modelers are using Tamiya or Gunze acrylics -
while I've used enamels and lacquers and admittedly, I'm resistant to
invest in a new range of paints. The techniques I've seen almost always
use oil washes over acrylics, so your suggestion of using the reverse of
these makes fine sense to me and the fact that I can remove it if I
don't like the effect is desireable.
> Pastel
> chalks are similarly forgiving, though they are often better left unsealed, as
> an overspray can darken them or make them disappear altogether.
I've yet to purchase these chalks yet but will do so on my next road
trip - there are no well-stocked shops locally any more. Are there any
brands or types of chalks I should look for?
> If you want additional information (and inspiration), Sheperd Paine's books
> published by Kalmbach are still a great place to start. There are also useful
> books by Tony Greenland and Francois Verlinden. Each has his own approach to
> the problem. Osprey Publishing also has several books out now featuring the
> works of some outstanding Spanish model builders.
> GPO
Thanks very much for the insights and suggestions.
Frank Kranick
Francis X. Kranick, Jr.
Erik Wauters wrote:
> You might try starting with a full black mat coat as a primer, then followed
> by the actual base color but in light coats and leaving darker shadows were
> normally the washes go.
>
> Then add some white to your base color and spray light coats in the middle
> of larger panels.
>
> If you do this right you will see your model come to life, and it's a good
> start for more complex painting techniques.
>
> HTH,
>
> Erik Wauters, Belgium
I've seen this technique and since I'm at ease with using my
airbrushes, feel that I'll probably use it sooner than later. It's not
unlike preshading panel lines on aircraft. As I posted earlier, I've a
few older kits on which I can practice. The Lynx on which I'm now
working doesn't possess too many flat areas to try this technique but
there are plenty of other kits I have that do. I'll give it a whirl...
Thanks for the suggestions.
Frank Kranick
AMPSOne
work well when using a camo scheme like most of the Luchs vehicles did. You're
pretty much stuch with having to use washes and drybrushing to get a good
finish.
The undercoat and shading DOES work well on monocolored models like Soviet
T-34s or US Shermans.
You could check out some of the articles on the net by people like Steve Zaloga
on how to get them to look right.
Cookie Sewell
AMPS
Francis X. Kranick, Jr.
AMPSOne wrote:
> One drawback is that the undershading and shading method of painting doesn't
> work well when using a camo scheme like most of the Luchs vehicles did. You're
> pretty much stuch with having to use washes and drybrushing to get a good
> finish.
I can see how the undercoat method would play havoc with multicolor camo...
One good thing for this situation is that the Luchs is relatively small
and it lacks the long planes akin to the Panther or Tiger II's so my
tried-and-true method should work well but I'll still need to learn how
to dirty it up...
>
> The undercoat and shading DOES work well on monocolored models like Soviet
> T-34s or US Shermans.
I've a few US items on which to try this undercoat method.
>
> You could check out some of the articles on the net by people like Steve Zaloga
> on how to get them to look right.
>
> Cookie Sewell
> AMPS
Wilco. Thanks for the assist.
Frank Kranick
Ron
For OD and panzer grey vehicles I use a black undercoat and thin the
color coat a little more than usual so that the recesses and inside
corners come out a little darker.....spray angle will affect how this
works for you. On the WWII German three color camo my base color is
either MM Acryl rust or Polly Scale special red oxide to replicate the
German primer. Again the dunkelgelb base coat is thinner than normal as
are the camo colors.....hard to describe but it works similar to the
above.
Apply decals or dry transfers now.
Next I drybrush with oil paint, on all but panzer grey I use unbleached
titanium. On panzer grey I mix lamp black, panye's grey and titanium
white to drybrush....several shades with a light shade in the center of
panels.....then a final drybrush with unbleached titanium. Let the oils
dry for a couple days.
