Weathering and Dark Washing...

Ordin

New Hunter
Hello Everyone,

I am done with painting my first costume and now I need to weather it. I was thinking of just dark washing using 1:4 flat black acrylic with windex and dab it in places that need the darker color.

Should I also spray the armor and Helmet with Black primer, mist it????

I would love to have a step by step on how to make it as close to the movie as possible.

Thanks Guys!
 
Hey man. Weathering is like cooking....all about adding to your own taste. Use reference images as a guide and go slow. Too much too soon is hard to fix. Layer, let it dry, take a photo to see the difference (everything looks different in pictures especially at different distances and under different light) and then add more if necessary.

Use multiple shades of different colours to create depth.

Make sure to blend evenly to avoid hard lines. Make it look natural.

Think about what areas get the most dirty - seams, pockets, ankles, Etc.

Use flat primer on the flight suit. With the vest and hard parts the spray can creates lots of dots that dont look as good. Instead use watered down acrylics, charcoal, and other natural items - dirt, oil, etc.

Good luck
 
Hello DeathProof,

When it comes to your armor, do you just use an airbrush with water downed acrylic paint? I was thinking of using Dark Gray Model Masters with 1 : 4 windex and airbrushing it on the armor.

Thanks for your assistance, as always :)
 
I weathered my armor with enamel paints. Humbrol 79, 33 + 78, some charcoal, light grey acrylics and earth tones. The acrylics I did more of a dry brush rather than a wash.
 
I replied to your PM as you know but wanted to post as well for future members benefit :)

I use krylon black primer most of the time for almost everything. i mist it from about 18" away and bring it a little closer if need be. i then let it dry (about 5 minutes with the krylon primer) and wipe it down with a good paper towel, like bounty (they're a bit softer than the cheapy ones) and then repeat until im happy. You can also hit it with 0000 steel wool to take it back a bit if you over do it. Remember less is more on some parts. But like Deathproof said, its all your personal taste. Seal it with a flat clear finish when your happy.

I havent had any paint "dots" with this method because i hold the can far enough away to avoid it. It also works best with a fresh can of paint. If there is any gunk on the nozzle it may cause some splatter, and you may get some dots. Usually it just blends in to the "dirty" look. This method has a little learning curve to get the hang of it, but i always thought it looked more natural than flat black paint or acrylics. That said, i have seen acrylic washes work very well.
 
I tried the spraying at a distance...guess I never had much luck. The spray bottle with acrylics was how I did mine - just lots of layers. Never tried warming the spray paint can - might give that a shot. Much easier just taking the airbrush though now that it's practically part of my left arm. Definitely make sure you seal it at the end. I've also ironed my weathering as well which gets rid of that spray paint crunch feeling.
 
Thanks guys so much!

I tried dabbing it on after I cut the Acrylic Paint 1:4 with water and it looks horrible.

Going to try and Airbrush that same paint next seeing how I have some skills in that area. I love how Lou's armor looks but I worry I don't have the skills to pull off the primer and wipe method ;-)





What colors do you use for weathering the armor and helmet??????
 
I tried the spraying at a distance...guess I never had much luck. The spray bottle with acrylics was how I did mine - just lots of layers. Never tried warming the spray paint can - might give that a shot. Much easier just taking the airbrush though now that it's practically part of my left arm. Definitely make sure you seal it at the end. I've also ironed my weathering as well which gets rid of that spray paint crunch feeling.

Haha we are both airbrush cyborgs! LOL!

Yea to add to my post, doing it at room temp is best, so if its cold, Necronaut's idea sounds like a good one! My grandafter used to do that with his shaving cream can in the bathroom sink lol

You can also do what i described with airbrush, but you likely wont need to do the paper towel thing. The airbrush is a finer mist, so you will need to hold it closer, and because of that the paint adheres a little better. So the 0000 steel wool is what you'd use to take it back a bit. Again, theres a learning curve so practice on something first to get the feel of how much paint comes out of the airbrush before going to your armor.
 
Thanks guys so much!

I tried dabbing it on after I cut the Acrylic Paint 1:4 with water and it looks horrible.
For washes I have usually used about 1:10 acrylic and water. Slap it on, wipe it off...repeat. I also mix in some browns or rust colored depending on what I am doing.
 
When I do a "dirty wash", I fill up a cup with windex and add two or three drops of black acrylic paint. Stir well and apply with a foam brush. It dries within minutes and you can play around with it to get the look you want.

I also love rattle cans for weathering. You can avoid the "dot splatter" by using a new can. As the amount of propellant gets low in the can, the paint particles get bigger. Always shake well and use at the correct temperature.
 
OK, I'm throwing my ignorance out there but I've got to ask since many of you seem to use it. Why do you use Windex instead of water when mixing acrylics?
 
Water beads up. Because of that, it won't settle and evaporate in some nooks and crannies. Windex cuts the surface tension, allowing the water to flow and penetrate into corners and trenches better. This will get your paint to spread more evenly into this cracks and deep parts of your prop.
 
Also, the Windex dries within minutes, leaving just the paint behind. Water is going to take a lot longer to dry and in that time the paint will settle into low areas leaving you with really clean high spots while other spots are practically black. This is one of those things you just have to play around with.
 
20150306_071856.jpg

I used a Dark Gray acrylic with 1 : 6 windex and then Airbrushed this on.

I am rather happy with the results on my shoulder.
 
This is very similar to the way I like to blackwash and it's very informative. If you're feeling iffy about the how-to check this out!

 
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That is a great video. I agree that the random brush on rag off technique looks like realistic grime. The raw sienna and brown add some realistic tones that black alone does not always achieve.
 
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