Goofing around with chipping and worn paint effects

[marc_reusser]

Sometimes I just get too spacey and burnt-out to do any real modeling work, so I sit at my bench watch TV and just goof around with stuff...not making any real effort to get anywhere.....last night was one of those times.

I sat thinking about the hairspray chipping, Chuck Doan's painting with washes, and the recent photos of Charlie Dameron's car roof, and decided to try some things...one being a worn winter white-wash, and the other being the faded multicolor paint finish seen on old or abandoned cars.

These are far from "prime work", and definitely need refinement but for what they are worth, I thought they might be of interest, or spark an idea or discussion.

This was the winter whitewash. I used an old scrap part from a Pz-I that had long ago been painted Dunkelgelb with Tamiya acrylics. I was trying to think of a workaround for the hairspray technique, and mapping with oils.

Using Vallejo #837 Sand Light, I brushed on highly diluted washes, about 6 or so, drying them in between with a blow-dryer. Over this I used about 4 washes of #853 White Glaze....again drying with a blow dryer in between. I wasn't concerened with even coverage...I just tried to avoid having areas of "puddeling". I then used a small dampened stiff brush, and began "chipping"/removing the washes. I added some quick dark chips with SS. Camo Brown, , washed on some rust areas, and then added some MIG "Dried Mud" pigment with a brush.





This then got me thinking if I could do an old paint look...so again layereing washes ofer an old piece that had been previously painted with Flat White Tamiay spray paint...I tried again...First layer of washes was #974 Green Sky; Second layer was #906 Pale Blue. .....Now at this point I decided to do some removal/chipping of the washes...once somewhat satisfied, I added a a final set of washes using #904 Dark Blue. These were then also chipped/removed,and lightly sanded with a very fine sanding screen, to show through to the layers below, and to the base color. Again using SS Camo Brown, I added bare rust areas. A quick wash and some rust streaking using artists oils, then some dusting with MIG Gulf Sand pigment.





...anyhow...FWIW, though definitely needing refinement, I think there may be some potential with this, for the right applications.

Marc

[Scratchman]

Marc wish I could learn how to goof around like that very nice.

Gordon

[marc_reusser]

Thanks Gordon.  Idle hands are the devils playthings...  


A few more notes on this:

I only diluted the paints with water. Nothing else.

No hairspray or other barrier coat. Nothing. I went directly over the Tamiya color. (the truck hood had an old artists oil filter over the white)

I used the three brushes on the right for the removal/chipping.




This is a completely unproven technique (unless someone else has already worked with this).

It is a slow process, as the washes must be built up with many layers. The white on the turret probably only reached about 80-90% opacity at the thickest (but that was sort of the intent/feel I was after)...and the layers were very diluted, so as not to show brush marks/streaking. (As you can see a bit on the truck..where I got impatient).

You can't (at least I dont think so) do a whole model at once, as the washes are so thin, they will run...or better said, the pigment in them will run. I worked with the respective surfaces at pretty much horizontal.

I think that the combination of paints may have played a part in it. I think that if the Tamiya base with the Vallejo over is why it may have worked, as they disolve with different materials (IE vallejo with water...Tamiya more so with it's thinner or some kind of alcohol based material)

I did the removal chipping of paint within 30 mins of the last wash being apllied.

This technique might work with airbrushed layers as well...I can't say. It's too cold here at the moment for me to shoot in the garage.

Lastly...when removing/chipping the Vallejo, you do end up with little chunks and pieces of paint. some wash off during the process, some can be brushed of when dry with a bit of pressure, and some really small ones may/will stay....though this is not necessarily bad....on the winter whitewash, for instance these catch a little bit of wash and pigment, and add to the effect of dirt and grime.


Marc

[finescalerr]

Marc, if you had been doing this kind of work on canvas a few centuries ago you'd have been up there with Rembrandt. --
Russ

[John McGuyer]

Unc! Careful now, they put Rembrandt in jail.

John

[lab-dad]

Just great! Just what I need; another chipped paint technique!
Boy I can't wait for next week when I am off and can start experimenting.
I better get some more supplies too!
Thanks for posting Marc, hopefully I can pull these different techniques together and pass on the info........
-Marty
even more confused now..........

