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Other Stuff => Workbench => Topic started by: Hammers on March 28, 2018, 04:19:31 PM

Title: Black wash on armour
Post by: Hammers on March 28, 2018, 04:19:31 PM
I did today totally fucking botch an airbrush camo job on a t38 tank by applying a black oil paint and thinner wash atop it. I went through the stages as I remember them (it was quite a long time ago I did it last), saturation the model with mineral spirits and then applying a was of very thin was of black (basically just dirty thinner). It all just came out with all colors looking murky.

I used to know how to do this shit. What did I do wrong here?
Title: Re: Black wash on armour
Post by: Captain Blood on March 28, 2018, 08:37:02 PM
Oh dear. Sorry to hear that Peder.
You might be able to rescue it by giving the whole thing a good brush with neat white spirit.

I am a bit of a novice at the whole AFV thing - it's been 30+ years since my days with Tamiya kits! But the technique I've been using is 'pin washing' (I think that's what they call it). In other words, rather than washing the whole painted model in a diluted wash (which tends to make the whole thing go muddy), you actually only pin-wash the details you want to pick out - hatches, doors, rivets, raised detailing, etc. The open areas of armour plate / bodywork, you pretty much leave alone.
The way I've been doing it is to liberally apply neat white spirit across a whole area; let it start to evaporate for a few moments so that it's only concentrated around the raised details and in recesses, then using a fine point brush, just touch in a very thinned oil paint wash in your chosen colour into the areas of detail.
Burnt umber works well. For my desert vehicles I've been using a mix of burnt umber and burnt sienna. But really, it needs just a really tiny amount of oil paint in quite a lot of white spirit. Like 1:20 ratio.
If some of the wash escapes from where you want it to go, then using the tip of your fine point brush, just wash it away with neat white spirit, and coax the wash back to where it belongs.

The other thing I've learnt the hard way is that it's better to build up the desired effect slowly in two or three washes, rather than hit it too hard on the first go.

It is, undoubtedly, a painstaking process :?
But once you've mastered the technique, strangely satisfying ;)

Title: Re: Black wash on armour
Post by: Fitz on March 28, 2018, 10:58:54 PM
Give the whole model an over-spray with acrylic gloss varnish before you do the overall oil wash. The smooth surface of the varnish doesn't capture the pigment the way that a matte finish does, and the darkening is confined much more to detail areas. It's also easier then to selectively wipe out areas with a cotton ear-bud or something.
Title: Re: Black wash on armour
Post by: Hammers on March 29, 2018, 04:21:05 AM
Thanks, chaps. I did some reading on my own which suggests the same as you. I think I have to strip the whole thing and redo it all. Its a metal kit so it is not the worst thing.