MartinJQuinn wrote:
Yes, some photos as you go along would be great. Interested in how you do it -your weathering is very good.
Thank you, Martin, I appreciate it very much. Really. As for a noob, it is really refreshing.
To your point - I will try to describe my approach using words at first, as it is rather a process. If a specific step will need a picture, no problem with that. Once again, the full credit goes to David Griffith, I am only following his instructions. As the weathering effects are noticeable on the hull, I will describe what I've done there.
So, the "filtering":
1.) I applied a gloss acrylic coat over the hull (Gunze GX100 thinned to ratio 1:4 (paint : thinner)). Mr Griffith uses the Future but it is out of reach here in Czech Rep. I don't think it is really necessary for the filtering itself but the gloss surface will be a must for a proper application of the pin-wash (see step 10).
2.) A tiny amount of a black oil paint (a Czech brand Umton; however I don't think the brand really matters) was heavily thinned with a turpentine (or more precisely, with an odourless turpentine substitute; a German brand Lukas) to a ratio around 1:15 to 1:20 (paint : thinner)
3.) I worked with a soft synthetic flat brush, size 4. (a German brand Marabu Fino). The brush was dipped into the mixture, most of it was then removed using a paper towel (Mr Griffith suggests a lint-free cloth instead). The brush remained only damp.
4.) Random rather swift than slow vertical strokes were then applied on the hull. No obvious visual effect (a black color) of the stroke was to be seen (if yes, then the mixture was insufficiently thinned). Just almost unnoticeable. In no case I tried to apply the strokes on the whole hull surface. Only around 50% of the hull was covered. I damped the brush about each tenth stroke or so.
5.) Once the first batch of the filtering dried (it dries really quickly), the second round was done. Then third, then fourth. Still randomly, always just on about 50% of the hull.
6.) As a result, some places of the hull have been covered four times, some three times, some twice, once or not at all. The surface started to look...unevenly.
7.) Then basically the same process with a white paint (a titanium white). It should represent fading, effects of the water, salt etc. However, there were two differences from the above described procedure. Firstly, the thinning was even more intense. I would say it would be like 1:30 (or maybe even 1:40). The reason is obvious, the white is much more noticeable on the 5-N base colour than black. When I started with the same thinning ratio as for the black...after the first round I ended with a ship that looked like a zebra. Seriously
. I had to respray the hull and start again. Secondly, when I was removing the mixture from the brush, I sometimes tried to separate its hairs to two or three "blocks"; each stroke then produced several "marks" (as it can be seen
here). I repeated the "random-stroke" process several times, just as with the black color. Some strokes were made with the thin "side" of the flat brush. It all resulted in the hull covered by white marks of a various intensity and width.
8.) Then the brown (a burnt umber) that should represent effects of a rust. The thinning ratio was less intense, around 1:10. In this case, I specifically picked the places I wanted to apply the filter; I focused mainly on the bow, "stumps" on the hull etc. And I used rather the "side" of the flat brush.
This is basically it. The same principle should be used on the superstructure etc.
The next steps are yet to be done.
10.) What Mr Griffith calls a "pin-wash" - a precise application of a really tiny amount of a quite thinned black oil paint into places where shadows are to be emphasized. Using the smallest possible round brush (like 00 or 000) and letting the capillary effect do the rest.
11.) Dry brushing.
12.) Finally, a matt coat.