[marc_reusser]

Thanks guys,

Say Marty...I thought the effect like the winter white-wash would work/translate well for this look (say does this remind you of a certain critter large scale side-frame  )



Marc

[lab-dad]

Looks just like it! Is it a model or proto? (cant tell anymore!)
I have been stocking up on light blues and trying to decide which method to try first.
Like Charlie I am going to try and put my own spin on things.
Trying to pull from all the great stuff I have seen and use the chemical/physical differences to my advantage.
BTW I ordered about 20 bottles of Vallejo.
-Marty

[marc_reusser]

Marty,

I don't know if you saw Mikes post over on MIG, but he mentioned that he has had sim issues with brushed Vallejo over Tamiya....so it does seem that this could be refined as a technique. As for your experiment with the DV critter one test you may consider is peeling/chipping one color of Vallejo, and then Mapping on a second color...but make it Tamiya..or a Humbrol.....or doing the reverse.....sponging and mapping a Tamiya First...then chipping a Vallejo.

The reason for me mentioning this is because when doing the truck cab test, I did find that the different color layers of Valleyos stuck to eachother, and more often than not came off together....all the way down to the base color. (hope you get what I am trying to explain).

Another option that I have considered for the multi layer/color chipping is applying a dead flat clear sealer coat between colors. Something like a Model-Master, or Tamiya, which will hold the previous series of color/washes in place, and allow the chipping of the next series.

If the weather allows, I am going to pull out my old 38t OOB build project this weekend, and try the Vallejo over Tamiya chipping with the Vallejo applied via airbrush. I will post the results. If it works it will make the process much easier/faster/controllable, and allow for a wider scope of applications.

Lastly...at your scale...you could probably experiment with the hairspray technique ('Tressame' hairspray, fine mist, aeresol can), and get a good effect.

....hoo boy...."dad" are you gonna be busy in your "lab". 

Looking forward to what you come up with/develop.


Marc

[marc_reusser]

A couple of days ago I painted the "basket case" 38t fromm the OOB thread with the final color. This was done using a mix of Vallejo, 'Desert Yellow' (#977), 'Sand Yellow' (#916), and 'Beige' (#917). A panel fading coat was done by adding 'Sand Light' (#837) to the mix.

Tonight after dinner and 3 Martinis, I sat at my bench relaxing and sipping a nice glass of Mezcal when I decided to see if the airbrushed Vallejos would chip like the brushed ones in the previous experiment. Using water as I had done in the previous had no effect on the paint.....what now....isopropyl alcohol was too strong and would ruin all the layers of the paint....then it hit me! .  I poured a small amount of the Mezcal in an artists tray, and tried removing the paint with that....BINGO!....it began softening and chipping only the Vallejo layers..

I went to the kitchen, and got some cheaper Tequila. I filled one atrists tray with Tequila, and another with water.
After some practice, I found that by dipping my brush into the tequila, brushing it on an area, and starting to chip, I could then somewhat control and vary the softening of the paint, the amount of chipping, and the texture, by at then dipping the brush into the water and diluting the Tequila. This was done at different points and times of the chipping. The control was not perfect, and apparently still depends on the adhesion factor of the Vallejo....but I was happy to find it could be done to an airbrushed application.

Though I went overboard with what is shown in the images ,..... it did give me an oppurtunity to play around. With some practice, I think there might be some applicable situations for the technique.

The small chips and linear chips/scratches, were done by applying a bit of the Tequila, then when slightly softened, lightly chipping or drawing the point of an Xacto blade across it.













Marc

[finescalerr]

Do you suppose I could do as well by drinking a bottle of fine cognac? -- Russ

[marc_reusser]

...I think it needs to be Mezcal...gets you in the right mood....but make sure its the good stuff, cause the cheaper end tastes like a smokey mixture of white spirits and diesel fuel (not really bad..but definitely an acquired taste). .......if anything else, you should  probably go with a mid range 15 year old Scotch. 

Marc

[HectorBell]

Marc, if you think I'm putting my Christmas Single Malt on a bloody model, you crazy man!!
Hector

[lab-dad]

Well here is my test panel for the chipped fading paint methods I have been reading about.
The (.060" styrene 2" x 4") was primed with Rustoleum gray.
The right received a spray of rusty brown while the left was un painted.
The whole thing then got three washes of burnt sienna artist oil & odorless thinner. Then I brushed on (slightly thinned) the three colors of testors acrylic - one coat. On the left I wet sanded with 2000 grit paper. On the right I scrubbed with a stiff brush and 70% isopropel alcohol.
The three vertical scratches were done with the point of an exacto then "filled" with Vallejo cammo black brown, the others are painted on (all done with a 18/0 brush).
You can see where I sanded through the "color" but on the left there wasn't too much base color (just oil).
All in all I am very pleased and excited to use these on the parts for the critter.

-Marty

[marc_reusser]

Marty,

I think you got a great start. I would also suggest maybe combining this with a bit of "mapping" with a slightly varied hue/shade, and hand painted "postive" and "negative" chipping.

Marc