Gloss coat with Polly Scale clear. For non-desert vehicles mix mars
black, burnt and raw umber (pea sized blobs of each) and a very small
dab of titanium white (maybe two pinhead's worth) and mix with Turpenoid
(that little bit of paint in a 2oz jar filled with Turpenoid. Use this
as a wash, I prefer pin washes except on cast surfaces. For desert
vehicles skip the mars black add some yellow ocher to the umbers and
some sienna (I use raw and burnt) and lots of white, you want a wash
lighter brown than a Hershey bar! For openings like grills and vents on
desert vehicles you can use a dark wash but for a general wash it's too
stark. If the first wash isn't dark enough for you, do it again.
Note-never use lampblack in a wash, it tends to clump.
Flat coat with Polly Scale clear flat, I thin it 40:60 or 50:50 with 45%
isopropyl, spray at 40-50 PSI through my Paasche H from about 8". A
light coat is all you need. Then comes fun with pastels. Go outside and
look at your car then go look at a piece of construction equipment and
some long haul trucks......what you want to notice is the dirt and dust
and how they sit along with the color. For non-desert vehicles I grind
up some browns, greyish browns, greys and a touch of ochre and a touch
of pale pink and mix them in a jar. Take a soft, fluffy brush (if it
feels good to tickle your chin, it's what you want) and liberally apply
the pastel dust to the horizontal surfaces, just kinda dump it on with
gentle stabs from the brush. Now get a pump bottle and fill it with
distilled water......make rain.....mist the model from about a fott
above and let the water start to pool on the horizontals and run down
the verticals.....use a cheap 1/4" flat brush to helps steer the pastel
dust where you want it under the water on horizontals and on verticals
streak it down, vary the brush angle to vary the streak widths, remember
dirt and water flow off projections.......as the water runs off and the
pastels start to settle wipe the brush dry and use it to wick up excess
water. In some places on horizontals you'll want a little more water
because too much pastel settled there, just add a drop and use the brush
to persuede the excess over the nearest edge and streak it down. On hard
edges like fenders, let a little pool but not too much. Let dry.....you
should now have one dirty vehicle. Seal with a light flat coat, if you
want more dust you can rub it in with a stencil stump or cheap stiff
brush. Rust can be done by rubbing a wet brush on the chalk stick then
on the part. Dust for desert vehicles should be made from off whites,
pale yellow ochers, pale umbers and pale pinks.....and there should be a
buttload on the vehicle, especially in crevices.
If you want mud mix some acrylic or watercolor in gloss gel acrylic
medium and some tea from a bag for texture...add a drop or two of
retarder. Use a really cheap brush and apply where you want it.
Next is the coolest trick of all. Mix some water color and Polly Scale
clear flat, thin it 50:50 as above, spray at high pressure and try for a
3/4-1" pattern at 12" distance. You're going to spray with a slight down
angle on the vehicle sides, angle doesn't matter underneath. One thing
to note, you want to see no color build for the first two mist coats.
Using rapid passes start 2/3-3/4 the way up the vehicle and apply...do
the whole side, front, read and bottom......come back to the starting
level and repeat......as the color starts to show, drop the edge of your
spray pattern when your start the next pass.....the goal is to simulate
kicked up dust and dirt, get it heavier on the lower area and bottom.
The mud mix and the last trick can be any color you want. I vary the
color mix by the terrain the vehicle would be in. I have a couple desert
tanks (no mud) that the mix was an off yellow white, I've got some that
are a blackish brown for opertions in rich farmland, some in very yellow
ochres because that's the color of the dirt in the ops area and most in
greyish tans as it's a good general dust color.
For oils, I like Winsor & Newton or the top of the Grumbacher line.
Watercolors either of the above brands. Pastels, I use mostly Rembrandt
loose sticks (I talked the manager at an art store into selling me the
broken bits from the bins cheap). Le Carre makes a few boxed sets of
patels anf the Basic Greys and Basic Earthtones sets are great starters.
You want soft pastels, the chalk type, not oil pastels.