Boots CA BOOTS/ Weathering

[Spideyfett]

Hi All,

Just wanted to start a helpful thread for those of us that have CA BOOTS, or any boots, that need that extra “Movie” or “MOM” Look to them.

I’ve noticed that those of us that do have these boots either don’t weather them, or simply don’t weather them enough.

This Tutorial will require some painting skills, and the mixing of paints.

So here are the type of paints and supplies you will need to complete this:

I use an Acrylic water based paint. Namely DELTA CERAMCOAT.
Why? They’re CHEAP!! .99cents each to be exact.
We already spend way too much money for this hobby It’s good to cut some corners every once and while...
You can find them at ANY crafts store AND WALMART!!. And being that we will be painting on material the acrylic is forgiving in that it bends, and still allows the material to breathe.

Here’s the list of the EXACT colors you will need.

DELTA CERAMCOAT

1. Charcoal
2. Black
3. White
4. Burnt Umber
5. Straw
6. Purple

You will also need some sturdy/Cheap Sable paint brushes… and a good Blow/Hair–Dryer. I use my wife's..shhhhhhh .
UPDATED 10/18/2010: I am now using an airbrush to weather.. and detailing with brushes...
And some Sand-Paper...150grit or higher.



I want to thank DARTHMILLER for being my "test subject" with his boots…


This first pic is obviously the way the CA BOOTS come ….wrong color and in need of some tender "Love"/ Weathering.:love

 

[Spideyfett]

To start I recommend doing both boots at the same time to insure that the colors match for both boots,,, well Duh., and weather on each the same throughout this tutorial.

This next Pic shows the BASE Color that is used to tone down the light color of the boot.
For this I used a Gray mix/or "WASH" of Charcoal and White....
When applying don't be scared to go at it. Again this is the base color and will be lightened again with highlights later.

You can see the difference in color in the PIC below.

 

[Spideyfett]

For the next step you will need to enhance the Dark tones of the Boot.

KEEP in mind the use of REF Photos goes without saying. Here are the main Ref pics I'm using for this thread.

Notice how Dark the boot actually is compared to the Spat or Jumpsuit.

 

[Spideyfett]

Using a "WASH" of just the Charcoal..I've applied the wash in most the creases...using the REF Photos to weather accordingly..creating the right tone of the boot in the right area's. Add SMALL amounts of Black to the mix if needed to darken.

Just a hint use a WET ON WET Brush Technique..helps blend the dark and light
tones...

"WET ON WET" is just simply wetting the surface of the boot and then painting on top....again helps with the blending.....and gives it that "air-brushed" look.

*****At this point I recommend the BLOW/HAIR-DRYER for faster results in drying time..****

 

[Spideyfett]

Next, Using the Straw and Burnt Umber Color Mix/WASH…
I apply a SEAM on the bottom of the boot, and tone down the white sole of the boot using the dirty water from the straw color mix.

** NOTE*** Again the “Wet on Wet” technique should work just fine here too…in fact if you mess up….just wipe it off with a damp paper towel and start again…works every time.

You can see in the Pic below I have used the Straw color mix Wash to apply “hints” of brown tones on the boots as well….

Then use the Blow/Hair-Dryer to again Speed-up the drying time.

 

[Buckeye 01]

This is good stuff y'all!

 

[Spideyfett]

If you are using the MOM Refs Pics….one of the first things you notice is a faded Purple or Lavender tint to the boot.
The first Pic shows the comparison of my finished CA BOOTS verses the real one….you can see the Purple tones…

For this, there are two steps …1. the Gray of the boot, and 2. the Black of the boot.

On the Gray of the boot you want to mix a Purple and Black WASH. And like before apply in the creases and dark tones areas.

**CAUTION ** for this stage use a "Dry on Dry" Technique…
You may also want to take off any excess paint on a paper towel and apply sparingly.
Remember to use the ref photos and use this wash for highlights only……..don’t get carried away!!

Repeat the same process for the Black of the boot….
Appling White as needed to the mix to get the desired lavender highlight.

