More model-making: rusting things up
A little while back I made and painted the Minion Dalek I'd picked up at a model show. He looked like he could do with something to stand on so I thought I'd try out another model-weathering technique.
I started out with a sheet of plastic that was embossed in the anti-slip pattern you get on metal walkways. Our local model shop sells this in a range of scales so that the markings look proportionate to whatever model you're using it with or on. For a rather silly model like this that's not too important but this size looks about right anyway. I cut a small square out and sprayed it with primer. I now want to make it look rusty.
I've got a paint/pigment set for simulating rust. This comprises three colours of acrylic paint for differing rust shades, and three similar colours of pigment powder.
The first step was to spray as if the entire sheet were rusty. I did this with the yellowish rust paint, then added some of the redder rust paint and sprayed patches with that. The idea was that I'd be covering and then exposing this, so I wanted different colours of rust.
The next stage is the unusual one. You spray what is to become the underneath layer with hairspray and let it dry.
You then spray on the top layer, which here is steel (from Vallejo's nice new range of acrylic metallic-finish paints).
Then, once it's dry, you get a wet toothbrush and gently start scrubbing at the top layer. The idea is that acrylic paint is water-permeable, so water gets through and starts to soften and dissolve the layer of hairspray. As it does so, the top layer of paint is now no longer bonded to the layer underneath and comes off, revealing it.
This technique is called 'chipping' and is used to mimic the appearance of a top layer of paint having become chipped or scraped away, or, as here, flaked off. It's often done with metallic paint under top coat, to simulate paint scraping off to leave bare metal, but what I was aiming for here was the look of the surfaced corroding, because even though in reality rust is on the metal surface, this approach simulates the look of flaking patches of rust. I also used a cocktail stick to make scratches to simulate rusted dents.
Now to add a bit more variation and texture by using the pigment powder. I began by using a slightly damp brush to pick up some of the powder and blot it on, making for a slight buildup of texture to simulate rust. I then used a dry brush to gently wipe more pigment on in various colours, leaving slight corroded staining.
The final step was to cover with matt varnish and, um, apply Dalek.
This entry was originally posted at http://major-clanger.dreamwidth.org/47396.html, where there are
comments.
I started out with a sheet of plastic that was embossed in the anti-slip pattern you get on metal walkways. Our local model shop sells this in a range of scales so that the markings look proportionate to whatever model you're using it with or on. For a rather silly model like this that's not too important but this size looks about right anyway. I cut a small square out and sprayed it with primer. I now want to make it look rusty.
I've got a paint/pigment set for simulating rust. This comprises three colours of acrylic paint for differing rust shades, and three similar colours of pigment powder.
The first step was to spray as if the entire sheet were rusty. I did this with the yellowish rust paint, then added some of the redder rust paint and sprayed patches with that. The idea was that I'd be covering and then exposing this, so I wanted different colours of rust.
The next stage is the unusual one. You spray what is to become the underneath layer with hairspray and let it dry.
You then spray on the top layer, which here is steel (from Vallejo's nice new range of acrylic metallic-finish paints).
Then, once it's dry, you get a wet toothbrush and gently start scrubbing at the top layer. The idea is that acrylic paint is water-permeable, so water gets through and starts to soften and dissolve the layer of hairspray. As it does so, the top layer of paint is now no longer bonded to the layer underneath and comes off, revealing it.
This technique is called 'chipping' and is used to mimic the appearance of a top layer of paint having become chipped or scraped away, or, as here, flaked off. It's often done with metallic paint under top coat, to simulate paint scraping off to leave bare metal, but what I was aiming for here was the look of the surfaced corroding, because even though in reality rust is on the metal surface, this approach simulates the look of flaking patches of rust. I also used a cocktail stick to make scratches to simulate rusted dents.
Now to add a bit more variation and texture by using the pigment powder. I began by using a slightly damp brush to pick up some of the powder and blot it on, making for a slight buildup of texture to simulate rust. I then used a dry brush to gently wipe more pigment on in various colours, leaving slight corroded staining.
The final step was to cover with matt varnish and, um, apply Dalek.
This entry was originally posted at http://major-clanger.dreamwidth.org/47396.html, where there are
comments.