f2k
New Member
- Joined
- Apr 2, 2011
- Messages
- 301
A slight amount of progress...
And big troubles...
Once the undercoat-layer had dried I progressed to the next step: darkening the colour a bit. The undercoat was a 2:1 mix of Middlestone and Foundation White. The Middlestone provides the basic colour while the Foundation White provides the “stickiness†to make the mix work as an undercoat. It’s a technique I’ve used many times when painting tabletop models.
But for scale modelling, it seems, it doesn’t work nearly as well...
I just can’t seem to make it stick properly to the surface of the model. The slightest touch has it peeling off as though the paint never bonded with the plastic. Quite strange, I think, as I’ve never observed this happening when working with tabletop models. But then again, they’re somewhat smaller and they have a base that I can hold on to, rather than to the model as in this case.
Ah well, just roll with the punches and make it work...
So I hit it with another layer of the basic colour before applying the filter. And that was when the trouble really started.
I would usually have brushed the filter, a 3:1 mix of Satin Varnish and Badab Black Wash, letting it pool into the recesses and providing not only the first layer of protection for the basic paintjob but also the first layer of shading for the weathering step. But in this case, standing with the airbrush in my hand, I decided to airbrush it on as the model was quite big and I was afraid that I’d get streaking if I brushed it on as I probably couldn’t cover the entire model before the paint had started to dry (it dries really quickly).
Take my advice: don’t...
I didn’t want to dilute the mix as 1) it’s already quite thin and 2) that would, I feared, weaken the varnish to the point where it wouldn’t provide the necessary protection. The predictable result, of course, was that my airbrush got blocked within minutes. And even worse, there was lots of half-dried mixture sitting on the edge of the nozzle, every now and again raining down a fine mist of droplets onto the model.
Bummer...
Ah well, live and learn. I managed to make it look sorta ok, but the end result ended up being just a bit darker than I had expected it to be. And no pooling in the recesses. So I’ll have to drybrush it a bit to bring some colour back into it...
I don’t know if you can actually see the difference between this picture and the last. But the overall colour is somewhat darker and no longer even as parts of the tank are now darker than others...
And big troubles...
Once the undercoat-layer had dried I progressed to the next step: darkening the colour a bit. The undercoat was a 2:1 mix of Middlestone and Foundation White. The Middlestone provides the basic colour while the Foundation White provides the “stickiness†to make the mix work as an undercoat. It’s a technique I’ve used many times when painting tabletop models.
But for scale modelling, it seems, it doesn’t work nearly as well...
I just can’t seem to make it stick properly to the surface of the model. The slightest touch has it peeling off as though the paint never bonded with the plastic. Quite strange, I think, as I’ve never observed this happening when working with tabletop models. But then again, they’re somewhat smaller and they have a base that I can hold on to, rather than to the model as in this case.
Ah well, just roll with the punches and make it work...
So I hit it with another layer of the basic colour before applying the filter. And that was when the trouble really started.
I would usually have brushed the filter, a 3:1 mix of Satin Varnish and Badab Black Wash, letting it pool into the recesses and providing not only the first layer of protection for the basic paintjob but also the first layer of shading for the weathering step. But in this case, standing with the airbrush in my hand, I decided to airbrush it on as the model was quite big and I was afraid that I’d get streaking if I brushed it on as I probably couldn’t cover the entire model before the paint had started to dry (it dries really quickly).
Take my advice: don’t...
I didn’t want to dilute the mix as 1) it’s already quite thin and 2) that would, I feared, weaken the varnish to the point where it wouldn’t provide the necessary protection. The predictable result, of course, was that my airbrush got blocked within minutes. And even worse, there was lots of half-dried mixture sitting on the edge of the nozzle, every now and again raining down a fine mist of droplets onto the model.
Bummer...
Ah well, live and learn. I managed to make it look sorta ok, but the end result ended up being just a bit darker than I had expected it to be. And no pooling in the recesses. So I’ll have to drybrush it a bit to bring some colour back into it...
I don’t know if you can actually see the difference between this picture and the last. But the overall colour is somewhat darker and no longer even as parts of the tank are now darker than others...