You can see in the below pic the Lavender tones……

**OR if you choose you can COMPLETELY skip this step…..it really is just an added detail for us anal people.

 

[psberetta]

NICE..............now I think I need ALOT more color on mine. Darker for sure at least. Looks awesome Spidey.
-Tim-

 

[Pavespawn]

As usual, anything that Alex does sets a new standard. Wow!!!

 

[Spideyfett]

For the additional gray “Dirt” Weathering on the Sole just use the Charcoal color straight from bottle.

**AND the “Dirty water” you’ve been cleaning your brushes with….USE THAT!!

For applying the color or wash use the Dry on Dry technique, and like the Previous step very sparingly. You may want to test the color on a paper towel first.

Once you apply the pigment to your brush, tap the brush head on a napkin to open up the hairs of the brush to get the detailed dirt specs when applying to the sole….(did that make sense??)
Or you can use a Toothbrush and do the splatter technique......that works great too.

Pics

 

[Caomhanach]

I understand 'wash' on armor, how is it done with this? Is it just paint an water and dried (with the hair dryer)? What is the mix ratio? etc.. Can you explain?

 

[evan4218]

Great stuff man, I have been waiting for you to do a walk through since I got a peek at your boots at our TDH pannel. This will helmp me alot!!!
Thanks so much for sharing!!!

 

[Spideyfett]

I understand 'wash' on armor, how is it done with this? Is it just paint an water and dried (with the hair dryer)? What is the mix ratio? etc.. Can you explain?

There really is no right or wrong answer in terms of the exact ratio....the more water the lighter the pigment. It's that simple.

Keep in mind these boots are almost like canvas material...if you've ever painted with water and acrylics on canvas then you know that water is your friend. If it's too light make it darker...to dark, make it lighter...and add water for less pigment... works the same.

And the weathering is just that, very random, no paint by numbers here.. ..REF PICS REF PICS!!

I hope that helped???:facepalm

 

[Spideyfett]

As usual, anything that Alex does sets a new standard. Wow!!!

Wow..thanks Paves.

 

[Galactic Hunter]

I also had our friendly neighborhood SpideyFett weather up my CA Boots and it's hard to believe that a pair of shoes can be a work of art in themselves, but they are!!! NICE! :love 8)

 

[Spideyfett]

Okay Last post…I think these babies are done….Well at least one boot is.

Anyway, to get some of the additional highlights use SAND-Paper….yes sand-paper.
The first pic below highlights the areas in which I hit the boot with sand-paper………150 grit should be fine.
All you are doing is making natural scuffs on the boots….creating a “natural highlight”.

The last few pics are just with spats and a comparison of the before and after…..ahhh much better.

***FINALLY once you are done……to help protect all the work you just did and to LOCK-IN the COLOR…..SPRAY the boots with some Workable Fixatif. You can find it in the Spray paint section in any crafts store. I use Krylon #1306. WARNING Spray OUTSIDE….stuff stinks!!
And "Workable" meaning you can still add addtional weathering or touch-ups when needed.
You can Spray the entire boot even the Sole. It may Darken it up just a tad. Buit you will be thrilled with the results.

THANKS EVERYONE for the comments, good and bad…I love a good critique.

Please PM me, or post for questions.

Enjoy. And hope this helps.

ALEX

Here's a link for the sealer I use. http://www.krylon.com/products/workable_fixatif

 

[Spideyfett]

I also had our friendly neighborhood SpideyFett weather up my CA Boots and it's hard to believe that a pair of shoes can be a work of art in themselves, but they are!!! NICE! :love 8)

HAHAHA!! Hey I was just thinking about ya on this thread...

Here are some pics if GBH's CA Boots I painted on his ESB Fett.....AWESOME FETT BRO!!!

 

[Galactic Hunter]

I knew you'd come up with some Ref Pics of my boots!

THX:cheers

 

[Spideyfett]

I knew you'd come up with some Ref Pics of my boots!

THX:cheers

...
here's one more of my favorite pic's of ya with your "SAAAWEET" CA Boots...just for reference.

 

[evan4218]

Sweet pics man