Pastel chalks what and how
Charles Metz
> A few weeks ago i bought my first set of pastel chalks
> for weathering
> So far, I've used the black for gun smoke and motor
> stains on my FW190 (flat grey tamiya color airbrushed)
> and applied itz mainly with a q-tip and my fingers.
> Today, I weather an Mercedes M-Class model with a brown
> colour and applied the chalk only with a small
> paintbrush. The finish on the M-Class is gloss and
> smooth unlike the FW-190, which is a little bit rough.
>
> My questions is:
> What else can I do with pastels ?
>
> and
>
> Which ways can I apply it (except those I already tried)?
Thorsten,
I hope that the following, which I posted here a year or two ago, may be
helpful.
Charles Metz
--------------------------------------------------
Using chalk-based pastels to accentuate panel lines on (and weather)
model aircraft
In my opinion, by far the easiest (and safest) way to accentuate panel
lines and, more generally, to "weather" aircraft is to use chalk-based
(NOT — repeat, NOT — oil-based) Artists’ Pastels and a paper "blending
stick." [IMPORTANT NOTE: Oil-based Artists’ Pastels will permanently
stain the surface of your model and can’t be "feathered" properly.
Chalk-based pastels are more common, but be careful to get the right
kind.] Artists’ Pastels and paper blending sticks can be purchased at
any good artists’ supply shop, but sets of chalk-based Artists’ Pastels
in various shades of gray and in various earth-tone colors (which are
the two color groups you’ll use most in modeling) are also available by
mail-order from MicroMark (who have a web site at
http://www.MicroMark.com/index.html). The great advantages of using
Artists’ Pastels are that (i) they’re very easy to control and (ii) you
can remove what you’ve applied and start over if you screw up. The
paper "blending sticks" come in various sizes; I recommend the smallest,
which is 2 or 3 inches long and tapers to a rather sharp point, but
larger blending sticks can be useful in some situations (e.g., for
applying exhaust stains).
The basic idea is to rub the tip of the paper blending stick lightly
along a pastel stick of appropriate color and then run it lightly along
a panel line or across a smooth area you want to weather. In the former
situation, this will put pastel dust into the panel line (if it’s
engraved) and will smear some on each side of the panel line; you can
then run a "Q-Tip" along the panel line to lightly wipe most of the
pastel dust off of the surface of your model while leaving much of it in
the panel line (if it’s engraved). You should be striving for a subtle
effect here, so start lightly, finish going over the entire model, look
at the results with a fresh eye a few hours or a few days later, and
only then decide whether you want to darken the shading. You’ll be able
to remove most or all of the pastels you’ve applied by rubbing and/or
washing with water if you don’t like the affect you’ve achieved, but try
hard not to apply too much in the first place. After you’re sure you’ve
obtained the effect you want, you can apply a clear coat to "fix" the
pastel dust to your model if you wish to do so. However, this isn’t
really necessary unless the model will be handled where the pastels have
been applied, because pastel dust clings to some degree by itself.
Artists’ Pastels also work well for exhaust stains and for "oil
blow-back" stains. To simulate oil blow-back stains that emerge from
between engine-cowling panels, use low-tack masking tape to mask the
forward panel at a panel line; use a fine paper blending stick and black
or dark-gray pastel dust to run a fine line rearward from the tape,
starting your line on the tape; and then remove the masking.
Although I rarely bother to do so, you can mix pastel colors if you wish
by scraping a bit of dust from each of two or more pastel sticks with a
knife blade, mixing thoroughly, and then applying with your paper
blending stick.
As with any new technique, you should practice before using this method
on an important model. However, pastels are very easy to apply and very
"forgiving," so you’ll probably need only a little practice before you
develop a clear sense of control. Just remember: keep it subtle.
Charles Metz
Thorsten Wieking
So far, I've used the black for gun smoke and motor stains on my
FW190 (flat grey tamiya color airbrushed) and applied itz mainly
with a q-tip and my fingers.
Today, I weather an Mercedes M-Class model with a brown colour
and applied the chalk only with a small paintbrush. The finish on the
M-Class
My questions is:
What else can I do with pastels ?
and
Which ways can I apply it (except those I already tried)?
Thanks for your time.
Cheers
Thorsten
BTW I really think that this newsgroup is highly informative and I check it
every day for news.
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