weathering recessed panel lines
Kristjan Runarsson
PLEASE REPLY TO:
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Hi weathering experts!
I have really problems with weathering when making my aircraft models
(giving the final realictic look by filling the gaps between the panels - in
the recessed panel lines)!
I have written before to the group and there was a point with very thinned
black paint or turpentine or some Johnson product... I have tried to apply
very thinned black "Gunze" paint (both gloss and flat) and tried different
thinning relations. The
problemis:
1) I need to apply it many times to get some effect
2) It does not stay well in the panel lines
3) It makes dirty the sorrounding (panels too) and the whole model looks
dirty. Afterwards, I must grind the black away to get the half good result
and often it happens that I grind to much!
What am I doing wrong?
I please you to help me with the products I can buy here, in Austria (or
Germany al least). The US products will be not easy to get here at all. Or
at least for what this products are used usually. I plan to make a bigger
aircraft and do want it to look
good.
To what must I take care?
Please, be free to explain me the exact procedure. I think, I am not that
unexperienced, but, ... this thing simply doesn't work for me after several
trials ...
Thank you very much!
Drazen Caric
(Some of you know me perhaps as DDC before. Now, I am writing from an other
adress since I do not have the internet connection any more.)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Drazen Caric
Austria
phone: +43 463 3866 / 252
e-mail: drazen...@philips.com
=
Mike
>
>
> 1) I need to apply it many times to get some effect
>
> 2) It does not stay well in the panel lines
>
> 3) It makes dirty the sorrounding (panels too) and the whole model looks
> dirty. Afterwards, I must grind the black away to get the half good result
> and often it happens that I grind to much!
Sounds to me like you're not weathering the panel lines but
highlighting them. Use a sharp pencil or a very fine pen/marker and just
draw in the lines. A pencil usually works better if you want a more
subtle look.
--
Mike Dougherty
Toronto, Canada
Spook
lines before spraying on the final coats of paint. That is much more
realistic than any other method!
HTH,
JJ
Mike <gre...@lunaticfringe.org> skrev i en
nyhedsmeddelelse:3B16AB27...@lunaticfringe.org...
Charles Metz
so I'm dragging it out again.
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" ("cotton bud" in the UK) 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
Lee Kolosna
"Kristjan Runarsson" wrote
> I have really problems with weathering when making my aircraft models
> (giving the final realictic look by filling the gaps between the panels -
in
> the recessed panel lines)!
> 2) It does not stay well in the panel lines
> 3) It makes dirty the sorrounding (panels too) and the whole model looks
> dirty. Afterwards, I must grind the black away to get the half good result
> and often it happens that I grind to much! What am I doing wrong?
First, it appears that you have not applied a gloss coat to the model before
trying to apply the wash. You must overcoat the entire model with a good
coat of gloss varnish. In the US we have many alternatives, but in Austria
you may be more limited. Try using whatever clear gloss varnish your hobby
store carries (Testors, Gunze, Tamiya, Humbrol). Let the varnish dry for a
day before starting with the wash.
Second. You are using gloss black, which is way too stark. Use a mixture
of dark gray and dark brown. Flat or gloss doesn't really matter. Mix them
together with some high-quality thinner, at a ratio of ten parts thinner to
one part paint. Use a long, thin, pointed brush to apply the wash to each
panel line. Try to paint each panel line without getting it outside the
line. It is important to use the right kind of brush. It needs to be long
enough (2 centimeters at a minimum) to allow the wash to flow proplerly on
the model, and it needs to have enough of a point to deliver the wash
precisely to a small panel line. If you do slop some outside the line, let
it dry for a few minutes, then wipe off the excess by placing one drop of
thinner on a piece of cloth (it should only be barely moist), and rub the
model perpendicular to the line itself, usually in the direction of the
airflow. This takes the paint off the panel, but leaves the wash intact in
the recessed line. Sometimes, if the line is very shallow, you will need to
reapply the wash. After everything dries, apply another coat of clear
varnish, either gloss or flat, depending on the aircraft's ultimate finish.
It wasn't clear whether you were using enamel Gunze paints or acrylics.
Arcylics are very difficult to use for washes, so use enamel paints with the
manufacturer's thinner if at all possible. Finally, you can augment your
panel lines with pastels or pre- and post-shading like the other posts have
mentioned, but I would concentrate on getting a good wash down first before
using those other techniques. You may think that a neatly applied wash is
all that your model needs to look more realistic. Aircraft weathering is
highly subjective, and an artistic eye comes into play. Good luck.
Lee Kolosna
Lee...@earthlink.net
Joe Jefferson
IMO, the most realistic way to accent aircraft panel lines is not to.
Most of the time on real planes panel lines are nearly invisible unless
you're within about two feet of them. There are some exceptions of
course - for example, if something has leaked, or if a panel is a
slightly different color than its surroundings (most common with natural
metal finishes) - so as always, check your references for the specific
plane you're building. However for the most part, you don't need to do
anything special to the panel lines.
--
Joe of Castle Jefferson
http://www.primenet.com/~jjstrshp/
Site updated October 1st, 1999.
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